Amish to the Rescue

This photo from the Houston Chronicle shows a young Amish volunteer from Indiana helping rebuild fences in southeast Texas destroyed by Hurricane IKE.

Recruited by the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, these folks have traveled a long way to help their Texas neighbors, in spite of dealing with their own economic troubles at home. Here's the full story.

The motto for the effort is : "Building fences in Texas until the cows come home." Don't you love it?

And it's not just a clever motto--apparently there are thousands of cattle in several counties that can't be returned to their pastures until the fences are restored. Another facet of the mess left behind by Ike.

Volunteers Needed for

Our presbytery has put out a call for volunteers to help complete the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance village in Port Neches, Texas. Thunderstorms came through the area this week, causing significant damage and there is concern the village won't be ready for the first scheduled work group. Sometimes you just can't win for losin', as we say.

You'd think there would be some provision in the Stimulus Package that would help fund the rebuilding of the Texas and Louisiana areas devastated by Hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Rita. That would certainly put people to work! I can't find any reference to that--but then, no one seems to know what is in this bill, do they?

Those Who REALLY need a bailout

With all the loose talk about the need for the federal government to bail out the banks, the auto companies and their unions, the home builders and God only knows what other big business or special interest will be next, how come these folks aren't getting added to the list?

Oh, yeah. Forgot. They don't have lobbyists or PAC funds. Just blue tarps (if they're lucky), empty foundations (if they're not), and tents (if they're in the middle). UTMB just laid off half its work force in Galveston and it is the largest employer there. You do the math.

Just sayin'.

IKE Redux and Presby-Phrases Contest

Yesterday our lovely weather changed to warmish and rainy--but not stormy. During the day, however, the power went out briefly five or six times so I called to report it thinking it might indicate a real problem.

Did it ever! About 30 minutes afterwards I was treated to a major light show and then darkness for a couple of hours. Then the lights came back on for another hour and then went out for good until about 5 am. So now I'm off to a very slow start this morning!

As Yogi Barra would say, "deja view all over again."

If you haven't added your vote for most annoying Presby-Phrase in the post below, please join in! In addition to the great suggestions several commenters cleverly used their nominations in a sentence. So there will have to be a virtual prize for the best effort in that category of Most Annoying PresbySentence.

If the way be clear, be intentional. Live into the contest by unpacking your opinions. Show your connectionalism. Jesus we just ask that in the fullness of time a new thing will appear.

~ducks and runs~

Housing the House-Builders

Portia's brother-in-law (Bob the Builder) flew into Houston Monday afternoon on a scouting expedition for his Florida construction company. He's been engaged to rebuild an apartment complex in Galveston that was severely damaged by hurricane Ike last month.

Remember Ike? It was chased off the front pages by the stock market meltdown, bailout and the presidential election. But there are thousands of people still displaced from their homes, boats littering the side of the highway near Galveston, and blue tarps on roofs of businesses and homes all over the region awaiting repair. The storm is the third most costly in American history. Some say the damages could be as much as $21 BILLION.

Bob's company is one of many from out of state coming into the area to help with the reconstruction. These companies must show that they will bring in their own workers, because there is a shortage of available labor in the area.

That means that his biggest challenge will be finding temporary housing for the employees of his company in addition to evaluating the scope of the project. This is a familiar story to those of you who survived Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hotels, motels, apartments and rent houses near Galveston are booked full with evacuees whose homes are unliveable--like the apartments that Bob's company plans to restore. It's a real Catch-22.

Presbytery of New Covenant's Ike recovery effort continues. We expect Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Villages to be set up by Thanksgiving to house volunteer teams of workers. If your church group is interested in arranging a work trip, contact the PDA at pdacallcenter@sbcglobal.net.

Volunteer work crews are welcome and much needed, but the folks waiting to return to their homes will also need companies like Bob's to come and work. And those workers need a place to stay. I'm praying Bob can work that out for his employees and the people who had to leave their ruined apartments.

Ringing For Recovery

After taking a break from Hurricane Recovery Blogging yesterday in the interest of Home Maintenance, I'm back on it today.

You can help ring in recovery from Ike by buying and playing music written to raise money for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance or another local assistance organization. Sondra Tucker, Director of Music at ChristChurch Presbyterian, Bellaire, Texas sent the following information to Presbytery of New Covenant:

“I have written a piece of music for handbells that I am distributing to anyone who makes a $25 or larger contribution to PDA or another local area relief organization. The details are at http://www.houstonhandbells.org/ike.html. Since so many of our congregations have handbell ensembles, I hope that you will consider forwarding this message in your next e-letter. I am proud to report that in the two days the piece has been posted, it has collected almost $1000 for disaster recovery from organizations across the country.”

Thanks, Sondra! What a great idea! Let Hurricane Recovery Ring throughout the land. If there is a handbell choir in your church, let the director know about this opportunity to help while making a joyful noise.

Houston and Borger Update

We returned from our trip to the Texas Panhandle to find things returning to normal chez QG. Our niece and family got power Saturday evening and gratefully scrambled home to sleep in their own little beds! There are still about 150,000 people without power in Houston and broken traffic lights scattered around the area.

