The Town of Carbondale, Colorado decided in September 2005 to "adopt" Pearlington, as a way of focusing its hurricane relief efforts. Research by Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach and others showed the town wasn't getting much attention in the days following the storm. Aspen, Snowmass Village, Basalt and Pitkin County joined Carbondale's effort 10 days later.
To date, over $100,000 worth of goods and supplies for the Pearlington community have been collected in the Roaring Fork Valley (on Colorado's Western Slope) and delivered via four separate "Red Ball Express" delivery runs. The supplies and goods delivered have been targeted to exactly match requests coming from the Pearlington community. They have included an ambulance donated by the Carbondale Fire District and close to $4,000 dollars in medical supplies donated by Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. Other supplies have included large quantities of requested camping and other outdoor living type equipment and tools. A Pearlington teacher, Jeannie Brooks, requested schoolbooks and other classroom supplies. Those items have been delivered, along with sheriffs uniforms requested by Hancock County MS officers.
Carbondale Fire Dept. crew members staffing "Camp Roaring Fork" in Pearlington, Mississippi have been working hard for more than a month chainsawing fallen trees, removing them from homeowners roofs, and assisting in clearing lots for residents so that FEMA trailers can be moved onto homeowners' lots. They have also been helping coordinate other firefighters in lot-clearing activities, and report that to date their combined efforts have resulted in tree-cutting and clearing activities on close to 120 lots. As a result of those efforts, some residents are now moving into FEMA-supplied trailers and others have had their lots approved by FEMA for upcoming trailer deliveries.
Carbondale firefighters working in Pearlington also took on the design and construction of a forklift ramp for the supply distribution center. They constructed the ramp by stacking local rock and topping it with concrete which was reinforced with a scrap chain-link fence. Some of the firefighters have also been working steadily in the distribution center, assisting with the organization and distribution of supplies to the local residents. The firefighters also provided firefighting manpower, assisting with fire-suppression when three separate structure fires occurred. Meanwhile, a medical team from Aspen Valley Hospital has been manning the medical clinic in Pearlington and are treating and vaccinating about 100 patients per day. This two-man medical team is composed of ER physician Dr. Chris Martinez and RN/Paramedic Eric Guthmann. They are operating out of makeshift quarters located at the elementary school in Pearlington and will be working there until Nov. 4. They have reported that the community has been very welcoming and appreciative of the medical services they are providing. When the medical team identified an acute need for pulmonary treatment equipment, the Pearlington Project purchased and delivered four portable nebulizers for use by their patients.
"This has been an amazing project," says Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach. "We have our valley schools connected up with Pearlington school teachers. Our Rotary Club is connected up with theirs, our fire department with their fire department, our local government with their local government. I think our greatest accomplishment so far has been the establishment of a strong base of human relationships, and my goal is to maintain and foster these relationships long-term. You have no idea how important it is to those residents, knowing that a community so far away cares about them and their predicament."
Asked what the project goals are for the near future, now that Pearlington has moved into the recovery mode, Leach said he would like to see the medical team assistance continue at the school clinic for the next few months. There is also a continuing need for more equipment and supplies for the schools, and a need for skilled labor to assist with reconstruction efforts in the community. He has identified a need for simple lockable sheds so residents trying to rebuild have a secure place to keep tools and supplies out of the weather.
"Of course, continuing this effort requires a continuing commitment of energy and financial support from our valley-wide community," says Leach. "We have been fortunate to have received a huge outpouring of support so far. How much more we can do depends entirely on the willingness of the Roaring Fork Valley to press forward. Even if we stopped our efforts today, I think we have done an remarkable job helping the community of Pearlington, Mississippi."
To date, over $100,000 worth of goods and supplies for the Pearlington community have been collected in the Roaring Fork Valley (on Colorado's Western Slope) and delivered via four separate "Red Ball Express" delivery runs. The supplies and goods delivered have been targeted to exactly match requests coming from the Pearlington community. They have included an ambulance donated by the Carbondale Fire District and close to $4,000 dollars in medical supplies donated by Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. Other supplies have included large quantities of requested camping and other outdoor living type equipment and tools. A Pearlington teacher, Jeannie Brooks, requested schoolbooks and other classroom supplies. Those items have been delivered, along with sheriffs uniforms requested by Hancock County MS officers.
Carbondale Fire Dept. crew members staffing "Camp Roaring Fork" in Pearlington, Mississippi have been working hard for more than a month chainsawing fallen trees, removing them from homeowners roofs, and assisting in clearing lots for residents so that FEMA trailers can be moved onto homeowners' lots. They have also been helping coordinate other firefighters in lot-clearing activities, and report that to date their combined efforts have resulted in tree-cutting and clearing activities on close to 120 lots. As a result of those efforts, some residents are now moving into FEMA-supplied trailers and others have had their lots approved by FEMA for upcoming trailer deliveries.
Carbondale firefighters working in Pearlington also took on the design and construction of a forklift ramp for the supply distribution center. They constructed the ramp by stacking local rock and topping it with concrete which was reinforced with a scrap chain-link fence. Some of the firefighters have also been working steadily in the distribution center, assisting with the organization and distribution of supplies to the local residents. The firefighters also provided firefighting manpower, assisting with fire-suppression when three separate structure fires occurred. Meanwhile, a medical team from Aspen Valley Hospital has been manning the medical clinic in Pearlington and are treating and vaccinating about 100 patients per day. This two-man medical team is composed of ER physician Dr. Chris Martinez and RN/Paramedic Eric Guthmann. They are operating out of makeshift quarters located at the elementary school in Pearlington and will be working there until Nov. 4. They have reported that the community has been very welcoming and appreciative of the medical services they are providing. When the medical team identified an acute need for pulmonary treatment equipment, the Pearlington Project purchased and delivered four portable nebulizers for use by their patients.
"This has been an amazing project," says Carbondale Fire Chief Ron Leach. "We have our valley schools connected up with Pearlington school teachers. Our Rotary Club is connected up with theirs, our fire department with their fire department, our local government with their local government. I think our greatest accomplishment so far has been the establishment of a strong base of human relationships, and my goal is to maintain and foster these relationships long-term. You have no idea how important it is to those residents, knowing that a community so far away cares about them and their predicament."
Asked what the project goals are for the near future, now that Pearlington has moved into the recovery mode, Leach said he would like to see the medical team assistance continue at the school clinic for the next few months. There is also a continuing need for more equipment and supplies for the schools, and a need for skilled labor to assist with reconstruction efforts in the community. He has identified a need for simple lockable sheds so residents trying to rebuild have a secure place to keep tools and supplies out of the weather.
"Of course, continuing this effort requires a continuing commitment of energy and financial support from our valley-wide community," says Leach. "We have been fortunate to have received a huge outpouring of support so far. How much more we can do depends entirely on the willingness of the Roaring Fork Valley to press forward. Even if we stopped our efforts today, I think we have done an remarkable job helping the community of Pearlington, Mississippi."
Unloading supplies in Pearlington