Ryan Hill Realty in Pass Christian Ms Day 2 and Then Mardi Gras
It has been a whirlwind for
the past 72 hours. Our group had been split into two workcrews, each assigned to a different home site. Our project was to build and anchor the floor framing for each home. The design calls for the homes to be built with the floor deck around 10′ above ground level. The frame is then anchored to the pillars with embedded chains bolted to the frame. This design in supposed to enable the house to withstand 110 mph winds. Most of the homes being built are around 1100 sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. After finishing up at the worksite on Thursday headed to Shaggy’s – a local watering home on the Gulf where food, fellowship, and a few spirtis were shared. We were joined by the Mayor, Chipper McDermott, a few local alderman and citizens, and the Project Leads from MDS – Harold and Sandra from Alberta, Cn. Then off to contribute to the local economy (casino). A profitable sojourn for some.
Day 2 started with a quick breakfast and then off to the worksite for a quick briefing, an opportunity to meet the other work crews from around North America and hear a bit about Mennonite Disaster Services who are one of the agencies still helping to restore a sense of normalcy to living in the area. We had the opportunity to visit the nearly 
completed home of one of the residents. It is a great feeling to see what volunteers can do and the incredible level of gratitude on the part of the homeowners. Truly amazing.
After a few hours at the worksite we were invited to attend the forlmal groundbreaking ceremony for the new Pass Christina Library, 12,000 sq’ of state of the art in libraries. Naperville has been a major supporter of this facility since the temporary one openned several weeks after the storm. Donations of books, videos, cd’s etc have helped replace what was lost and to
provide a sense of the familiar to the town. The next facility on this site will be a new City Hall.
The it was back to the worksite to finish the framing and anchoring. Mission accomplished! After cleaning up the vehicles and saying our goodbyes it was off to New Orleans for a quiet Mardi Gras celebration and world debut of the Raffle Fairy. Yes there are some interesting stories there, but you had to be there to appreciate. ;>)
