Biloxi Build

22 female firefighters from all over country flew down to Biloxi to work on Habitat for Humanity Homes. Sue Gardner of New Brunswick FD & myself were the only NJ firefighters. The women were all members of Women in the Fire Service. Former FDNY Captain Brenda Berkman was our group leader and organizer. She sent out a request for volunteers to fly down to Mississippi and work on Habitat for Humanity Homes. We spend a week together building homes. The women bunked in temporary housing set up by the Salvation Army in the middle of the city of Biloxi. We were driven out to suburb outside the city daily to work on houses.

We had a blast working on four homes! Meeting all the volunteers was awesome. Our group worked with another large group of 100 men & women from Indiana. On Friday we had a "House Blessings" and we even met a couple of the new owners. The weather was much colder than expected. One night we were asked to huddle under concrete bleachers because there was a Tornado Warning issued. We were really tired but we all said we'd volunteer again. I even made it on the local Biloxi Nightly TV News program. They showed me swinging a hammer. We were the first group of female fighters to volunteer in the Biloxi.

I didn't see much rebuilding going in the city of Biloxi, only new Casinos were going up along the beach area. Empty lots that once had "Post Civil War Homes" on them have been replaced by for sale signs. I guess those owners will not be back. I was told the Keesler Air Force Base where my father lived during the Korean War lost all their housing, too. Many buildings have been torn down but there are still empty 'bombed out" buildings with tattered blue tarps across the their roofs, I was told those properties will be like this for years. Pictures below show a firehouse that sits just a block from the beach had its walls blown out, but they are still working out of it with a new fire engines in it.