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Sophomore spends summer volunteering in Biloxi
9:44 a.m., Aug. 24, 2006--Greg Sweeney, a UD sophomore double-majoring in history and political science, made his own mark on the world this summer removing mold from Hurricane Katrina-damaged houses and rebuilding playgrounds in an eight-week volunteer stint in Biloxi, Miss. While he's under no illusions the work he did--or even the communities he helped restore--will make it into many formal history texts, the Wilmington native is certain his efforts have made big impacts on many personal histories. “Everything you do to help gets people one step closer to moving back into their homes,” he said. “And when you talk with the residents whose homes and communities you're rebuilding, you can tell they're really excited about that.” Sweeney, who is no stranger to community betterment, spent the bulk of his time de-molding homes in Biloxi, East Biloxi, Pass Christian, Waveland and Bay St. Louis, Miss., with the volunteer organization Hands On Gulf Coast (HOGC). Breaks from the relatively tedious work came occasionally, however, when he assisted the group Kaboom!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building playgrounds in underserved and damaged communities across the nation. “The idea [with Kaboom!] is to go out in the morning, and by the end of the day the playground is built,” Sweeney, who helped build two playgrounds in the Biloxi area, said. “It's very fulfilling work, because you get see the results right away, and it's fun work, too, because you know how it's going to impact a community.” The more labor-intensive work of removing mold from houses was just as valuable, though, Sweeney said. Depending on the size of a house and the extent of damage it sustained, the entire de-molding process could take as long as two or three days per house. “Moving back into houses is a very slow process, because it has to be done in order,” Sweeney said, “and the mold removal is one of the first things that needs to be done. It's also the slowest job and the job that no one wants to do, especially in July when you're wearing a Tyvek suit and a respirator.
“You don't hear a lot about Mississippi,” Sweeney said, “but if you add up all the damage caused throughout the state by last summer's hurricane, it was the most expensive natural disaster in the nation's history. The eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over an area a couple of towns to the west of Biloxi, and in one of them--Waveland--95 percent of the buildings were destroyed.” Despite the extent of devastation Sweeney encountered and the number of people he saw still living in “FEMA trailers,” Sweeney said signs of life are nonetheless beginning to return to communities. “None of the neighborhoods are what they used to be,” he said, “but, they're getting back to a recognizable level of activity. Businesses are gradually reopening and the casinos--a major source of income in the Biloxi area--are beginning to start up again.” Sweeney also said that compared to last January, when he volunteered over his winter break with HOGC, the morale of Biloxi residents is lifting, as well. “Back in January, pretty much every building we saw had a blue tarp on it, because its roof was damaged,” he said. “Now, most of those roofs are fixed. In the winter, we also did the street clean-ups, when we saw a lot of flood-damaged TV sets and soggy suitcases just left by the side of the road. Now all that is gone and trash-removal service is back. “One thing that was really great to see this summer was the Fourth of July celebration,” he said. “There was a fireworks display over the gulf, and everyone was out on the beach enjoying it. There are a lot of optimistic people, and communities are gradually rebuilding. The hope is contagious.” Article by Becca Hutchinson
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