tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26013174191586012552012-02-16T01:37:57.048-06:00Stories from the volunteers working with Restoration Point Foundation projects related to disaster relief and recovery.RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-57039851890739085442008-09-15T09:32:00.002-05:002008-09-15T09:46:46.718-05:00

Restoration Point is closely monitoring the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. As reports continue to come out of the region, the need appears greater and greater. RPF has identified a region that appears to be the hardest hit outside of the "media zone". We are doing some background research to understand the composition of these communities and will be monitoring the accessibility to these

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-68066618275491582252008-09-15T09:26:00.002-05:002008-09-15T09:32:46.976-05:00

Thankfully, Gustav spared most homes in Pass Christian, MS. There were a few areas of the town that had some flooding damage, but because of Katrina, those homes that have been rebuilt were elevated. Now, I understand why!Reports from Waveland, Pearlington, and parts of Bay St. Louis were less positive but not devastating. Many of the families Restoration Point has helped rebuild after Katrina

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-82997406000469931652008-09-01T06:53:00.002-05:002008-09-01T07:06:33.809-05:00

It is about 6:30 am on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The wind has picked up and a series of rain bands are beginning to come into the region. Mobile and Pensacola is under tremendous threat of tornado activity. They have been under tornado warnings for about the last hour. Storm surge is beginning to come ashore in Gulfport area down to Bay St. Louis and Hancock County. The water has come

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-69864236122636901102008-08-31T18:25:00.003-05:002008-08-31T18:34:25.254-05:00

Well, the last 24 hours have been a blur, full of activity and decision making. Thankfully, Gustav has struggled to regain his strength after going over Cuba. Cuba truly bore the brunt of Gustav's fury. The intensity forecasts decreased, storm surge predictions were lowered for Mississippi, and it appears to be taking a turn west towards Texas as some counties in Texas were just put on

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-75494448513595723312008-08-30T22:51:00.003-05:002008-08-30T23:23:38.327-05:00

This is a little different post than normally seen on this blog. However, Mississippi Gulf Coast is currently under a Hurricane Watch and thousands are moving north. Katrina is on our minds, but Gustav is in our sights. Living and working along the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the better part of 2 1/2 years has taught me a lot about living in an area under continual threat of tropical storms

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-60453985082533630932008-08-30T07:42:00.005-05:002008-08-30T10:36:33.483-05:00

Restoration Point is making preparations for Hurricane Gustav. The forecasts are beginning to agree on a landfall in Louisiana west of New Orleans. We are tracking to storm utilizing the NHC (National Hurricane Center) at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ and Weather Underground (http://www.wunderground.com/). These are sites that provide great data and tracking information. Volunteer and mandatory

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-26484630361289414842008-07-30T15:43:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:10:38.816-06:00

While in Alaska, one of the many things that we enjoyed on a nearly daily basis was a visit to "The Moose is Loose" bakery in Soldotna. Known for the "World's Best Apple Fritters", the bakery was home to the largest donut we'd ever seen and "Road Kill Cinnamon Buns". Needless to say, we highly recommend anyone going to Soldotna to visit this wonderful place. The bakery offers a stress diet that

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-45391643873821759802008-07-13T15:17:00.002-05:002008-07-13T15:38:21.613-05:00

JoeFJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01999286182827786573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-47822955243830508832008-07-07T18:48:00.005-05:002008-07-09T09:38:14.306-05:00

Happy Monday,Over the past few weeks we have been working with excellent groups of volunteers to finish three main projects:Malcolm's Home: We are currently near completion of the home with some final inspections and buttoning up required before we can hand let the homeowner move-in.Jordan's Addition: Once we are able to finish the carpet and trap for the sink the new bedroom will be ready for

JoeFJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01999286182827786573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-60594705621737580392008-07-04T12:55:00.003-05:002008-12-09T07:10:39.094-06:00

Happy Independence Day! The last two weeks have flown by and Restoration Point is winding down its inaugural disaster response exercise to the great state of Alaska. Over the last couple weeks we have learned much about the current plans for emergencies on the Kenai Peninsula and have also seen gaps in the plan with regard to volunteer preparation and management. This is an area we anticipate

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-88117289636129090112008-06-24T18:31:00.007-05:002008-12-09T07:10:39.757-06:00

Dick Balnicky, a FEMA VAL (voluntary agency liaison) for Region X, visited Restoration Point team and some Soldotna residents for a presentation about disaster response and recovery in Alaska. The underlying theme was disaster response is much harder and requires more planning in Alaska than the lower 48 (The Outside). Not only are the cost of materials and supplies higher, but the transportation

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-30901332079519775792008-06-23T04:16:00.002-05:002008-12-09T07:10:39.881-06:00

Restoration Point has arrived in Alaska. The majority of a team of 20 has arrived and are getting settled into Soldotna, AK on the Kenai Peninsula. Some interesting items of note thus far...there really is literally no dark, only dusk at night. It really does mess with your internal clock. It is midnight and yet you think it is only 8 or 9 at night. However, the landscape is too breathtaking to

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-76264123088607216062008-06-17T16:42:00.005-05:002008-12-09T07:10:40.443-06:00

January 2008 NewsletterE-mail to sign up for the next newsletter. Coming soon!

