Day 18 10.05.08

Shoreacres was our location for the day and as always we were greeted by Barry's smiling face once we arrived on site. Since the USO RV was gone we were able to park on the more scenic side of the old firehouse. The weather was absolutely gorgeous 70 degrees with a nice cool breeze. A hammock would have been ideal! The small park between the old firehouse and Shoreacres town hall had benches and a picnic tables and a small gazebo, it was a cozy spot.
To our surprise we actually had more people come today than yesterday. At this point most people used the computers to buy drywall, water heaters and other basic necessities to get in there homes and repair them so they are livable. A few clients also filed their SBA loan forms which is quicker online. Also something I noticed that was heartwarming was everyones encouraging and helpful spirit. The survivors were giving each other advice about which companies to use and how to get things accomplished and since we don't live there it was great to see the community help themselves. This hurricane has really shown how tight knit the community is and how they are all working together. Its a sight to see especially considering how much they have been through.
We got to take a drive through their community today and see the damage that IKE caused. Houses would look completely undamaged from the outside but then you would see the 4 foot tall piles of debris spread across their lawn and know they lost just as much as the neighbor with a caved in roof. Its hard to describe in words how it feels to see peoples whole lives scattered along the streets. We took some video and a few pictures so you can get an idea of what we saw.
After work we headed to the local Washeteria to get some sheets and clothes washed and it was surprisingly a quick trip. After that we had a taco night and watched the Amazing race. It felt so good to have an early night in to just chill and wind down. Get ready for long days everyone, I would suggest lots of rest before you head down.

Tomorrow we'll be back at Neighborhood Centers and hopefully we can help some more people! Oh and our threesome will become a 5 as we welcome Clyde (the first guy to join the crew) and Jane M. back for another round of GroundTeamIKE work.