From The Field
April 2009 IHSM - Bolivar Peninsula, TX
Only two weeks before our departure on April 18th to our beloved village of Tamahú, Guatemala, the very difficult decision was made to cancel this year's program due to a very rapid escalation of violence in Guatemala. Much of the new danger is a result of Mexican drug cartels that are in conflict with each other and with Mexican security services. With pressure coming from the American and Mexican governments, as well as other international parties, the drug cartels have moved into Guatemala, particularly into the Alta Verapaz department (where Tamahú is located).
Critical developments came after months of fundraising, donation gathering, excitement building, and bonding within our group. We knew that many of our teens wrote letters to family and friends, appealed to their classmates, and engaged in other fundraising activities, all in an effort to raise the necessary funds to participate in this mission. We applauded our young teens for their efforts and our hearts broke for them at this unfortunate outcome.
Turning a Lemon into Lemonade
As the group was originally to fly through Houston on the way to Guatemala, it was suggested that perhaps there was work to be done in the Houston area. A lemon was turned into lemonade!!!
In keeping with Mir Pace's mandate of focusing on areas where after a disaster strikes and is no longer front-page news, victims still struggle to salvage what they can and return to some kind of normalcy. Too often, without external assistance, these victim populations have little hope of improving their life situation. Bolivar Peninsula is a case in point.
On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston, TX and was the third largest hurricane to ever make landfall in the U.S. Ike took 112 lives and still today, 34 people are unaccounted for from the Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula areas. Most of the homes on Bolivar Peninsula were entirely destroyed. Approximately 160 homes once stood on Crystal Beach, the area hardest hit. After Ike, three remain.
Seven months after Hurricane Ike, where 3,600 homes once stood, piles of debris litter every inch of the Peninsula. Flood and wind damage settlements are not paying enough to rebuild. Sadly, a blanket insurance determination has been made that is paying out only 11.2% of the value of each home. Only twenty-five percent of Bolivar Peninsula residents have returned, and this number is not expected to increase. Moreover, this past week was the last week that FEMA would be funding clean-up contractors.
Thanks to the help of Mrs. Terri Ward, a Bolivar resident, our teen volunteers were connected with Kathy who would be returning to Bolivar that weekend for the first time since Ike. Our teens helped to clear mud and debris from her home and salvage what little was still in tact. Terri also connected our volunteers with Shawn Hall of Nehemiah's Vision, an organization working to rebuild homes. They set to work painting the exterior and interior, as well as rebuilding the lower floor of a home owned by a paraplegic man.
To our tremendous surprise, we also had the great honor and pleasure of meeting former President George H.W. Bush, Sr. and his son Neil during the Crystal Beach clean-up that took place the morning of our last day on Bolivar Peninsula.
There is so much to share about this very special IHSM mission, like the tropical storm that pounded us on the very first day, the heartbreaking stories told about various survival and aftermath experiences, both heroic and heartbreaking, and the overwhelming words and expressions of gratitude for simply being there to help those who still remain and are struggling to rebuild some semblance of life and normalcy. All those we met and worked with on Bolivar Peninsula were deeply struck that our teens chose to spend their "spring vacation" serving them!
To our volunteer leaders (Annette, Matt, and Anisha), as well as to all of our very special teen volunteers (Walker, Mike, Caroline, Katey, Sarah, and Clare), and their families, we thank you for your patience, for your flexibilty, and for your most generous service to the people of Bolivar Peninsula.
Please take a moment to view the images below. They do little justice to the true situation on the Peninsula today.
Crystal Beach Clean-Up
Mir Pace Volunteers Meet President George H.W. Bush, Sr. and Neil Bush
Mir Pace Volunteers Meet President George H.W. Bush, Sr. and Neil Bush