Seventeen Arlington residents, including two County Board members, are in Biloxi, Miss., to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
They are in Mississippi as part of a joint program between Arlington and Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in Biloxi. Arlington began thinking of ways to assist in relief efforts soon after the hurricane hit last summer by forming the Arlington Response to Katrina Task Force.
“We had so much goodwill to help us out after Sept. 11,” Robert Sharpe, an assistant in the Arlington Human Services Department, told The Examiner from Biloxi. “We had some empathy for the victims.”
Arlington County Board Members Jay Fisette and Barbara Favola, along with four county employees and 11 private citizens, arrived in Biloxi Monday and are expected to leave today.
Sharpe said they are working with various church and relief groups in the region.
“Arlington is here in force. We’re hoping to build momentum. Once our volunteers go back, they’re going to spread the word,” he said.
Fisette said he was struck by the damage immediately upon arriving in Biloxi.
“The devastation is stark. It’s right in front of you. Just shells of structures and many structures just gone,” he said.
Fisette said this was the first time he has done this type of relief work, and while it was gratifying, more volunteers are needed.
“There is still a serious need for volunteers to work through Habitat,” he said.
