DISASTER RECOVERY

Plenty volunteer, Carl Evertson installs electricity for home in Arabi, Louisiana.

Along the Gulf Coast where the recovery from Katrina has been painfully slow, especially for the poor, elderly and others of modest means, Plenty’s Recovery Director, Tony Sferlazza’s phone keeps ringing. A single Mom with 5 kids living in a FEMA trailer got some Road Home money but after an unscrupulous contractor cleaned out her bank account her home was designated for demolition if she couldn’t show progress. (Tony started working on her house). A man called to say his lot was going to be sold unless he could show proof that an organization was going to help him rebuild. (We wrote him a letter.) The house of an elderly neighbor was condemned because his windows were still broken from Katrina. (Tony repaired the windows.) And so it goes. Thanks to DreamCatchers and the Philip R. Jonsson Foundation and individual Plenty donors we have been able to maintain our presence in the Gulf where the list of folks counting on our help keeps growing. More skilled volunteers are very much needed.

On Feb. 5, 80 tornadoes ripped across the Midwest and south leaving a trail of destruction, and 60 deaths. Gulf Hurricane Recovery Program Director, Tony Sferlazza and volunteer. Brian Quinn, traveled to Gassville, Arkansas to help in this town that was nearly completely demolished.

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