Today we visited the Harrison County LTR (Long Term Recovery) group. We met the local Red Cross person and the two key guys in the Harrison County organization. We talked to the Case Manager about a couple of homes the Red Cross is taking under wing. The Harrison county Construction Assessment guy asked if we were taking new cases and of course we said yes! We have about 70 volunteers in the camp this week and work is a little light due to some unexpected dropouts. He said he has six cases to give us, actually four since one was one repeated on the list and our case manager had already put people on one of the others. These are my first cases. I have to go over and assess the actual situations, figure out what materials may be needed and if we need to call in any licensed journeymen such as electricians for more detailed assessments.
The cases are mixed bag. One looks like it is an easily one or two day job, put up some doors and a few sheets of drywall then paint. The other sounds not too much worse, appears there is a little framing and leaky roofing, some gutter work and drywall. A single parent with a number of children to watch for lives in each home. Neither have the money to do the required repairs without financial aid, which they have. One of them used an insurance settlement to cover living expense for the children, what else could he do? A contractor left the other with the money but much of the work undone. A common event.
However the description of the third job portends a big challenge. The home was inundated by the surge and has not been lived in since Katrina. The description states it has bad mold damage and no one yet has braved the task of entering the attic to see what lurks there. It sounds like a complete strip out to the studs. Still I’m eager to check it out, I have to go look for a good respirator for the mold.
Stay tuned.
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