Through good insurance and the generosity of supporters in the United Church of Christ Community and through out the world, the Back Bay Mission has been able to rebuild using professional contractors. Work groups come year around from all over the country to help. Back Bay Mission rebuilds about 40 houses a year for the needy people of Biloxi. Within six weeks of the storm it was back in operation, working out of trailers with one of its main goals to insure that the poor and marginalized literally have a place to call home. The Back Bay Mission was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The people who work at and support the Back Bay Mission through donations and volunteer service are striving in their daily lives to reflect these words from Micah. For many years it has provided a housing rehab program based on a workcamp model. It is a leader in the area in establishing affordable housing for people in poverty. Today it provides an array of social services including legal aide, health care services to the homeless, family counseling and domestic violence counseling. Since then the Back Bay Mission has grown its services and ministries always keeping the impoverished and marginalized at the center of its concern. The Back Bay Mission was founded in 1922 as an outreach of the First Evangelical Church of Biloxi (later the United Church of Christ) Members of this early church responded with compassion and service to the needs of the poor 'fisher folk' living in deplorable conditions along the Back Bay in Biloxi. Note the Beau Rivage Casino in the background. The scope of the damage is really indescribable. 43 million cubic yards of debris have been removed in Mississippi since the hurricane. Two-thirds of the homes in Biloxi had no flood insurance. Harrison County, the county in which Biloxi is located, has lost 30% of its businesses and 70% of the fishing industry. 50,000 residents were displaced and many have not returned home. In South Mississippi approximately 65,000 homes were completely destroyed and an additional 65,000 were extensively damaged. A number of streets and bridges were washed away. A 28-foot storm surge came ashore wiping out 90% of the buildings along the Biloxi-Gulfport coastline. Charles apartment complex collapsed, killing 30 inside.[Several casinos, which were floated on barges to comply with Mississippi land-based gambling laws, were washed hundreds of yards inland by waves. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi suffered utter, total devastation from Hurricane Katrina on August 28-29, with hurricane winds, 28-foot storm surge, and 55-foot sea waves pushing casino barges, boats and debris into towns, and leaving 236 people dead, 67 missing, and an estimated $125 Billion in damages. The Route 90 bridge going across the entrance to the Back Bay was damaged and is still not usable. New Orleans lost about 6,200 homes while Mississippi lost almost 70,000.īiloxi, our destination, sits on a precarious piece of land on the Gulf Coast. Almost every building within a half mile to three miles from the Coast was heavily damaged or destroyed. The damage was widespread and devastating and included 71 miles along the coast of Mississippi. On August 28 Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United Sates. Let us tell you a little about the effects of the hurricane and the work of Back Bay Mission before we share our own story. Under Cyndy's leadership we raised a substantial amount of money in a short time. Volunteers came from far and near and formed a truly an ecumenical group. Rachel Mershon - Granville (Clear Creek Friends) The church agreed, volunteers came forward and a campaign to the fund the trip began.Īmanda (Hopkins) and Andy Callaci � Granville and Seattle In summer 2006 Cyndy Bruch suggested to the Church Council of the Granville United Church of Christ that it send a work group to the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. We are here tonight to tell you about our unforgettable and perhaps life altering experience at the Mission's workcamp. On Decem15 Putnam County volunteers left for a week of disaster recovery at the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi Mississippi. IYM Volunteer Work after Hurricane Katrina
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