This Week in Pearlington - Dec. 12, 2005

This is what’s happening in Pearlington this week, as far as I know:

- Conrad is in town with his team still building sheds
- Rusty Irving has returned to Florida and Eileen Powers to Ontario
- my contacts on the ground report that the Pearl*Mart is open daily and the school board will inform everyone when the bulldozing of the damaged parts of the school is to occur
- there is still shelter in the old library and the rooms adjacent and the food tent is still up and running, as are the portable toilets and showers


Greg Wolfe, Disaster Recovery Director for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi writes:

“I plan to be in Pearlington for most of the upcoming week. I have teams coming every week until about Jan. 9. We have a lot of mud-outs to do, but we may have extra workers who would be available to help with sheds. We are also working on some other logistics for the teams who come, such as getting our own shower trailer, being prepared to provide food for such time as the Red Cross pulls out, etc. We have adopted Pearlington and plan to be active in helping there at least through 2006. We hope to be building at least 5 or 6 new homes for people who otherwise would not be able to rebuild. We have teams coming to Pearlington from now through at least January 9, with the days just around Christmas being open. From what I have heard, at least one shower trailer should be available at least until the end of December. I am working on getting an additional shower trailer for volunteers to use. This would be available for all volunteers helping in Pearlington, not just those we bring in. My understanding is that MEMA is leasing the football field, so the portable toilets there should be staying. If not, we will be working on getting our own.”


Bob Britts, who worked with the Water Missions people, reports the following:

“I talked to George Greene IV (co-founder) of Water Missions International on Thursday Dec. 8. He is not sure if WMI will be gong back. I recommended that if they go back then they be stationed in a permanent building (not a tent) in Waveland or Bay St. Louis. The Pearlington Relief Center may turn out to be only the locally run relief center next month. At this point it appears WMI and Volunteer Utility crews from SC have installed new well pumps and tanks in Pearlington, Waveland and even D’’Iberville MS at the new FEMA trailers. My best count is that the Pearlington area has received 250 of the 300+ pumps installed. Rick Hiers and I saw a neighborhood in D’’Iberville on December 3 (just outside of Biloxi) that could use about 40- 60 pumps in the next few months. So if WMI can get some more donated pumps or funding and utility crews can be recruited to install them then these pumps can go elsewhere in Hancock or Harrison Counties. This could happen in mid-January. Please poll your contacts about this opportunity. This basically means that Pearlington would not be receiving all in the next round of well pumps.”


Tim Goodnow, of the Dog Soldiers helping to build sheds in Pearlington, writes:

“We are coming. Also, we are fundraising. To all those a little put off by ““the what’’s happening”” and questioning continuing, consider this: if 20 feet of water won’’t stop these Americans, then nothing will, and the latest news is just another small wave. We intend to complete the mission. It is what the Dog Soldiers do: find a way to make it work. Our men begin to arrive on the 15th, and I will forward details.”

"Canada Jon"