When rebuilding a region ravaged by nature’s forces, sometimes the most important tool is the strength and volition of a few well-intentioned individuals.
Geoff Sheldon of Ocean Beach and Dan Connaughton of Pacific Beach returned Sunday, Nov. 12, from Mississippi, where they spent a week helping victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes.
Sheldon and Connaughton were part of a 19-member construction team sent by International Relief Teams (IRT) to help rebuild the areas of Moss Point, Gautier and Ocean Springs by fixing roofs, electrical wiring and plumbing. Approximately 14 volunteers were from San Diego County.
The volunteers left Nov. 5 and spent their days rebuilding homes of the Katrina-ravaged neighborhoods, and their nights sleeping eight to a room at Caswell Springs Methodist Church.
“Yes, everybody snored.” Sheldon said. “I pushed my earplugs so far in I thought they were going to meet in the middle.”
Sheldon, an accountant, said he had a great experience volunteering for IRT in the spirit of “lending a helping hand.” He spent the week as a plumber’s assistant, and while he had little experience to guide him, Sheldon said he did not let that hold him back.
“We are not skilled construction workers, just folks with willing hands and helpful hearts,” Sheldon said, adding that he knew what end of the hammer to hold and that was enough.
Although ready to work, he wasn’t prepared for the amount of devastation he would see.
“[I was] standing there on what used to be the first row of houses and seeing steel I-beams buried in the corner, twisted off. You’re standing in what used to be somebody’s house “¦ somebody’s whole life just got swept away,” he said.
Sheldon said he was inspired by the way he was able to connect with the people of the homes he helped rebuild. He is planning to go back in January on another IRT relief effort.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Connaughton said he was also affected by the people he helped. The 12-year communications specialist said the personal experiences he shared with the people he met is what he remembers most. He said he enjoyed the famous Southern hospitality. The residents showed their appreciation by cooking them breakfast, setting out lunches and making them dinner every day. It’s that type of experience that had the biggest impact, said Connaughton, who helped rebuild the damaged roofs on a team led by a professional roofer.
“One week of just putting roofs on houses, I feel like I accomplished more than I do in a longer amount of time at my regular job. It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in a long time, to tell you the truth.” he said.
The International Relief Teams cooperates with other organizations to bring willing hearts and helpful hands to areas devastated by natural disasters. This year alone, IRT delivered more than $270,000 in medical supplies and has helped repair or rebuild the homes of approximately 27 families in the areas affected by Katrina, according to an IRT fact sheet.
For more information, visit www.irteams.org.