Rebirth for The Philippines

Desperately-needed food, water, clothing and other supplies are being rushed to Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the Philippines.  But as weeks turn into months, perhaps what the hundreds of thousands left homeless will need most is hope. 

Superstorm Sandy survivors are uniquely positioned to give that hope, since they understand what it is like to see your community devastated in the blink of an eye.  By writing a simple letter sharing concern and encouragement and mailing it to “Rebirth for the Philippines,” schools, churches, scout troops and other organizations as well as individuals can let the Filipino people know they are not forgotten.  Children who can’t write can draw pictures.  What is important is to do something to brighten the lives of the survivors and reassure them that they are not alone.

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Mayors Helping Mayors: Gulf Coast Mayors Visiting Jersey Shore, NJ Mayors Next Week

Former Waveland, MS Mayor Tommy Longo tours Sea Bright with Mayor Dina Long in February. Longo, three other Gulf Coast former mayors and former Congressman Gene Taylor will address the Bayshore Conference of Mayors on May 17 in Keansburg, Photo: NJ.com

A group of former mayors and a former congressman who led their Mississippi communities to recovery from Hurricane Katrina are coming to the Jersey Shore next week to share their knowledge and experience with New Jersey’s mayors and senior municipal officials who are continuing to deal with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

The group will be speaking at a meeting of the Bayshore Conference of Mayors on Friday evening May 17, 7PM, at Anthony’s Restaurant, 65 Church St in Keansburg.  All mayors and senior municipal officials of towns impacted by Sandy are invited, according to Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith, the conference president.  Those wishing to attend should contact Smith via text or phone call at 732-713-0506.   If someone who should have gotten an invitation didn’t, this is it. Readers are encouraged to pass this post on to their mayors.

The Mississippi delegation, comprised of former Congressman Gene Taylor and former mayors Brent Warr, Eddie Farve, and Tommy Longo, is being flown to New Jersey free on charge by Southwest Airlines.  Their lodging is being donated by Dominique Ervin, General Manager, Hampton Inn of Neptune/Wall and Sal Cannizarro of Immediate Care Medical Walk In of Hazlet.

This mayors helping mayors project is the brainchild of author and former CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch.  A Bay St’ Louis, MS native, Koch has dedicated herself to supporting survivors of natural disasters since Katrina.  She is the author of Rising from Katrina: How My Mississippi Hometown Lost It All and Found What Mattered and is donating a signed copy as a door prize for the conference.  She was sent to Japan by the U.S. State Department in March of this year to deliver her message of Resiliency and Words of Hope to the survivors of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami of the second anniversary of that catastrophic event.

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Mayors advising Mayors

Governor Chris Christie has spoken of how helpful governors who have been through catastrophic hurricanes have been in counseling him to “get it right” in leading the State’s efforts in to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy.   At his press conference yesterday where he announced the appointment of Superstorm Czar Marc Ferzan, Christie spoke of how helpful governors Haley Barbour (MI), Bobby Jindal (LA) and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have been in private conversations over the last month.

Author and former CNN correspondent Kathleen Koch, a Gulf Coast native who is committed to support Sandy survivors, thought it would be a great idea for Gulf Coast mayors who have rebuilt after Katrina and Rita to support New Jersey mayors who are now confronted with rebuilding their towns after Sandy.

Koch is in contact with a group of Gulf Coast mayors of towns with populations that range from 4,700 to 70,000 who want to advise New Jersey mayors.  Frustrated in her research for the right conduit, she reached out to MMM to get the word out.

MMM is honored to get the word out and Koch is generously volunteering to act as the conduit between mayors.  New Jersey mayors impacted by Sandy can contact Koch at [email protected]

Between the mayors, council members, legislators, legislative staff, executive staff, political operatives and members of the media who read this site daily, we can reach every New Jersey mayor dealing with Sandy recovery by the end of the day.  Please share this post with them.  If you know how to contact a mayor of a town impacted by Sandy, share this post with them.

Thank you.

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