MTV and United Way StormCorps

Day 5!

Storm Corps participants - please post up your reflections on Day 5 in the "Comments" below!

Day 5 was a strong finish for Storm Corps!  The Biloxi teams worked fast and furious on Interiors, Trees, and Survey work until about 1pm and then jumped in the vans to reunite with the teams in Foley, Alabama.  We arrived at Camp Beckwith in Fairhope, Alabama around 3pm and had plenty of time to enjoy the camp before the sun went down.  Many of us jumped into canoes and kayaks and got some well deserved R & R on the quiet waters of the bay. 

The evening brought us a wonderful dinner and closing ceremony with great speakers from United Way, MTV, FedEX, Home Depot and from a homeowner in Foley that we worked with this past week.  After the ceremony we proceeded to the fire pit by the bay and shared with each other what we had learned this past week... until... A SNEAK ATTACK WITH WATER BALLOONS!  :)  Yes, the Alabama teams gave the Biloxi teams a good surprise - however, little did the Alabama teams know that the Biloxi teams had a hose waiting for them behind the van.  Let's just say a lot of people on both teams got very wet!

It was a great evening to finish out a great week of work on the Gulf Coast.  One thing I heard from many of the Storm Corps participants on Day 5 was this - "This was the best week of my life."  And you know what?  I believe them.  -Mike, Storm Corps Team Leader

Day 4!

Storm Corps participants - please post up your reflections on Day 4 in the "Comments" below!

The Storm Corps teams had a great day of hard work today in Biloxi!  I had the good fortune to hear an orientation on the East Biloxi's Coordination Center's work this morning.  They have done an amazing job bringing together service providers and assessing community needs. Currently they are working on a survey with community residents, 6 and a half months after Katrina, to determine how residents are doing at this stage and what their goals are for their community going forward.  Dozens of Storm Corps participants have been participating in this door-to-door survey process with residents.  The stories they heard from residents have been powerful, to say the least.  We've talked with residents that had to flee to their attic during Katrina and then swim out of their windows to safety on their roof when the attic started to flood.  Residents who are moving forward in big ways already in rebuilding their homes and lives.  And many residents who still need many services.  Thanks to the East Biloxi coordination center, United Way, Hands On Gulf Coast, Salvation Army, and all the service providers Idoing the day to day work with residents in E. Biloxi and throughout the Gulf Coast!  They are changing lives every single day.  We were fortunate to be a part of the work this week.  - Mike, Storm Corps team leader

p.s. Please click on the "Comments" link immediately below to read reflections on Day 4 from Storm Corps participants!

Pictures from Wednesday 3/15

Check out the gallery here.

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!

Pictures from Tuesday 3/14

Here's the roundup for today... Those guys ARE having fun... On and off the job. Check it out.

Day 2! FedEx Operation Special Delivery

Storm Corps participants - please post up your reflections on Day 2 in the "Comments" below!

Day 1...Check, Day 2...Check.  Today started much like yesterday. My team walked into a house that looked like it was gutted, but quickly realized that there was much more to do. We hit the highs and to lows, literally...from scaling up into the rafters to kick down ceilings to pulling up 3 layers of floor in one room alone.

It was the house that we all heard about last night. The woman that lived there evacuated to Galveston TX, but before leaving, took the time to write letters to Oprah, Ellen, and Extreme Makeover. Each described in intricate detail why her house would be the BEST for a makeover. Well, STORM CORPS may not have the glamor of Extreme Makeover, but i still feel very satisfied knowing that we are making a house that was devastated by water one step closer to becoming a "home" again.

The morning went quickly with everyone working so hard. We may have nothing tangible to gain personally, yet we sweat, ache, and shout cheers with every inch of progress as if the house was ours. I can't say enough about how great my team is. GO STORMBUSTERS!

