Disaster Relief Team Updates - 2009

February 21 -

Greetings,
We have finished our third and final week working here at Lagniappe Church in Bay St. Louis, Ms. We were able to finish all the work we could do on Donna Skinner's home. Now it is up to her to finish the tile work in the baths so the rest can be completed. She hopes to do that this long weekend. Schools are closed thru Tuesday for Mardi gras. On Thursday and Friday I went to another construction site helping Andrew, one of the young site leaders, ruff out plumbing so a team here next week can begin insulating and dry walling. The home is nice size 3 bedroom but it sits on 12x12s about 11 ft. in the air. Judging from the woods and area around it they were probably under 8-10 ft of water during the storm. This is a new construction built by volunteers here at camp.
Speaking of the camp, I mentioned they will be closing June 1st. and focusing on establishing the church and meeting spiritual and social needs of the community. I found out that when the camp closes more that 15,000 volunteers would have come to help rebuild the area over the last 3 ½ years. Over 300 homes were rebuilt and 35 homes build from scratch, an impressive display of mercy that has not gone unnoticed in the area around the church. Continue to pray for the staff here as they seek the Lord's direction as to where He wants them to serve Him. Some are planning on staying in the area and working with Habitat for Humanities which works out of this camp. Others have shared interest in mission work to Kenya and the mid-west doing work with American Indians.
We visited the site of the new building for 1st Pres. and I have sent a few pictures. They plan to dedicate the building in Jan. of next year. R.C.Sproal is set to do the service. They have invited us to attend and wanted us to pass on the info to all those who volunteered over the years as an invitation to you. I have attached a few pics of the building site and one of the house on the 12x12s.
Our plan is to meet up with friend from Gulfport today, visit First Pres. tomorrow and perhaps go to New Orleans Monday for some of the Mardi gras festivities. We have been assured the parades on Monday (day time) are family oriented and safe to attend. One of those going is the associate pastor from 1st Pres and his family. We plan on leaving Tuesday morning and should be home late Wednesday or Thursday.
Look forward to seeing you all when we return. Until then  
 
God Bless,
Scott & Vickie Herwig

February 13 -

Good Morning from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

We have finished our second week here at Lagniappe Camp, continuing to work on Donna Skinner's home. In the process of building these homes it is the finishing work that takes the longest and you see the least progress. Vickie and a couple from Illinois spent the whole week painting doors and trim while I installed light fixtures, the washer and dryer, ceiling fans and water heater. We should finish up all we can do before the end of next week and probably move on to another home. The house won't be finished because Donna is doing her own tile work in the bathrooms and with working won't be finished for a few weeks.

This past week the camp leaders had their long range meeting and decided to begin moving from construction to more community support. It seems strange seeing so many lots still missing homes and hearing many of the relief camps have closed or will be this year. The problem is most people who were financially able to rebuild have done so. Many victims did not have flood insurance and with the loss of their home have no equity to get a loan to rebuild. And of course the state of our economy is not helping with banks unable to or not willing to give loans to people in their predicament. So, as of June 1st, Lagniappe will cease building homes and move into areas that can help the community get back on its feet. Areas such as financial training, literacy and teen pregniency. Mississippi has the highest teen pregnancy in America.
It was a shock to some of the staff and volunteers who have been here since the beginning and will not be needed after the construction faze ends. One couple bought a house last year expecting to be here for the next five years and many of the young adults here with Ameri-Corp or Habitat for Humanities are trying to figure out what is next for them. They can use your prayers! Also be praying for MNA's Disaster leaders as they try to encourage and redirect the many volunteer groups that had committed to coming to Mississippi this summer and into next year. There are still camps open in New Orleans, Cedar Rapids,Iowa and Hatti.

You can also be praying for Vickie and I as we continue establishing disaster ministries in our Area. We are restructuring our Chesapeake presbytery's ministry as well as helping Potomac presbytery in Md. and Heritage presbytery in Delaware begin one. We hope to establish a committee of deacons for each presbytery who will help our churches prepare and respond to disasters. We are also working with government agencies such as V.O.A.D. and C.E.R.T. to develop free training in areas of disaster response. Look for information this Spring on training seminars available to you.

We will be here working next week and then spend the weekend with friends we made the past few years before heading home the week after and be home by the 26th. Look forward to seeing you all when we return.

God Bless,
Scott & Vickie Herwig
Disaster Response

February 7 -

We have finished up our first week here at Lagniappe. The weather has finally turned for the better reaching 65 today. Like you all back North we were in a good cold snap for these parts going into the 20's at night.
Vickie and I have been working on the home of Donna Skinner, a regular attender at Lagniappe. Like everyone here in Mississippi they all have a story. She evacuated during the storm and was told her house was fully intact but in the middle of the road. Not a window broken. The water level in Waveland, where Katrina's eye made landfall, was 29ft. Before she could return and make arraignments to get it moved back onto her property, the Army Corp of Engineers bulldozed it and took it away in order to clear the street. She lost almost everything. Her new home in about 9ft up on stilts which was good because when Gustov hit last summer another 4ft flooded her shed which stored a lot of her building materials. They all were damaged and had to be replaced. The house is nearing completion with us doing the finishing work. We have been hanging interior doors and trim, finished installing hardwood floors and painting. We will continue to do the same next week. I have attached a couple pictures of the house and Vickie working on the flooring.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Vickie and I along with Arklie Hooten are going to check out First Presbyterian Churches new building. It is being build about 5 miles North of the the old building which was destroyed by Katrina. I'll take pictures and forward them later. I know several of you who have been here will want to see them. Sunday we are going to church at First Pres and seeing so old friend from Camp Hope days then having lunch with Lisa Ladner's family. Lisa ran Camp Hope where we went several time with many of you.
There was a team from Missouri here this week who built a house from floor joists to being under roof. Next week it is only us and the interns. Beginning the end of the month though the camp will be full through April with Spring break kids coming

God Bless,
Scott & Vickie Herwig
MNA Disaster Response

January 31 -

You may or may not know that Vickie and I are back at Lagnaippe PCA Church in Bay St Louis, Mississippi.

It has now been three and a half years since the gulf coast was hit by our country's worst natural disaster, hurricane Katrina. Yesterday as we arrived we took the scenic route along Rt 90. This is the road that runs along the coast with homes and businesses on one side and the waters of the gulf on the other. You may recall that a thirty foot water surge devastated the area wiping out homes, businesses and lives more than a quarter of a mile inland. An area the size of Great Britain was destroyed.

It has been a year since we and the Lowmans came to the coast and traveled this road. We do see progress, more businesses and homes have been built and life here is getting back to normal. Of course it will never return to the way it once was. Much of the gulf's history has forever been washed away. The grand Oaks seem healthier, the roads and infastructure are being repaired and more people have returned.

We are here at Lagniappe, a PCA church plant and relief camp, started in the wake of Katrina. Volunteers continue to respond from all over the country. This last week a group of retired men from St. Louis, Missouri and a group of college students did what is called a blitz build. In one week they build a three bedroom home from the ground up. We are not sure yet but Vickie and I will probably work on the finishing of the home over the next two or three weeks we are here. The camp which can house over a hundred volunteers will actually be booked up the end of Feb. into March. This is when the college students converge here to spend their spring break doing something more fulfilling than lying on the beach. If you ever want to feel there is still hope for our country's future, this is the place to be!

We will spend the weekend reacquainting ourselves with the area and old friends and begin working on Monday. I will send another report and hopefully some pictures of the work site. Until then pray for the area and its people. The fields are still ripe for the Lords harvest as there is still much to be done.

God Bless,
Scott & Vickie Herwig
MNA Disaster Response

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