Hattiesburg - Day 5 & 6

Day 5 - Light at the end of the tunnel (Wednesday)

Wednesday morning, the team woke up around 6 a.m.to cloudy, dark grey, foggy skies and 34 degrees. Fortunately, by 7:30 when we reached the job site, it cleared up to bright sunny, clear blue sky and 68 degrees with an expected high of 80.

Work began in the back of the building on covering windows and opening the basement doors. We discovered yesterday that there was just enough room in the basement (a/k/a The Pit) to squeak the Bobcat in to assist with heavy debris removal.  There are several pianos and large desks that needed to be moved out. With the doors being open now, the once pitch black hallway is now seen as the light at the end of the tunnel.

After doing a quick walk through, we have estimated that we are around 65% complete with debris removal from the inside of the building. The Grace Centers for Hope crew is over the hurdles with the pipe removal in the basement. They can continue constructing the tower to support the truss on the roof.

The roof crew continues to work on patching the hole above the auditorium. If they continue on at the current pace, they expect to have it completed by tomorrow afternoon. 

The paint crew moved at a rapid pace and was able to cover all 150 sheets of plywood. Don't worry, there are many other tasks that require their assistance.

University of Southern Mississippi student volunteer lending a hand.

BobCat assisting with heavy debris removal from the basement.

Jammin in the basement.

Lunch time around the site.

   
The roof patch crew was very successful this afternoon. The 18 x 17 patch was assembled and put into place over the hole in the roof. This was an arduous task due to the wind and unstable roof conditions.

Many people from the group finally took a break in the afternoon and went on a tour of Camp Shelby. The museum on the base was filled with military memorabilia and displays of each major war. 

Everyone headed to the University for a presentation and introduction to the art department.  We were able to see what the Old Hattiesburg High School has in store for the future.  An elegant dinner was served at the Convention Center.

Much progress was made today on getting the large pile of debris removed in the back of the building.  Many of the projects are starting to come together and the building is looking better every day.

Day 6 - Its Like a Bee Hive!!  (Thursday)

There has been a big push today to make a big effort to clean the smaller debris from each of the rooms in the building. There is a constant hum from the generators supplying power to all of the equipment and the crews are very busy today. We are hoping that the rain will hold off for a whilekeep your fingers crossed.

Each of the floor captains have reported back and we are around 90% complete with the debris removal inside of the building.  A large effort continues in the back of the building to get debris into dumpsters. 

The window crew has made a great deal of progress and hopes to finish up by early tomorrow afternoon.  They have left a few windows open on each floor for additional lighting inside of the building.

Progress has been made in the court yard with the tree removal.  The young men from Camp Shelby have provided incredible assistance and man power.  We would not have been able to complete as many projects without them.

The group was treated to lunch in the garden across the street from the school.  Many members from the Hattiesburg community were gracious enough to serve a southern style home cooked meal (cornbread and all).