Tarry, Jack Smith, Judy Watkins, Carson Rhyne, Wayne Hunter, Ben Louis, Terry Alexander and Joel Carras — reached Camp Hope in the afternoon and we immediately went to work cleaning up a backyard full of debris deposited by flood waters. For the rest of the week, we were fortunate to perform a variety of work assignments that allowed us to see different neighborhoods in D’iberville and talk with residents. Other tasks included tearing out the inside walls, floors and ceiling of a flooded house; canvassing neighborhoods and doing asssessments on those who still lived there to determine what they needed; and working in the distribution center where folks came to pick up free food and household supplies. Two members of our team also volunteered in the medical clinic, which saw more than 100 patients in one day.

We are very proud of the Presbyterian Church’s response to the hurricane. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has established four volunteer camps in the Gulf Coast, with plans to open another one in 2006. Camp Hope was expertly run by the always-friendly Dr. Bill Cadawaller, a retired veterinarian from upstate New York, who was volunteering for a one-month stint as camp manager. Our camp held more than 100 people, and we met Presbyterians from South Carolina, California, Illinois, Maryland, Canada and even Germany.

I believe our team members will always remember the resilient Mississippians who are surviving and getting on with their lives in a variety of conditions and housing. Some are living in trailers parked in their front yards, some are in FEMA tent camps, some are in hotels and many are living with relatives. Some had been through frightening rescues, displacement, two and three moves from hotel to trailers to family homes, loss of homes and jobs, and many are frustrated with insurance companies and FEMA. What impressed us most was the people’s gratitude for their situation — that they were “lucky” compared to others — and the concern they felt for their neighbors.

We want to encourage anyone who is thinking about going to the region to join First Presbyterian Church’s second Gulf Coast Mission trip in July. Volunteers are needed who know something about electricity, plumbing and carpentry as well as unskilled laborers. Also, the medical clinic in D’iberville desperately needs physicians, nurses and other medical personnel who can spend even one day seeing patients. Please call me if you know medical personnel who want to volunteer.