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-68128594293081036372008-06-17T16:39:00.002-05:002008-06-17T16:41:21.350-05:00

Restoration Point is going to post updates on our activities, we are working on updating our website, and we are working on volunteer opportunities in disaster areas around the country. Check in often, request to be added to the newsletter list, or support our work through volunteering or donating!

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-45925776821654187862007-05-14T17:15:00.000-05:002008-12-09T07:10:40.565-06:00

All the way from Laramie, Wyoming, a vibrant group of college students from the University of Wyoming chose to spend their spring break on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. If there was ever a team prepared for the work they were going to do, it would be this team. They began planning this trip in November of 2006 and had each team member participate in "how-to" clinics at local home improvement

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-41316037142503916342007-05-07T07:05:00.000-05:002008-12-09T07:10:40.860-06:00

A wonderful team from North Carolina A&T State University came to Pass Christian, MS at the beginning of March 2007. This team prepared before arriving by working with various departments within the university to gain experience on certain aspects of construction work. For example, their maintenance department set up a "how-to" clinic on wiring outlets. Dr. Palmer and the rest of the NC A&T

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-39723031119617321932007-02-16T12:19:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:41.007-06:00

Girl Scouts troops from Brookfield and Elm Grove, Wisconsin 1,000 of AnythingWe will be trying to collect 1000 home improvement items for the Restoration Point Foundation. Their goal is to help restore or rebuild 1,000 homes for some of the neediest families, in the within the Katrina disaster zone over the next five years. They are asking for donations of a thousand of anything that can go

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-8337939127288175392007-02-16T11:59:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:41.511-06:00

Desert Christian Fellowship, Phoenix, AZDear Erin,I am the Senior Pastor of Desert Christian Fellowship in Phoenix, AZ. One of our members, Susan Pickering, challenged us to join with the One Thousand of Anything drive to help the cities of south Mississippi. We are glad to be a part of the restoration of your area and have felt a special drive to help with the Churches in the area.I have

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-84422859313266326352007-01-24T18:27:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:41.937-06:00

(this is an excerpt from a longer article)Driving across the southern United States in United Peace Relief’s ’84 Ford Econoline motor home with three “20 something” companions gives one a new appreciation for the vastness of this country and its varied terrain. Our route took us through California’s Central Valley, and swung us eastward, avoiding LA and hitting two out of four from the Grateful

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-50703751466641170382007-01-24T17:38:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:42.150-06:00

Our fifteen member mission team from Laurel, Maryland truly experienced God's grace in Pass Christian, Mississippi. During our five days working with Restoration Point, we were able to help in the building process of many devastated homes. We did some drywall, we sanded, and we painted. We repaired broken windows and damaged roofs. It was so rewarding to see the progress in our work projects by

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-74010666872344241652007-01-16T11:12:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:43.144-06:00

Written for the Roanoke Times Summer 2006 (some parts have been cut for this posting)It will soon be one year since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Most of us will take a moment out of our busy lives to look or listen to one of the many follow up stories now in the news. But for the victims of Katrina the thought of that day has never gone away. Until you see the devastation with your own eyes you

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-49544612272392518292007-01-16T10:52:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:43.562-06:00

For my community service project I went on a mission trip to Pass Christian, Mississippi. Here I received memories that will last a lifetime and friendships that would last forever. Going to Mississippi greatly affected me and my output on life, and I will not tell you about the best trip I ever had.We started off in the Marist parking lot getting pumped for an eight-hour car ride. When I first

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-49259020191943486312007-01-16T10:37:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:43.741-06:00

For my service hours, I went on a Marist mission trip to Pass Christian, Mississippi. We helped many people physically and mentally. We saw much destruction and we realized that even though it has been a year since Hurricane Katrina hit, all the towns and cities on the coast still need tons of help. After the eight hour bus ride there, we saw our living place for the weekend. It was a house that

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-51068602736878211992006-12-18T23:00:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:44.598-06:00

There is much on my heart still from our trip to the Coast to build the two foundations, for Stacey and her kids and Florence. One day, Jim took Sean and I off the work site and sent us to visit some families on his list. I was profoundly moved by several things I heard and saw. The first was the desperate condition of one woman. She was actually in the hospital and our visit took place in her

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-69179020953948379352006-12-18T22:35:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:44.761-06:00

I am still processing what I experienced during my volunteer time in Pass Christian and Delisle.When people ask me “what was it like” the 2 things that immediately come to mind is the complexity of the situation and the gratitude of everyone we encountered. Whenever residents discovered you were a volunteer there was this immediate outpouring of thanks and acknowledgement. This happened time and

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2601317419158601255.post-82061038312907558712006-12-18T21:44:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:10:45.929-06:00

The words of Jim Sullenger, co-founder of Restoration Point Foundation, as he spoke to me by cell phone when I was exiting I-10 in Gulfport heading in to Pass Christian. I thought back to what my 16 year-old son said after he had been to Bay St. Louis earlier in the summer with his church youth group. He came back to say, “Dad…it looked like it happened yesterday”. In reality it happened 13

RPFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18407350074592230259noreply@blogger.com0