The Big Green Bus

Mississppi = Mosquitoes

Ro

Categories: Gulf Coast

Jun 25, 2008 04:43 pm 1 Comment

June 23^rd, 2008. 

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

I awoke this morning to find my arms and legs peppered, absolutely peppered, with mosquito bites. All total, I have nineteen of them itchy little suckers (my right leg looks like one of those connect-the-dots colouring pictures). A quick glance at my fellow bussers confirms that the Bay St. Louis mosquitoes were just as unkind to them as they were to me. What were we doing to be so maimed you ask? Well, read on!

The Bus spent a most rewarding day at St. Rose Outreach and Recovery (SOAR), a fantastic group of people who have dedicated themselves to the Katrina relief effort. For the past few years, SOAR has been rebuilding houses in the Bay St. Louis area, and we spent the day helping them move out of their center to their new headquarters. I was with the Tool Shed/Dorm Clean-up crew.  Bunk beds, desks, office furniture, and a whole tool shed (I’ve never seen more chainsaws in one location before in my life), were all dismantled, sorted, and packed up onto trucks by the end of the day. By the time we broke for lunch, all the busseres were sticky, smelly, and wearing that glassy-eyed expression one associates with finals or long distance runners.

After a satisfying dinner (Ahh, Mexican food), we sat and relaxed by the beach in Biloxi. Full, tired, but feeling good from a day’s work, we headed for our night’s lodgings—Camp Salvage. Salvage is a Katrina relief volunteer camp in Waveland, Mississippi. With brightly coloured walls and comfy couches, the place has that positive vibe of people happy to be doing good work.  A big thank you for housing the Bus!

This being my first time in the Gulf Coast, I had never truly appreciated the extent of damage and trauma caused by Katrina. I leave with a profound sense of respect for the people who have endured, and an admiration for the volunteers who have been helping with the aftermath.

All the best,

Ro

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