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Greetings;
I thought it would
be good to keep you advised on what is happening
here in response to Gustav.
The Extent
of the Damage
First ... Gustav
was not Katrina .. at least for Waveland and Hancock
County. There was damage from flooding and wind,
but not to the extent that Katrina left in her
wake. Most of the damage is in Shoreline Park
(along 603), along the Beach Road, in Lakeshore
(next to the bayou), Jourdan Shores (along the
Jourdan River) and in Pearlington (next to the
Pearl River). I don't know how many homes were
affected.
How Need is
Being Identified
The Housing
Resource Center (HRC)- the successor to the Long
Term Recovery Committee (LTRC) for Hancock County
has become the central point for receiving requests
for help. That is actually a good thing so long as
the requests for help are not overwhelming - they
have a small staff. In the early days of Katrina
there were a number of Disaster Relief Organizations
(DROs) that were collecting and responding to
requests for help. But there were thousands of
requests.
The HRC will
receive the requests, prioritize them and then
contact the DROs to provide volunteers. The "help
request engine" is just turning over so not much is
happening yet. There are only a few volunteers in
the area right now so the slow start is probably a
good thing. I spoke with the HRC yesterday to let
them know that Pathfinder would switch gears .. and
help with the relief ... but I cautioned them that I
would ask for volunteers - volunteers that are not
already scheduled to come here - only if I knew
there was work for them. (We are still
building four homes - none of which were damaged by
the storm)
It has been my
policy to not hold work back to wait for a specific
group of volunteers if I had people on the ground
that could do the work. We have to be careful that
the resident's needs do not become secondary to the
volunteer's schedule .... it happens ..... So my
concern is that if I ask a group to jump through
hoops to come here ... I don't want to find that
work has been accomplished by another group. I
really don't expect that to be a problem, but I want
you to know that I am thinking about it and will
guard against it.
The Type of
Work
The work needed is
typical for right after a storm ... debris removal,
roof repair, tree cutting, mudding out and mold
treatment. For the most part low skill and strong
back kind of work ...
When Do We
Need Help
We need volunteers
to come ASAP. There is a hurricane that may come
into the Gulf in the next week - Ike - that is a
factor. But I need you to consider sending a team
ASAP in light of Ike. The need may be much greater
than it is today depending upon where he goes and
what he does. Right now the computer models show
him coming into the Gulf. He should make landfall
next weekend - Ugh!
What You
Can Do Now
Please pray for the
people on the Gulf Coast. That they would seek
assurance from the One who can give assurance that
endures through the worst storms. That He will stir
the hearts of His sons and daughters to rise up once
again to give help to the "least of these." There
are a lot of pragmatic reasons to stay home ... fuel
costs ... time of the year ... "been there, done
that ... its someone else's turn" .... kids in
school .... not on the missions calendar ... not in
the budget ... all of those reasons make sense ...
but what I want you to ask yourself is ... "What is
God telling me to do?" I want you to encourage you
to do that ... and it may be not to come to
Mississippi ... if that is God's voice then please
listen to it and more than that ... obey it.
I want to thank you
for your heart and your proven willingness to "love
your neighbor" in obedience to the Word and the
Spirit's leading. Please send an e-mail in response
to this to share your thoughts with me. Look
forward to hearing from you soon.
Charley
By His Grace and for His
Glory
Charley Elgin
Pathfinder Mission
www.pathfindermission.org
228.493.1081
Isaiah 58 Rebuilding Houses - Restoring Lives
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