A couple hours after the lunch from Salvation Army, we all went outside for our first water break. True to form, FedEx came right when we needed them, with impeccable timing. FedEx's Operation Special Delivery brought us tons of water, fuits, snacks and enough encouragement to keep us going through the day. All our faces lit up as this hugely colorful FedEx truck rolled in front of our site to make sure we had everything we needed. It's very encouraging to know FedEx has such a real presence in the Biluxi area. It's one thing to support the community, but to go the extra mile like FedEx's Operation Special Delivery and to be actually out at the sites encouraging and providing for the people out here says a lot about their real commitment.

I'm looking forward to another great day tomorrow.  -Stephen Hendriks, Storm Corps participant

p.s. Please click on the "Comments" link immediately below to read reflections on Day 2 from more Storm Corps participants!

Pictures from Monday (3/13)

The troops are hard at work...but there's always a second to strike a pose check out the gallery here.

Day 1!

Day 1 of work has been terrific.  First and foremost, we want to thank our hosts here in Biloxi - Hands on Network.  (see the post below for more details about Hands On).  After last night's dinner, everyone staying at Base Camp in Biloxi convened for a meeting.  Hands On and the long term volunteers here coordinate these meetings every night.  At the meetings they discuss the day's work and the work plan for the next day.  Hands On long term volunteers lead the teams each day.

Today Storm Corps teams in Biloxi worked on Interiors, Trees, and Roofing.  I was on one of the Interiors teams.  We arrived at a home in East Biloxi this morning with the goal of removing all remaining drywall, nails, the ceiling, and linoleum.  It was great work.  Joel led the team and was joined by Archie.  The goal of our work today was to prep the house for a mold mitigation team to come in and remove mold.  The Storm Corps team on this particular project was Sierra, Emily, Apsarana, Adriel, Scott, and Brandy.  It was wonderful to see six students from all over the U.S. come together and crank on their work today in this particular house!  I know all the other teams worked incredibly hard today as well.

Speaking of other teams - I have invited Storm Corps participants to participate in this blog by emailing me at mike@stormcorps.org with their reflections on what they did today.  Or, if a participant would prefer to just post up in the "Comments" of this post too, that's great.

Today's lunch was generously hosted by the Salvation Army.  They set up a kitchen run primarily by volunteers for the volunteers working in Biloxi.  The Salvation Army has set up their kitchen at a field that was used by several local sports teams.

Tonight we're all taking our 4 minute showers :), getting ready for dinner and will be sleeping well tonight after a hard day's of work!  Everyone is excited about the progress each Storm Corps team made in Day 1 and is looking forward to Day 2.  -Mike

p.s. Please click on the "Comments" link immediately below to read reflections on Day 1 from Storm Corps participants!

Thank You Hands On Network Gulf Coast!

We've received some emails from folks not participating in Storm Corps this week, but wanting to get involved.  This would be a good time to make everyone aware of and to thank Storm Corps hosts for the week, Hands On Network Gulf Coast.  If you'd like to learn more about how you can volunteer in Biloxi with Hands On, please visit their website at this link.  -Mike

Weekend Photo Gallery

Check out this gallery of images from the weekend. The troops are arriving and getting prepped for action. Click here.

Sunday Biloxi tour

Sunday 3/12/06 1:00pm EST - This morning Storm Corps orientation began with a tour of Biloxi in our 8 vans.  We hope to get pictures up from the tour later today.  This tour really gave Storm Corps participants a framework for why we're down here - and how much there remains to be done this week and for many weeks to come.

Words can hardly describe the tour of the Gulf Coast in Biloxi this morning.  Most houses - many formerly spacious mansions - are down to their foundations.  Houses a few blocks back from the coast survived, but were flooded during the storm.  Flood lines went up to the 2nd floor.  Casino barges were completely destroyed and moved a block inland by the storm surge.  The Biloxi bridge is still down - it's spans falling into the bay looking sadly like dominoes.

At the end of the tour we had everyone in Storm Corps share their thoughts from the tour.  Even in light of the devastation we saw, a word that came coming up was "hope."  Indeed, we saw much hope on the tour - families living in trailers outside of their houses and rebuilding their houses.  The community came together after the storm and is still coming together.  We feel fortunate to be able to serve the community this week.  Our work begins in full tomorrow.  -Mike