Here are more cases of unmet needs for Katrina recovery identified by local advocates in Mississippi:
- Carol recently had a mobile home moved, blocked and tied down for living as a consequence of Katrina. She has some materials including cabinets, toilets and sinks but can't afford the labor to do the work. She also needs repair of flooring and some sheetrock work.
- Katrina damaged the roof of Diane's house and then the water damaged the flooring. Her husband is out of work but has construction experience and can help volunteers. They need to replace the roof, damaged decking, sub-floor and floor. The water caused electrical defects. They need help.
- a 42 yr old client in Waveland has a 52 yr old disabled spouse and three children between 9 and 16. She has completed about 80% of the repairs to the home using insurance, FEMA, MDA funds but still has doors, receptacles and covers, and a lot of interior painting and trim work. She just needs helping hands.
- A family with one child has been struggling to complete their damaged home in Waveland and is about 60% done using FEMA, insurance and MDa funds. They still need exterior siding, insulation, windows and doors but are financially unable to obtain materials.
- A 48 yr old disabled male is the sole caregiver for his two parents (88 and 77). He has managed to complete about 70% of the repair of Katrina damage using FEMAA and MDA funds and has exhausted his funds. Dishonest contractors robbed him of the majority of the FEMA/MDA funds. They failed to complete the work. He is left needing roof work, flooring, electrical work, painting and removal of damaged large tree in the yard.
- A 62 yr old disabled man is caring for a 24 yr old paralyzed son. He has accomplished abouy 90% of the work on his home and needs help with interior trim work and door installation. He has some meager funds left to help.
- A couple in their late 50's has made it 95% of the way back but has fully exhausted his funds completing all the house except the kitchen. They only need to redo the kitchen but are out of funds.
Their are perhaps twice as many cases as these fourteen mentioned in the last post and this one who could use immediate aid. That is about 40 cases. We often find that as we wok in a neighborhood residents who have given up hope are energized and come to us for similar help. There are probably triple those 40 cases, at least, that would come to us as the see help is available.
In the last six months (mid-fall through mid-spring) we resolved about 35-40 cases. That means there is easily a year or more work in the Gulfport-Pascagoula area. I would guess there may be two years of hard work and even then we will leavesome needs unmet.
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The presbyterian news service in an early press release said a record $23 million was collected. A spokesperson further along in the article states "we need to keep some funds in reserve because this is an eight (2013), maybe even a 10-year (2015) response..."
Ominously, the release concludes "Any interest accrued by the contributions will be plowed back into the ongoing recovery effort." Did the church hazard these funds in the stock market? Perhaps not. There should be a published accounting somewhere.
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