Hillsboro Katrina Report for December 6

I heard from the PDA Camp One director today and have been assigned to be their administrative assistant. The camp is scheduled to be extremely busy, with over 150 volunteers working around the time I arrive, and Steve, the camp's young volunteer director, needs help keeping things organized. I'm excited to have a chance to work with all these folks.

Here are the details for the camp: The address is PDA Camp One, 6300 Martin Bluff Road, Gautier, MS 39553. This is a small tent city with primitive camping, where the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has provided firm-sided (and warm) blue tents, port-a-potties and just about enough comforts (and no more) to keep a creature together. From there, work crews are dispatched to help local families who've requested assistance with getting their homes fixed up. Everyone is working right through Christmas!

I learned that the Monmouth Presbyterian-Methodist church is sending 15 youth and adults, so I won't be the only Oregonian. Also, Wes and Joan Carter, with their son Ben from Salem's First Presbyterian, will be in Gautier as well.

More news: First Presbyterian in Newberg has two older, but very reliable, pickup trucks to donate to the Gulf. They need a volunteer to drive them to Mississippi, and these trucks are very much needed for the PDA work camp which does not have enough vehicles to move supplies or transport volunteers. Also, this is a perfect opportunity to collect household goods such as televisions, area rugs, sofas, arm chairs and the like - the things typically found on a family's first floor - to take to Gautier for one of their church families to use. Please let Wes Carter from Salem's First Pres know if you can help with either the driving or the household items - Wes is at 971 241-9322.