Ike Response

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 communities. As search and rescue efforts continue, we remain vigilant in prayer for those suffering and know that the rest of the country is ready to rally behind the response effort.

We will be posting information on this blog and on volunteermatch.org for coordinating our efforts. In the meantime, look at the following list of information on how to prepare to respond:


1) First of all, prayer is a source of strength for those impacted by, responding to, and preparing for response to Hurricane Ike. Many areas were impacted by Rita, Gustav, and now Ike.
2) Next, you can organize a team to respond. This should be a team with chainsaws, muck-out buckets, first aid supplies, non-perishable food items, toiletries, and your own food and water. We will not know what the conditions will be upon entering a disaster area and if you are prepared to provide your own needs for at least the first few days you are responding, the less burden you place on the local services for the citizens of the community. Type of people to have on your team include emotional counselors, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, people ready and willing to do muck-outs, fix roofs, remove debris, and provide comfort to those affected by this storm. Make sure you prepare adequately with proper clothing, toiletries, shoes, hats, and water! The communities affected are considered coastal and bayou areas. This means bugs, mold, and hazardous creatures (spiders, snakes, alligators/crocodiles). Safety is a concern!
3) Organize donation center in your community. Some VERY HELPFUL TIPS when coordinating donations - THE LESS "JUNK" YOU ACCEPT, THE MORE HELPFUL YOUR DONATION is to those affected by the storm. Important items to collect will include the following canned and dry foods, paper plates, plastic utensils, clean socks, diapers, toiletries and personal care items (shampoos, razors for shaving, deodorant, soap, etc), sanitizing wipes, bug spray, sunscreen, buckets, cleaning items, brooms, and certain clothes items. When it comes to clothes, please keep this in mind - if you would not wear it, do not send it. There will be a need for clothing, but please be respectful to those to whom you are sending it. Shoes, pants, shorts, shirts, and hats are all great, if they are clean or new. When collecting donations, have a plan for getting the items to the area. This process can be a major headache or can go smoothly if you take some planned actions. Call the area you want to send the items...this could be local or state government, churches, friends or family in the area, etc...and make sure they know the donations are coming. Tell them what you are collecting, how much you are planning to send, approximate date it will arrive, and who is driving the items. This will almost guarantee that your donations will reach those that truly need them! Also, make sure you plan for transportation costs (fuel, vehicle, lodging, driver's time) while collecting your donations. Finally, as you collect items, have a collection plan or the vehicle on-site to load as you collect.
4) We need your help financially to begin to provide relief and response activities once we arrive on the ground. This activity will include muck-outs, emotional care, roof repairs, and basic repairs. We will also provide assistance to fire and rescue crews in whatever way possible. You can do this through Network for Good. Donations will come directly do us and it is a safe and easy way to quickly make sure your donations will directly impact the response effort for Hurricane Ike.

Thank you for your interest in assisting those affected by Hurricane Ike. We look forward to working with you on providing the much needed relief to those in Texas and Louisiana.

Gustav Update #2

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 reported that water surrounded their house, but because the homes were elevated, the insides were not damaged.

There is emotionally aftermath that the area is dealing with. Just after one evacuation in three years, there is a fatigue about the evacuation process. With Ike initially looking like it was headed this way, many said they could not deal with another evacuation. Some comments were along the lines of "I can't leave my house again. I just don't have the energy." This is a real, physical effect from the emotional impact of Katrina.

We will continue to monitor the need of Gustav, but our attention is focused on Ike.

Gustav - Update #1

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 across parts of Hwy 90 in Harrison County and across Beach Dr. in Hancock County. The radar shows a series of heavy rain and wind moving into the area. We are still expecting only Tropical Storm force winds. The eye appears to be making landfall near Grand Isle, LA 85miles south, south-west of New Orleans. The power has flickered off and on several times now. It has been most fortunate that power has stayed on this long! Now that it is daylight...I will capture some pictures and post.

Final Preparations

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 Hurricane Warnings. Local media is reporting that the unofficial estimate for evacuations of New Orleans and parishes surrounding it and to the west, 95% of the population took heed. Shelters are full all over the state. You can almost sense the peace of mind it brings the mayor, news media, and National Guard members.

