Day 3! Alabama report

Storm Corps participants - please post up your reflections on Day 3 in the "Comments" below!

The Alabama groups are off the hook. We travelled to Alabama in three teams of 12, but quickly transformed into a team of 36. We are working hard,  but also having an absolute blast. Bonfires, smores, all out cabin warfare including water balloons and silly string, a dinner that included throwing rolls across the table, students saying they are having the week of their ives, team leaders laughing so hard they have to double over to keep from falling down, scenic drives - the list goes on and on. We are building roofs, improving lives, and planting the seeds for friendships that we hope get stronger for years to come. The gist of this entry is really quite simple - we are loving Storm Corps and our sweet home Alabama.  -Samantha, Storm Corps Team Leader

p.s. Please click on the "Comments" link immediately below to read reflections on Day 3 from Storm Corps participants!

Comments

[Cameron]

Day three ya'll. I think I'm more worn out today than I've been on any other day thus far.
We did something a little different today. Instead of going out with our normal groups, we could sign up as to which project we wanted to do. There was a survey team, an interiors team, a human society team, a team that would work at a preschool, and other teams as well.
I chose to work at the preschool. It used to be home to the Head Start program. The only preschool program in Biloxi. They took care of tons and tons of families before the storm hit. They used to have 7 seperate buldings on this property, now there are 0. After the storm, they had to tear the buildings down so they could rebuild.
Our task was to remove debris from the site. The complete site was a good 3/4 of an acre, and there was a ton of debris.
We spent a good 6 hours moving wood, metal, glass, paper, insulation, concrete, drywall, etc. into large piles. For the first few hours it felt as if we were going nowhere. It was becoming very frustrating.
After lunch, another crew graciously joined us, and we actually got the lot to look pretty clean before we left for the day. We were all really proud, and amazed that we were able to move that much stuff...you should see it all.

We met a few folks who are full-time RV-ers. They drive around the country with their RV, and help people out. It was so cool. They're here for about 3 more weeks working on rebuilding a methodist church. It's coming along really well. I believe the church will house the preschool until other facilities are made available.
From the looks of it, we're having some BBQ tonight. I'm exciteddddd!
Holla

Cameron

[steve]

what a day. hey parents, hey baby, i think i know what i might want to do for a while after i graduate in may. i dont have time to write a long entry now, but, coming soon (tonight)...

-the full entry, containing info about my soon to come picture website and information about some great organizations
-ol johnny's katrina survival story
-the most pets in a house ive EVER seen (or heard about)
-THE way to get people down here to help...

more after dinner! --steve from nh

[kevin]

Hey, whats up? Today, I did surveys which were great. I got the opportunity to walk through several neighborhoods and talk to residents about the hurricane and their feelings on it and the damage, and so on. There were several people who were not at home but overall, me and my partner, Darcy got 7 surveys completed which is fantastic. My extremely sore throat did not make things better but I soldiered through and made it through the day. See ya.

[Ellen]

Props to all of you for your hard work and dedication. The heart and soul in your blog entries are a testament to the special people you are. We have every reason to be proud of you.

[chris]

Hey Ya'll...your doing a great job! I am so glad my daughter is in such good company! Jess keep up the good work honey..I am very proud of you! See ya in a few days!

[steve gintz]

so here i am, writing as an open mic is going on behind me. guitars, speakers, poets, dancers, judo artists. interesting stuff.

this day was pretty phenomenal. for two days in a row, i had done interiors, and it was most fantastic, but i had no problem resting my muscles for a day. i was amazingly eager and excited to go out with a group founded by the mother of one of the members of Hands On. (i promised to write about great organizations. here they are.)

Hands On is the amazingly gracious group that is hosting storm corps this week. They are the long-termers here, and are made up of people that have been here anywhere from a day or two, to months and months. they are masters of what they do here and are the coordinators of all our projects, working with organizations and government officials to repair the gulf coast. such a dedicated group, and such good people. we couldnt do what we do without them, and a hell of a lot of people could do ANYTHING without them.

the other group is called Triple R, and was founded by Ben from Hands On's mother. it stands for rescue, revive, and relocate. an amazing group, they are a type of privately run humane society that stores their gear in a warehouse under the salvation army where we've been chomping our lunches. basically, Triple R goes out there to assess the condition of owned animals, supplying them food, collars, medecine, toys, and whatever else they need to be happy and healthy housepets. they find strays, fix them up, feed them, and find them homes. basically they do all sorts of good to all sorts of animals. really important stuff.

...in other news, i get frustrated every night because by the time dinner is over, i have a billion things i want to do. id love to get outside and hang with the crews, tell stories, and goof off, id love to play more basketball, more guitar, read my book, update this blog, but i have to get rest for the next morning's labor.

so, unfortunately, i cant write about today...until tomorrow...when i will also want to write about tomorrow. perhaps after breakfast i can tell the things i promised to tell in this entry? dont get behind, steve, dont DO IT!

also, love to my girl.

[steve gintz]

holy craaaaaaap!

my mom said "props".

p.s. where the poo are all the other non-bloggers? team stormbusters, im ashamed of y'all. liz, you never shut your mouth...where are you now? c'mon, magic number, lay it dowwwwwwwn.

[Kiren Bansal]

SWEET HOME ALABAMA!!
Some thoughts....
--FedEx rocks and Home Depot has become a home away from home!!
--Baldwin County has taken us under their wing as we work together to rebuild homes in the area!! It is just amazing how appreciative people can be when they have gone through so much.... their kindness continues to humble us all..
--I cant believe how fast the time has gone by.... we have accomplished so much yet there is so much work yet to be done in the Gulf Coast region....
--We are steadily making progress on Mary's house... we are becoming a big family... and we are simply grateful for this experience....

Pictures are on the way!!

muah xoxo

[Will]

Keep up the great work Bri! ;-)

[Gabe]

Here are some news stories about the work everyone is doing:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&hs=FcX&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=%22storm%20corps%22&spell=1&percentage_served=100&sa=N&tab=wn

[Judy Clark]

Hey all you MTV Spring Breakers! This is Ben's mom ... from Triple R Pets. Thank you all (or ya'll) for coming down to Biloxi to help. Ben has said what an amazing group you are and he has been grateful for the help.

You are doing some real good for amzing people that NEED your help. Tell your friends, tell your parents, tell your teachers, tell anyone that will listen that HELP IS STILL NEEDED!

Katrina may be six months behind us now, but if you live along the Gulf Coast, it is still the first thing you think of when you wake up and walk out of your tent, or if you are lucky your trailer. It is the last thing you think of when you go to sleep and hope it won't be a cold night.

Triple R Pets will remain in Biloxi and surrounding communities as long as it takes to help rebuild. We know the value of helping animals goes far beyond the animal itself. The entire community has rallied around taking care of the abandoned pets on the street. Slowly a difference is being made.

You can track our progress at our web site, www.triplerpets.org.

Come back in the summer ... the communities will still need you ... and go away knowing that you have done something that will last a lifetime. Another storm can take away a roof you may have built, but the helping hand you provided to these residents, won't ever be forgotten!

Judy

[BERYL]

HELLO FROM THE UK...MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL FOR DOING A GRAND JOB WITH THE STORM CORPS. I'M SURE THAT YOU WILL MAKE YOUR FOLK SO PROUD OF YOU. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST WEEK WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR FUTURES AND LIVE IN PEACE.