MEMORANDUM

TO: City Council

FROM: David Deutsch

SUBJECT: Adopting D’Iberville, Mississippi

DATE: February 2, 2006

In an effort to assist a town in need as a result of last summer’s hurricanes, staff has been in contact with the town of D’Iberville, Mississippi. The town, which is located just a few miles north of Biloxi, Mississippi on Back Bay, is a city of almost 8,000 residents. It would be considered a low to middle income area, by Mississippi standards, with a median income of $30,000, according to the 2000 Census.

It suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina, with approximately half of the homes destroyed or severely damaged by the storm. The town was battered by storm surges, high winds, and tornadoes spawned by the hurricane. The D’Iberville Middle School was also destroyed, as were many businesses in the town.

Five months after the hurricane, they have made much progress. The D’Iberville High School and Elementary School have reopened and have absorbed the middle school students. They have removed much of the debris, and are now removing buildings that remained standing, but sustained structural damage. FEMA trailers are providing housing for many residents.

Much remains to be done. Residents with flood insurance will eventually receive some payouts from the federal government. Homeowners without flood insurance may be eligible for grants and loans, if they were in an area not previously designated as a high risk for floods. Renters, who are said to make up about 30% of the Gulf Coast population, are severely challenged by the lack of low cost housing.

Representatives of every City department gathered to examine city resources and discuss how Bowie might help. The conclusion was that for the most part, we tend to keep assets until they are no longer useful, and thus do not have surplus equipment or vehicles to donate to D’Iberville. Various other types of assistance were discussed. From that discussion, came a series of goals that were considered to be important in undertaking any assistance to the town of D’Iberville, Mississippi. The assistance should involve the Bowie community, not just the government. It must be manageable and must not create a substantial burden on City staff. The help should be specific in terms of what is being asked of our community, and the results should, in some way, be measurable. The role of the City government should be to involve groups and individuals in helping, and to facilitate, coordinate and publicize those efforts. We believe that the best way to help D’Iberville is to work with our very generous resident, school, and business community to coordinate a city-wide effort to help with a few, very specific projects. Those projects are outlined in the following proposal.

Proposal to Adopt D’Iberville, Mississippi

D’Iberville High School
This high school is the only one serving the town of D’Iberville. Currently there are 900 high school students, and 260 middle school students be taught there. Their school population includes 224 displaced students and 24 staff members. The athletic fields are being used for temporary housing.

Requested assistance:
Library books
School supplies (very specific list)
Class set of graphing calculators
Replacement of weight room equipment
Softball equipment
Batting cages

Bowie Response:
Identify one or more Bowie schools, civic organizations, or businesses willing to take on one of the above needs. Some of the suggested ways of meeting the needs:

• D’Iberville High School could establish a “wish list” on Amazon.com or a similar website. Those wanting to help could purchase a book from the list and have it shipped to the school.
• Bowie teams, athletic organizations, and gyms could sponsor a piece of athletic equipment for the weight room.
• Office supply companies could be approached about providing school supplies and/or calculators at a discounted price.

D’Iberville Residents
The town has just about completed the debris removal phase of their recovery. They are looking forward to repairing and rebuilding structures.

Requested assistance:
Monetary contributions – a D’Iberville foundation to accept donations has been established
Gift cards – Lowes and Home Depot
Skilled volunteers – electricians, plumbers, carpenters, dry-wallers, etc.
Unskilled volunteers – to paint, clean up public areas, assist residents.

Bowie Response:
Identify one or more Bowie schools, civic organizations, or businesses willing to take
on a gift certificate collection drive. It was suggested that publicity include what a particular gift certificate could purchase (i.e. a $50 gift certificate could buy four sheets of drywall, a new light fixture, a drill, etc.)

D’Iberville Chamber of Commerce
The D’Iberville-St. Martin Chamber of Commerce is seeking another chamber to adopt them and provide assistance.

The Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce has been given this information. Art Widmann and Kelly Pierce expressed interest in exploring what assistance might be provided.

Recommendation

Staff recommends that Council endorse the approach to assisting D’Iberville, which is outlined above. This approach involves involving the Bowie community in the effort. The level of assistance provided would be dependent on the extent of community involvement.