The paper noted this morning that the one Jewish bakery was severely damaged by Ike and can't make the challah for Rosh Hashana this year so some small local delis are trying to step into the breach, causing people to line up early in the morning to get this traditional holiday bread.

It was really good to get out of town for a few days. It was the first visit for El Jefe back to his home town since his father died in July, which made it particularly poignant. His two cousins and their wives also attended the reunion in support of him and we all had a wonderful visit. How great is it to stay up late laughing uproariously with members of the family?

Cousin Mary took me to a spa in Amarillo which was truly fabulous, and so much better than spending the day listening to our hubbies reminisce about every dang football game ever played on the High Plains. Everyone was happy, and Mary and I were the best Arm Candy at the dinner!

The MC at the reunion was a former football player whose exploits in high school were related in El Jefe's book. He choked up and cried when he was presenting El Jefe with his letter jacket. All the books we brought with us were sold and there were requests. A big surprise was a nice note from El Jefe's friend and former Yale classmate Mike Medved (now a radio talk-show host) on the occasion which one of the classmates had gone to some trouble to get.

We didn't get a T-bird at Hertz. Instead we got a white Crown Victoria, which made us look like the old folks who frequent the early bird special at Luby's Cafeteria! Next time, I want that T-Bird.

Here's our photo, courtesy of Cousin Buddy:

QG's Bed and Breakfast Re-Opens

QG's Bed and Breakfast re-opened yesterday for our niece, her husband, their three little girls and two dachsies who are STILL without power. The girls' school now has power so they returned from our bay house. All three are happy to be back in school!

They've been told they MAY have power by Sunday. And maybe not. This is really a stressful time for them and everyone in their position. In the meantime, they will be with us until the lights go back on.

Beatrice is very excited about our guests--especially her old littermates, James and Dolley, who she hasn't seen for a while.

El Jefe and I are going out of town this weekend, so they can have the house to themselves, which ought to be a good thing for them. We are really happy to have them and blessed that we have the bedrooms upstairs to make them comfortable. Our pool will keep the girls entertained. It is really nice to have little girls around the house again!

It's amazing what a big hurricane can do. This is the fourth largest city in the US and there are still major power outages in many areas of town. Never mind the devastation in Galveston and on the coast which will take many years to repair and restore. See today's update on the PNC Hurricane Recovery blog (link on sidebar) for more news about volunteer opportunities, ways to help, and church damage updates.

In the Department of Can't Blog About It, yesterday I was reminded that not all hurricanes are acts of nature. Some result from the fallen nature of man, but cause much devastation in their own way.

Houston Ode After IKE

(Inspired by the fact that my church, my niece and her family, and several friends still are without power. Eleven days after Ike. And counting.)

See how the fates their gifts alot--
Some have power, some do not.
And some are worthy, I daresay
Of having their power back yesterday.

If I were CenterPoint (which I'm NOT)
Each one would have the power he sought.
Lights, A/C and dryers would whir away
And TV's, DVD's and fridges run all day.

Pity the mom with kids at home
Without any power and no where to roam.
There isn't even any school--
No power, no classes is the rule.

Pity the poor with no where else to go
Waiting for assistance in a hot, sweaty row.
Applying for food stamps and FEMA rent
From agencies the government sent.

Pity those who lived in Galveston town,
Now most of their houses have fallen down.
No visitor now allowed on that historical Isle
Because living there is a dangerous trial.

The national press left Ike survivors behind
As the financial crisis put the US in a bind.
This series of recent hurricanes
Has left the national psyche drained.

See how the fates their gifts alot!
Some get the press and some do not.
But Texans don't care, because we always say
We'll pull together and fix it anyway.

Helping With The Cleanup in San Leon

Cross-posted from the Presbytery of New Covenant's Hurricane Recovery blog:

Rev. Dean Pogue, pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, sent me the photos in the slideshow below. Here is his description of the pictures:

One of our members lives directly on the water in San Leon, about 12 miles south of Clear Lake. According to insurance adjustors, she lost about 85% of her home and its contents. The attached photos show our church cleanup group (First Presbyterian, Pasadena, Texas), responding to her SOS for help.

A few notes: Her house was built on piers, and the steps to her front door were washed away. Entry was via step ladder. The storm surge washed away everything on the ground floor. She lost quite a few sentimental items, although she was able to salvage some family photos, including her high school photo, and ones of her son and her dad.

(Photos courtesy of Dean Pogue)

Thank you, Dean!

Volunteers Needed in New Covenant Presbytery

I am cross-posting this call for volunteer assistance from General Presbyter Rev. Mike Cole from the PNC Hurricane Recovery blog.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED--CAN YOU HELP?

We are getting our support structure in place to coordinate offers of assistance with needs in our communities. We need volunteers to help us for the next couple of months in the following areas:

Worksite Assignment Manger – someone to work with the Volunteer Coordinator in assigning work groups to work sites

Case Workers - people to do on-site visits of families needing assistance. It would be especially helpful to have folks with degrees in social work.

