This report was filed by Elaine Langley who worked in the gulf region during mid September. It all is quite overwhelming. I spent two weeks on the coast, but had to evacuate for a couple of days back to the Farm during Rita. I feel blessed that I am able to do some healing down there. After all, it's in my backyard and with my daughter, Ada, deciding to leave New Orleans and come home 2 weeks before Katrina hit, I felt it would help both of us heal. It's been heavy for Ada having lived in New Orleans for 2 years and then to see her city destroyed. She has been very grateful that I am able to do my part while she stays centered in school. She continues work from the Plenty homebase on the Farm doing what she can. I arrived in Covington, LA 2 weeks ago to a camp called "Land of Pines" that had trees down, generators going 24 hours a day, and lots of people I didn't know. I went through a "short lived" panic phase while Jeffrey and Neal helped me set up my tent. The next day I went on the Plenty bus with supplies and our crew. I had the pleasure of hanging with Monica (Michael Moore's producer) and Kevin who worked for a Democratic CA senator. After spending a week with the Plenty bus, refusing to let anyone take his picture or know his identity, Kevin decided on his last day he would testify before Congress when he went back to the "Hill" in DC about what he had seen. Basically, that people are not getting what they need from the government and that the poor are being neglected. Monica with Terry Miller Anyway, my first day was spent with the guys fixing an older woman's leaky roof who had multiple promises made, but not kept by various people and organizations. She had COPD, was on continuous O2, had a cut on her arm from the ceiling falling in on her, she had no electricity and she lived in squalor. After the guys went to Lowe's and fixed her roof, the whole neighborhood came out giving us food and donations, they were all so excited that someone did what they promised. The rest of the time I basically spent driving through the streets of the poor sections of Mississippi giving out supplies and getting to know the poor folks. I centered in Biloxi, Mississippi because once I went there, I was not able to forget. After my first trip there, I cried that night before I went to bed and cried when I woke up the next morning. You had to go through a military check point to get to the poor area of Biloxi. They had 6 feet of water during Katrina that had receded. I met many families with children, elderly, disabled all living in their homes that were covered with thick, toxic mud throughout their home and had destroyed most, if not all of their possessions. They had lost their homes and their jobs. They spent all of their days trying to clean up the mud and breathing all that toxic mold. I decided to adopt one family and her name is Betty Smith. She lives in her home with her daughter Kim who is 24 and has a child who is 6, her husband and Kim's boyfriend. I talked to her today and she was so thrilled that FEMA had finally brought her a camper to stay in. They still have no electricity. The last day I was there, I went out with a medical crew to a Salvation Army site. They had set up a clinic in the middle of my "poor town" of Biloxi and had a distribution center. The doctor in my group "Dr. Harry" and Tammy an RN stayed to work in the clinic. They didn't need me so I asked about going "door to door". I said I had some tetanus shots I could administer. They said "go for it" and then gave me "Hep A" shots also. The Salvation Army is awesome. I saw them everyday I was there going through the poor areas distributing food. I never saw the Red Cross except for outside the poor areas. Although, my last day there I did see "one" Red Cross truck in town. "Hands on USA" is also a good organization that works in the poor areas of the gulf coast. I plan to go back and to continue to work from home. I plan to center my attention in Mississippi. I did manage to travel along the coast where all the houses were leveled. It was so "intense". Gulf Port was hit "really" hard. It gives you an idea of the intensity of the storm. I have lots of pictures. Anyway, my next trip I would like to go to some other poor areas along the coast of Mississippi to see where help is needed. The poor are certainly the ones who are suffering the most. They were in bad shape before and now the hurricane had reduced their neighborhoods to a "third world country". Amazing to find that in the United States. I'll keep you posted. Cannot write everything I did or saw. I did meet some really beautiful people who are all working together to make some difference. Michael Moore's group has managed to attain two houses in Mobile, AL for all of us doing relief work. We are now working with a group called "SOS". The houses were donated by this group and they have been very active in the "anti-war" movement. Love all you guys out there. By the way, Biloxi needs some doctors for the next 3 weeks because it is a crucial time. The Salvation Army is the only clinic in the poor area of Biloxi right now. Oh by the way, Whoopi Goldberg visited a very poor church there and hopefully, something will come from that. Our group missed meeting her by one hour. Bye! Elaine