My group (10 participants, led by Samir and Maura) went to Biloxi, Mississippi. We stayed in the Beauvoir Baptist Church with around 200 other people: long-term volunteers for Hands On USA (the organization that hosted us) and other short-term volunteers -- the most popular and largest group seemed to be the MTV crew (as the rest of us called them). They were actually called the Storm Corps and they comprised two students from each state (unfortunately, Ohio could not make it, so they were 98 in all, with their blue Storm Corps t-shirts and pink bandanas). Amongst us were also architecture students from the University of Minnesota, three college girls from Huntington College who had also come for a week in January, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous people who had seen the Hands On website and signed on. We, the Hamilton Crew, unanimously agreed that the Minnesotans were our favorites.
First Impressions
We had been chatting when we were approaching Biloxi, but a reverent silence began to take over from the moment we saw the sign, "No Looting -- We Will Shoot" till the point that we turned the curve onto the coast. The sight that met us was shocking. On our right, facing inland, were trees stilted and bent like hags, completely ravaged houses contorted in different shapes, bent poles, wires and debris strewn all around -- it was just a mess. On our left, facing the sea was not much that remained from the casinos and hotels which had formerly been situated right on the coast. The remaining structures -- however weak-- looked like creatures whose insides had been completely cleaned out. There were solitary objects that simply stood out amidst all this: the lone palm tree that still stood erect, but had drooping branches all the same, the swings of the playground which had been evidently well grounded into the soil. These just made the sight all the more despairing. Another thing that clearly stood out like a sore thumb were the newly-built, clean casinos interspersed in the chaos. As we heard and learnt more about these casinos as the days went on, we began to hold varying attitudes and divergent views towards them. The presence of the casinos was obviously very strong in Biloxi.
Working: let-downs, highpoints, etc.
We had exactly five days to get down into the dirt and do some hard-core work and the majority of us were looking to pull down trees and to climb onto some roofs. We were, thus, initially dismayed when after each new day, it was announced to us that we were continuing with the de-molding that we had started on Monday. We had been educated about the dangers of mold and had to wear Tyvex suits (which we felt really cool in), respirators and goggles whenever we were in any house we were working on. It could get really uncomfortable (what with the heat, sweat, and what-else have you) after a couple of hours, up in the rafters and trying to get to every nook and cranny of the buildings, and we had thought each new day brought something new. Thus, when it was announced to us on Tuesday evening that we would be doing mold again on Wednesday, the pain was clear on our faces. Our leaders spoke to the Hands On leaders about this and got back to us. Apparently, NBC was going to be at the site on Wednesday to talk to us. We were excited about this and decided that we would sacrifice one more day to 'do mold.'
However, Wednesday came and went with no sign of NBC. We were a little disappointed but our loss was more than compensated for when we were hailed in front of all the other volunteers for spending three solid days de-molding. We also got green bracelets (which we now still wear with pride) which have, "Fight Mold -- Hands On Gulf Coast" inscribed on them. We now boast of our de-molding experience.
The most inspiring day of work for me was Thursday and I am sure many would consider it so for themselves. Each Hamilton student was paired with a student from the University of Minnesota and given a portion of the city in which to carry out a survey. We went from house to house rating the extent of the damage and talking to the owners or residents, if available. Emma, my partner, and I spent a lot of time talking to the residents and that is probably why I value this day so much. We heard about people's deep, sorrowful and trying experiences, from the moment the waves came in till now; their stories of survival; their losses and their hopes. There were some very emotional and heart-wrenching moments. What inspired Emma and I so much was the will of the people to go on. We could not imagine all that they had gone through but their attitudes encouraged us that we too could make it through any of our hurdles or trials.
The last day was the day we felt the most energized and felt we really got some macho work done. We completely gutted a whole house: brought down the roofs, walls, bathrooms until nothing else remained in the house. At the end, it was ready for renovation.
A typical day
We would usually have a quick breakfast and then go to work. We also often took lunch at the Salvation Army site where most of the volunteers in Biloxi congregated. We usually finished up around 5 pm and used the hour or so we had before dinner to either take a walk, play a game of Taboo or simply 'chill' with the other volunteers. After dinner we had announcements from the Hands On leaders -- who would be responsible for clean-up for the next day, which group was doing what, welcoming new people, saying good-bye to those leaving, etc. Our group had our own kind of review for the day's activities -- Roses and Thorns: our highpoints and low points and any other random contribution. These were useful and seemed to bond us and remind us of the reasons why we were there, as we shared with each other.
Reminiscences
One thing we will never forget and will always cherish is how truly grateful the people from Biloxi meant to us. People we did not even know, who saw us on the street, would sometimes just shout out a "Thank-you for coming here" and let us know how much they appreciated us. We felt really great about that. All our cool leaders, especially Beth and Hannah! The cool Minnesotans! We've face-booked all of them. 4-minute showers! We tried our best to achieve it, but some us... Bathroom breaks (no further comment) Oh, and who could forget...CRAWFISH! We went to a seafood restaurant with the Minnesotans and some crawfish and some good 'ol southern po-boys.
Most of us Hamilton students did not know each other before the trip. By the end, we had become a pretty 'tight' group.
We all spoke about how we would like to go back and help if we could. One problem we noticed is that a lot of the people who were living there did not really know about or understand the real dangers of mold. We thought that Hands On had not done enough to educate them about that. They should probably host events with the local community to educate or make flyers on that regard and go from door to door apart from just the real muscle-work. Truly a memorable experience.
Oh, and next time, there really ought to be a working mechanism to play music on the jitney if we're going to be spending 22-hours on the road. We did have a good stock of food though. That was good!
