Gulfport returns favor for San Bernardino County's help after Katrina
By Ryan Orr
Daily Press
LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. — Six firefighters from Gulfport, Miss., who are no strangers to disaster, are helping in the damage assessment and rebuilding of mountain communities that have been devastated by recent wildfires.
The six that made the trip were chosen out of nearly 90 Gulfport firefighters who volunteered to help San Bernardino County in anyway possible, said Mark Kirk, chief of staff for San Bernardino County 4th District Supervisor Gary Ovitt.
In September of 2005, San Bernardino County organized a relief effort that included the donation of five truckloads of emergency equipment and $40,000 in gift cards donated by county employees to the city of Gulfport, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
County officials took a second trip to Gulfport in February to help the city develop its own economic development agency to help in the recovery of Katrina.
In an interview earlier this year with the Daily Press, San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency Administrator Brian McGowan and County Administrator Mark Uffer agreed that the quickest way to recover from a disaster was to improve economic development.
"His idea is that we are eventually going to be hit with a massive natural disaster and this might be a good training session," McGowan said of Uffer in February.
Uffer was right, and the disaster came quicker than expected with the destruction of several hundred homes in Green Valley Lake, Arrowhead Lake and Running Springs as a result of the Grass Valley and Slide fires this past week.
"It is an incredible honor that our city has the opportunity to 'pay it forward' to other communities in California and give back to those in San Bernardino County who have so tirelessly and unselfishly given to our city said Brent Warr, mayor of Gulfport.
The six men are aiding in damage assessment, mop up efforts and anything else they can.
As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the Gulfport firefighters have experience with repopulating areas that have been evacuated and will contribute ideas to getting mountain residents back into their homes in an safe and orderly fashion, Kirk said.
"The Gulfport people have been spending virtually all of their time in the field," said David Wert, San Bernardino County spokesman.
Gulfport Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said that his men's first hand knowledge of disaster recovery will be beneficial to fire officials in San Bernardino County.
"We will also recognize the opportunity that we will have to learn from them in their disaster recovery efforts," added Sullivan.
Copyright 2007 Daily Press
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