We just finished preparations and are hunkering down. We will pay attention to the news, weather, and radar, and have the candles nearby for when the power goes out.

Hope to upload video and still images as the storm blows by Mississippi as long as the internet is up.

Preparations by Katrina Survivors and Responders

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 during the summer months. The past two summers have come and gone seemingly without notice except a somber reminder on August 29th about why the coast still looks barren in many areas. This summer was different. A few storms that ended up making landfall in Mexico and South Texas brought about uneasiness to many residents in this area. They had gone two summers without a significant tropical system entering the Gulf of Mexico and that utopia suddenly ended. Gustav has brought about an opportunity for state, local, and even federal emergency managers to show the public that they learned a lot from Katrina and things would never happen like that again. This is most evident in the images and stories coming out of New Orleans. Having a new administration at the state level does not hurt, but there seems to be a better awareness among citizens about the fragile state of their security while living under mean sea level 365 days a year. Evacuations are orderly, well-planned, and information about evacuation began two days ago. That is nearly 5 days before landfall! A great illustration was an interview I saw on Weather Channel just before dinner tonight. The reporter had two African American women next to her, one was probably in her late-40s, early 50s and the other in her 20s. The reporter asked what was different about this evacuation compared to Katrina. The elder of the two women replied, "It's lovely." She expanded on that comment by stating the officials who were coordinating the evacuations were treating them with respect and acknowledging them. Here were two everyday women, visible affected by Hurricane Katrina, and they were calm, clear-headed, and extremely complementary of the evacuation efforts ongoing in New Orleans. Even more impressive was that they had only decided to leave just a few hours before that interview. That interview revealed a lot about the new respect shown by New Orleanians to tropical systems moving towards Louisiana. Emergency officials and managers learned so much from Katrina and all of their hard work seems to be paying off. People are listening and responding calmly and responsibly. For that, I must say thank you to those officials and emergency managers. Your work and preparation will save hundreds of thousands of lives from Hurricane Gustav.

In Mississippi, the messages are just as clear. Mandatory evacuations for those living in FEMA trailers and the like, began this morning. Tomorrow, certain flood areas will be placed under mandatory evacuation. It is almost like this is second nature. Oddly enough, while driving to the post office in an attempt to get some packages out of the area before Gustav, I was a little surprised at how few buildings were boarded up. Being in the northeast side of the storm, the unknown in everyone's mind is how high will the water get? Everyone knows how much water came in with Katrina, how high it got in their house, their neighbor's house, and the guy that lives three blocks closer to the water. Katrina was the worst. So Gustav is forecast to be a category 5, does that mean we can expect high storm surge? I can assure you, that piece of information is invaluable in these coastal communities.

On a personal note, it is difficult to find yourself in a situation where you must make the decision about what is important to take with you if you are leaving and what you are willing to sacrifice. I have been learning and teaching this for 2 1/2 years and never imagined I would find myself actually having to practice it myself. You look around your place and go, how valuable is that to me? Is that replaceable? I'll hang my clothes on the highest bar and hope that the water really won't be that high. It truly strips you of any security you thought you had. For those facing imminent threat of tornado, I truly cannot imagine what that must be like to have no time to grab anything of value. I am grateful that I have had the entire week to plan and prepare. However, I found myself doing so with really no intention of ever having to actually put the plan into play.

I am working on learning how to post on the blog via my Blackberry. We will surely lose power which means I lose my internet. Blackberry was the only system that worked in Katrina so I will continue to submit updates as the storm makes its effects known.

Please plan to volunteer! Plan to give support to non profits that are down in the trenches mucking out the houses and providing the invaluable support of being there. Busy day tomorrow! Boarding up and moving equipment will keeping a very close eye on the forecast.

HURRICANE GUSTAV

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 evacuations are happening in Louisiana and some residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast still living in temporary housing from Katrina.

Many of you have asked what you can do.

