Ms. Hazel's House Is Done

Ms. Hazel Moves Back Into Her House
After 18 Months in a FEMA Trailer

JP Group Helps W2W Finish the Rebuilding

March 5 – The Wayland to Waveland (W2W) Hurricane Katrina Relief group is rallying for a special work effort April 1-7 to significantly advance the work on Ms. Melanie Keretas’ house that was started in the group’s October Wave of Relief. Click here for the LATEST (3/13/07) PHOTOS of Ms. Hazel's finished house.

Move-In Shower for Ms. Hazel! We have registered Miss Hazel Tracey at Bed, Bath & Beyond for household items that she will need as she moves into her newly renovated home, the contents of which were lost in Katrina. Anyone can easily participate in the “Move-In Shower” either on-line or at any Bed, Bath & Beyond store. Click here to see the list of items we've registered. For reference if you're not using the links here, go to www.bedbathandbeyond.com and access Miss Hazel’s gift registry by name (Hazel Tracey with an E) or by her registration #2766742. Coupons can be used for gift registry in-store purchases under the conditions specified.

Peter Bachman, owner of Custom Designs, a Wayland builder who headed up the design and construction efforts in October is again leading a group trip to Waveland specifically to work on Ms. Melanie’s house. Hers was the one house built from the ground up, one of three houses the Wayland group worked on in October. It was a substantial building effort, but has progressed only a little since November.

To get Ms. Melanie’s project ‘cooking’ again, Bachman has agreed to revisit Waveland with a group to install insulation, outside sheathing, sheetrock and then paint walls among other carpentry items. Volunteers who are ready and able to work hard are needed – some skills are needed. If interested, you should contact one of the committee members.

Also, across the street, Ms. Hazel Tracey is preparing this week to move back into her house. Ms. Melanie’s friend and neighbor received her occupancy permit Monday morning (March 5) and will spend her first night back in her house Wednesday after her new bed is delivered.

New Trip Planned Peter Bachman, from Custom Designs, will lead another trip to Waveland from APRIL 1-APRIL 7 to make serious progress on Melanie's house. Not much has happened since we left in October and you can imagine how frustrating it is to see Hazel's house nearing completion and Melanie's still sitting there. So, we are looking for volunteers to help us lay the deck, maybe sheetrock the house, do some electrical work, etc. with the goal being that by the time we leave, Melanie can see more clearly what remains. Anyone interested should contact Cindy Lombardo. We have been staying at a new hotel in Bay St. Louis, the Hollywood Magic Casino Resort. The room rate is $59 during the week. We are working for a group rate that week. Watch this page for more details. Thank you everyone for your hard work and continued dedication to our Wayland to Waveland projects. We are making a difference. Cindy Lombardo for the W2W committee

Background
Waveland, MS is Wayland’s sister city. Waveland was ‘ground zero’ for Hurricane Katrina – the point of land over which the hurricane’s eye first crossed into the US. Waveland is only 30 or 40 miles east from New Orleans, just over the state line. It is a small community that once thrived on local industry and tourism.

Wayland to Waveland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee was formed in the fall of 2005 to assist those affected by Katrina, specifically in Waveland. We are committed to support our sister community for the long run.

Fundraising
The group’s fundraising efforts will continue and, in fact, expand as it seeks to take on new rebuilding projects. Contributions will be used to directly support our rebuilding efforts for those most in need in Waveland.  Since so many in Waveland did not have flood insurance at the time of the storm, they do not have the means to complete repairs.  All contributions are completely tax deductible and can be mailed to the Wayland to Waveland Hurricane Relief Fund, c/o Town of Wayland, Town Building, 41 Cochituate Road.

For more information on the group’s efforts – including more photos and progress reports – see the Web site (www.waylandtowaveland.org).

 

 

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Helped Waveland, MS recover from Hurricane Katrina