We All Made It!

12-8-2005

Hi all,

Here we all are, safe and sound - albeit smelly, tired and hungry - at Hands On USA (www.HandsOnUSA.org) in Biloxi, Mississippi. Calvin Richardson and I spent the past three days driving from Dartmouth via New York and Knoxville with a van full of computers, clothes, tents, food and machetes. We met the rest of the crew this afternoon at the Hands On headquarters, where we'll be staying for at least the next few days. Calvin and I arrived an hour before the rest of the group, and had just enough time to put-up the first tent before thunder clapped and water inundated our camping field. Never fear! The lovely people at Hands On have let us all stay inside their heated wearhouse tonight, where we're all currently talking, playing cards, meeting other volunteers, and waiting for dinner - spaghetti with sauce and broccoli to feed 150. The other 43 members of the Dartmouth team successfully reconvened in New Orleans and rented six minivans and one 12-seater for the 90 mile trip east. People spoke of finally being able to see this disaster from outside the confines of 'the media straw,' an analogy I liked. The immensity of the damage here is still harrowing nearly four months later, and may be even more so considering how little has been done in some parts of the city. Piles of trash - not traditional trash, but insulation, moldy 2x4's, shoes, baby carriages, pots and pans, wheels, trees, windows, cabinets, doors, mirrors, beds, mattresses, and literal tons and tons of viscous, reeking mud - still line the streets of downtown Biloxi. There is a lot of work to be done.
We have all five of our projects planned out for tomorrow, and - amazingly - it looks like everything so far has gone off without a hitch - knock on wood. We'll be heading out to the East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center, Nichols Elementary School, and several condemned and moldy houses, amongst other luxurious destinations, for our first day of work. All students here are excited to be done with finals, and everyone from the Dartmouth contingent is psyched to get their hands dirty. We're keeping our fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow, which should make everyone's initial impressions here a bit more pleasant. Dinner's served - more to follow after our first day of work tomorrow!

Nick Taranto '06