1. First of all, please begin prayer for those in the eye of the storm and everyone on the Gulf Coast. This storm is bringing up the fear and anxiety of those who went through Hurricane Katrina. The third anniversary was yesterday and many events were cancelled as citizens, governments, and businesses began to make preparations for Gustav.
2. Next, you can organize a team to respond. This should be a team with chainsaws, muck-out buckets, first aid supplies, non-perishable food items, toiletries, and your own food and water. We will not know what the conditions will be upon entering a disaster area and if you are prepared to provide your own needs for at least the first few days you are responding, the less burden you place on the local services for the citizens of the community. Type of people to have on your team include emotional counselors, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, people ready and willing to do muck-outs, fix roofs, remove debris, and provide comfort to those affected by this storm. Make sure you prepare adequately with proper clothing, toiletries, shoes, hats, and water!
3. Organize donation center in your community. Some VERY HELPFUL TIPS when coordinating donations - THE LESS "JUNK" YOU ACCEPT, THE MORE HELPFUL YOUR DONATION is to those affected by the storm. Important items to collect will include the following canned and dry foods, paper plates, plastic utensils, clean socks, diapers, toiletries and personal care items (shampoos, razors for shaving, deodorant, soap, etc), sanitizing wipes, bug spray, sunscreen, buckets, cleaning items, brooms, and certain clothes items. When it comes to clothes, please keep this in mind - if you would not wear it, do not send it. There will be a need for clothing, but please be respectful to those to whom you are sending it. Shoes, pants, shorts, shirts, and hats are all great, if they are clean or new. When collecting donations, have a plan for getting the items to the area. This process can be a major headache or can go smoothly if you take some planned actions. Call the area you want to send the items...this could be local or state government, churches, friends or family in the area, etc...and make sure they know the donations are coming. Tell them what you are collecting, how much you are planning to send, approximate date it will arrive, and who is driving the items. This will almost guarantee that your donations will reach those that truly need them! Also, make sure you plan for transportation costs (fuel, vehicle, lodging, driver's time) while collecting your donations. Finally, as you collect items, have a collection plan or the vehicle on-site to load as you collect.
4. Finally, we need your help financially to begin to provide relief and response activities immediately after the storm. You can do this through Network for Good. Donations will come directly do us and it is a safe and easy way to quickly make sure your donations will directly impact the response effort for Hurricane Gustav.

We are busy securing our volunteer center in Pass Christian and making sure our equipment and tools are secured and in a safe area. We will do our best to respond to emails and will most likely do so through this blog. Thank you for your preparation for response!

Restoration Point Foundation

Moose is Loose

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 may come in handy during those high stressed days when doing initial disaster response in a disaster. Take and use it as you see fit!

Do not forget to visit our website on a regular basis. We are updating it regularly with new photos, stories, news and information, and links to disaster news. While there, sign up for our newsletter to get the inside information and monthly updates from Restoration Point. As always, we appreciate your support, your prayers, and your notes.

Volunteer with Restoration Point

The Work Continues

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 Mr. Jordan and Miss Patsy. They appear to be exited to have a little more room in their house for their big family.
  
• Netto's home: With a few finishing touches we can help to make the home for Miss Netto and her family more comfortable in the coming weeks.

Special thanks to the SOS team (Alabama), Sugarloaf United Methodist Church (Atlanta) , the Boyle family (Indiana) and the Northridge Football team (Indiana) for their great efforts in moving these projects along. I hope that each of these groups had safe trips home. Soon I will post pictures from these projects.

Best,
Joe Fields-Johnson
Restoration Point Summer Intern

Alaska Summary

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 action and planning on our part to assist the Office of Emergency Management for the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB). The team has also gained insight into the culture of this area and how it is an important part when planning and executing a volunteer response to a disaster. The final part of the trip was to assist the Rural Cap program in the area with construction on ten homes. Members of the Restoration Point team assisted in framing three homes (two of which have trusses) and reached the beginning stages of framing on three others. These members even got a chance to participate in an event with Senator Ted Stevens.

We will have a full recap in a press release coming soon and will post it here as well. We are making plans to come next year and are already in the planning stages. Next year will include similar training seminars, more specific disaster-related construction needs, and a possibility for teams to spend time working in the Bush. If you are interested in next year's trip, send us an e-mail and we will keep you posted on the progress and planning of the exercise.

Enjoy this picture of an Alaskan sunset (around midnight) with Mt. Redoubt in the background...one of the volcanoes that borders the KPB!