Request for WorkTeam Pictures and Journals/Reflections

I would love to post some of your pictures and thoughts on your workteam experiences. Please feel free to join the site and add them yourself or e-mail me and I will be happy to do it for you.

If you would like me to add a link to your photo albums I am happy to do that as well. The Blog needs your imput. I know you have some great pictures and thoughts- how about sharing?

Don Valencia (donvalencia@yahoo.com)

Another Potential Banner for this Blog

One more Banner to vote on. This was taken by my son Johnny in October. Of course I can modify the images and add text. It would be nice to have some feedback.

Do you have any thoughts on banners for the Blog?

The new banner is kind of dull and sad to me. Any thoughts on this banner or the one below? This is what is left of the pier at the end of Ulman Street only 2 houses from the church.

First Presbyterian Church- Bay St Louis

I was thinking about using this as a banner for the Blog. Any thoughts? You can add a comment by clicking on the comments below. Thanks

Hancock County EOC Fraud Warning

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Hancock County Reminds Residents to be Aware of Fraud

Hancock County residents affected by Hurricane Katrina should use caution when hiring workers to help clean up the damage caused by the storm or when being solicited for charitable donations. Only hire reputable businesses for home repair or cleanup work and avoid paying with cash, especially before the work is completed. Things to remember:

•Do not pay cash to home repair contractors or tree removal services.
•No government employee will ask for money or a fee for a service they provide.
•Immediately call local law enforcement if you suspect someone of fraud.
•Always ask for identification.
•Require home repair contractors to obtain all necessary government licenses and permits, rather than leaving that burden on the consumer.
•Make sure tree removal services have proper occupational licenses from the local county or city government.
•Work only with reputable, established businesses. Avoid "contractors" who knock on your door offering to fix your roof or windows. Try to obtain more than one estimate for the repair work.
•Before signing a contract, check the payment terms and other provisions such as a completion date carefully. Don't pay a contractor in advance.
•Make sure you can contact the business. Be wary if they can only give you a pager number, a cell phone number, or a post office box address. Businesses with established addresses may be safer.

Hancock County citizens who have been a victim of fraud or suspect a contractor or charitable organization of trying to commit fraud are encouraged to contact the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office at 228-467-5101.

Citizens who suspect they are being overcharged by contractors or businesses should call the Consumer Protection Department in the Mississippi Attorney General's office: 1-800-281-4418.

The Shrinking List of the Missing-MSNBC Update by Brock Meeks

Posted: Friday, November 25 at 11:15 am CT function a(){var b=window.location.href,c=b.split("?");switch(c.length){case 1:return b+"?m=1";case 2:return c[1].search("(^|&)m=")>=0?null:b+"&m=1";default:return null}}

And then there were 20. That's the official number of missing persons whose whereabouts are still unknown in this region of the Gulf Coast, according to Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove.

That number is a tiny portion of the more than 6,600 people still reported missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina, according to the National Center for Missing Adults, which is working with federal government to help account for the victims.

Hargrove's office is part of an ad hoc group put together shortly after Katrina hit with the goal of locating the missing in this southern Mississippi area. The group includes the Bureaus of Investigation from Mississippi, Kansas and Georgia; the U.S. Marshals, the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control Board, the FBI, the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Salvation Army.

Pastor Ted & Betty Hanawalt- First Presbyterian Church

A Shared Dream for Rebuilding Bay St. Louis

This is a PDF document from the Mississippi Renewal Forum. It is filled with history and wonderful drawings of what the town could look like. It is a beautful and inspiring document incorporating the hope and dreams of residents. You will be blessed and encouraged.

It will take a while to open but it is worth the wait. Read it today.

MSNBC Daily Update

No one's going hungry here on Thanksgiving Day. No less than five public feasts are being planned for Thursday's holiday in and around the towns of Bay St. Louis and Waveland.

Rough calculations, gathered from those groups offering free turkey dinners, indicate that more meals are being planned than there are people living in this storm-wracked area. Indeed, there is enough food being prepared to feed the populations of Bay St. Louis and Waveland even before Hurricane Katrina forced people to flee.

Frontline Video-The Communications Breakdown in Katrina

Click here to go to the Frontline Videos.

Frontline-The Lessons of Hurricane Katrina

While much is still being investigated nearly three months after Katrina lashed through the Gulf Coast, government officials and experts on preparedness and national security say they've already learned some lessons from the catastrophe. They say it's a wake-up call for other disasters ahead. Will we be ready?

The link able will take you to some excellent PBS interviews and the entire video of the Frontline Special aired Tuesday Nov 22nd.