Financial Officer – A CPA serving on the Ike Recovery Team to help administer funds and design systems of financial reporting and accountability.

The Golden Triangle area is prepared to receive work groups immediately. Beverly Antilley is our Golden Triangle Volunteer Coordinator. Her phone 409 223-0118 She can handle groups coming in with work assignments and accommodations and other information.

Clean up buckets can be take to Clear Lake Presbyterian Church. CLPC will oversee the distribution of the buckets to the community.

The High Island Retreat Center will be housing some teachers from the High Island Independent School District who lost their homes to the storm. There is still no electricity on High Island and no generators available. If anyone has a generator they are no longer using and would be wiling to donate/loan it to the Retreat Center, that would be very helpful to those we are housing. The teachers also need food, cleaning supplies and toilet paper.

Please contact Mike Cole at the Presbyterian Center for more information or if you want to volunteer. (email: mcole at pbyofnewcovenant dot org )

Got Presby-IKE Photos?

Dear Readers,

If you have digital photos of Hurricane Ike damage to a Presbyterian church or relief/clean-up efforts by Presbyterians, please email them to me (jody dot harrington at gmail dot com).

Presbyterians Today requested I try to get some photos and forward them to their editor. Photos should be high-resolution.

Thanks!

QG

Worshipping in the Dark

El Jefe and I went to worship at our church this morning. The church is located in one of the areas hardest hit by tree damage--and power outages.

Services were held in the Fellowship Hall. We were greeted by two loud generators in the parking lot powering a couple of large fans, a couple of portable video screens and a laptop. There was no printed worship bulletin or amplification. The pastors talked really loud and it was pretty dark, despite the fact that there is a wall of windows on one side of the hall. It was warm-ish, but not uncomfortably so.

There was a good crowd on hand. Most of those who live near the church are into their 10th day without power. That included the senior pastor. As you might expect, his sermon centered around "power issues." What if we yearned for the power of the Holy Spirit as much as we yearn for the power of electricity? he asked.

Later in the afternoon, Portia and DK went home and found their electricity had been restored. Yippeee! We sent them home this evening with clean clothes and a "care package" of perishable items to begin the restocking of their refrigerator.

Work crews came by our house this afternoon and picked up the mountain of bagged vegetation El Jefe and the boys placed in front for them. The big tree that feel on our fence is still there, but the neighbor says he has someone coming next week to remove it. That will take a big winch and rope to pull it away before it is cut up and hauled off.

I'm really sad about all the damage to Galveston. I grew up going there every summer and we took our girls there for vacations when they were little. We have lots of memories tied up in that place which is now struggling very hard. Please pray for all those whose recovery from Ike will take much more than the return of electricity.

Ike Recovery Continues

Today Centerpoint (the company responsible for maintaining the power lines) reported that just over 50% of the customers in the Houston area have had power restored.

Portia and DK are not counted among the lucky majority, however. DK drove into town this morning to check on their home and cats, finding it still dark. They have done everything they can without power, so are now settling in at our house for what will probably be a few more days at least. Portia has turned her nervous energy to cleaning out upstairs closets for me. Hooray!

Babs has a friend who is without power staying at her apartment, too.

Our neices and their families are also still without power. They are staying with the children at our bay house (which was far west enough to be unscathed) until Sunday since school resumes Monday. Their husbands are staying with my sister-in-law who also has power while they try to deal with the downed trees and roof damages.

Maybe I'll have some deep philosophical thoughts about IKE and its aftermath later next week. For now, I'm distracted with clean-up, managing the presbytery's hurricane recovery blog (see sidebar), checking on those without power to see if we can help, and figuring out what is being postponed and what is going forward next week.

What a mess.

Report on Damage to Galveston PCUSA Churches

New Covenant Presbytery General Presbyter Rev. Mike Cole visited the Presbyterian churches in Galveston today and filed a report on the damages there from Hurricane Ike. I posted the report on the presbytery's Hurricane Recovery Blog. The report also has more information about the status of other churches in the presbytery.

Presbytery Re-opens Monday

I'm cross posting this information with the PNC Hurricane Recovery Blog.

Power has been restored at the Presbyterian Center! However, downed power lines remain in the parking lot so the office will not officially re-open until Monday morning.

The server and internet are now working. If you sent an email to a staff member on September 11 or later, you will need to re-send it.

Presbyterian Disaster Relief representatives will continue to office at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, Houston.

(The majority of the Houston metropolitan area is still without power. Officials expect 75% of the power to be restored by Monday.)

PNC Hurricane Ike Recovery Blog

At the request of our General Presbyter, Rev. Mike Cole, I have morphed the presbytery's General Assembly Newsblog into a Hurricane Ike Recovery Blog so that it can serve as a clearinghouse for information and assistance to those in our presbytery affected by Hurricane Ike.

As folks send me information or requests for information and assistance, I will post it on that blog. The blog is also linked on the presbytery's website. Please pass the word by email, blog link or word of mouth to whoever would be interested. Most of our area is still without power, but folks are getting to the internet via wifi in public areas.

They also serve who simply sit and blog!