Rebuild the Pass is an online community that tracks the needs and status of the Pass Christian recovery. Here is what they say on their website www.rebuildthepass.org: (for needs lists and volunteer ops, call the number above)
Pass Christian was one of the communities on the Mississippi Gulf coast hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. A storm surge of over 30 ft hit the town and destroyed over 90% of the town's businesses and 75-80% of residential structures.
As with elsewhere on the coast, reconstruction is a long, hard process. The town's government buildings are now located in temporary trailers along the War Memorial Park and next to the old municipal baseball fields. The town library and many of the town's businesses are located in temporary trailers in the same area. Of the pre-storm population of around 7,000, nobody knows exactly how many residents have stayed or returned.
A great deal of reconstruction has been done. Over the past year thousands of volunteers have served hundreds of thousands of hours in the Pass Christian area. Many homes have been cleared out and are in the process of being rebuilt-- many have already been rebuilt and businesses are slowly returning to the town. However, as one travels through the town, one notices empty lots where there used to be houses, businesses and the town's buildings. Debris still litters the beach and trees in the area still show signs of the hurricane-- as they will for the next decades.
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The Grey Hut
The Grey Hut serves as Pass Christian's volunteer coordination center. They match residents' needs with volunteers' skills, and they can match individual volunteers or large groups with skilled construction volunteers and the various volunteer organizations in Pass Christian. If you are interested in giving time to Rebuild the Pass, the Grey Hut will help make your time in Pass Christian productive. Through the city of Pass Christian, AmeriCorps St Louis runs the volunteer village, housing individuals and groups of volunteers in central accomadations in downtown Pass Christian.
The Grey Hut is located at 328 E Second Street, Pass Christian, MS 39571-4515. If you are interested in volunteering but you don't know what you can do to help, or if you know when you will come to The Pass, call the Grey Hut with any questions. Their phone number is (228) 452-7270 and their fax is 228-452-7275. In order to get in touch with the Housing Manager at the volunteer village, email housingmanager@gmail.com, or call 314-226-8945
Run4Relief
Jonathon Prince from his organization, Run 4 Relief, arrived on schedule in the Pass Christian War Memorial Park on Friday the 24th of November. After running across the Nation, Jonathon sprinted in to donate over $110,000 to the city of Pass Christian. Mayor Chipper McDermott was there along with the City Aldermen to accept this gift as well as to present their appreciation along with a key to the city. Jonathon Prince was able to raise funds as he ran through rain and shine all to bring awareness and relief to the gulf coast.
Signs of Re-building
The Bay St. Louis ferry has recommenced its operations, a sign that The Pass and the Mississippi Gulf Coast are coming back. The ferry runs between Henderson Point near Pass Christian and Bay St Louis.
Gardening in the Pass
The Charleston Horticultural Society came down the weekend of November 3/5, 2005 in order to donate and plant a large number of perennial shrubs and trees. They generously brought a semi-trailer full of donated plants that they planted in War Memorial Park (in the town center) and around the Pass Christian Public High School. This planting was organized by Pass Road to the Future under the auspices of their Re-Leafing The Pass project. They were helped by members of the community and students at the Pass Christian High School and Elementary School as well as The Delaware Beach Brigade from Rehobeth Beach Delaware, AmeriCorps St Louis, AmeriCorps NCCC Charleston and AmeriCorps NCCC Sacramento.
The next Re-Leafing The Pass weekend will be December 9.
Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, according to KLOX News, over 99,000 families along the Gulf Coast were in FEMA trailers. This statistic serves to highlight the great amount of work that remains to be done, over 14 months after Hurricane Katrina hit. While residents of southern Mississippi gave thanks for the work that has already been done, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas serve as reminders of how much has changed, and how much work remains.
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