A FARNHAM resident is to stage a personal mission to bring "a little bit of hope" to the hurricane-ravaged town of Diamondhead, a 45-minute drive east of New Orleans. Bob Pickens, a native Mississippian whose home for many years has been in Stephendale Road, had an anxious two-day wait last week for the news that his 79-year-old mother was safe from the havoc wreaked by Katrina. Since then, his thoughts have been with those whose homes have been wrecked or destroyed in his mother's home town. He has hatched a plan to raise £10,000 in a week to bring "Six Tons of Hope" to Diamondhead, driving a borrowed truck the 750 miles from Kansas City, bringing aid items purchased in the States outside the disaster area. "Someone out there in a devastated beachfront town is going to see a truck with a Union flag coming in and maybe it will give them a bit of hope," he explained. Admitting that it will be "a small, small effort" in the context of what is needed, and what is being achieved by organisations such as the Red Cross, Bob was nevertheless keen to stress that it was not a cheap publicity stunt. "We hope it will have a very strong British identity. The idea is that it is going to be a way for people here to say 'we care'." The town of Diamondhead suffered mixed fortunes as the hurricane brought a 30-feet high surge of water from the Bay of St Louis up the bayou, washing away the lower part of the town including many substantial houses on stilts. Bob's mother's house is on higher ground and he understands it is still standing, but has water damage. "Two streets over the houses were obliterated - they're nothing but slabs on the ground," he said. Ironically Bob, an editor of academic books, can recall "the fun" of experiencing hurricanes as a boy. He said he had believed all along that his mother would be "savvy" enough to know what to do. "Mum isn't the kind of person to leave. She is used to riding out the hurricanes. She used to have hurricane parties." he explained. "She was a stewardess in New Orleans and would just stay up all night and party." But, thankfully, this time an elderly friend who is almost blind asked his mother if she would help her travel to stay with her daughter in Jackson, 200 miles to the north. She emailed Bob to say she might go, but it wasn't until two days after Katrina hit that he received the news, through his sister in Connecticut, that she was safe with friends in Jackson. Four cousins in the area had still not been heard from by Wednesday, but Bob said he was not concerned, putting their silence down to the difficulties over communications. It was while searching the internet for news of his mother that by chance he made contact with Thomas Wheelock, another man in Britain seeking news of relatives in Diamondhead. Together they put together the idea for The Six Tons of Hope and the past week has passed in a whirl of planning, administration and approaching contacts for help. Diamondhead is starting to get some services back, including power to those houses that are inhabitable and water, though not drinkable water, for part of the day. The sewage system, however, is still non-existant. The question of the US government's effectiveness in delivering aid to the hurricane-ravaged communities has increasingly been dominating the news, but Bob is staying firmly out of that debate. "I'm not there. If I was there, then I would feel qualified to have an opinion. I can't believe that anyone who is there on the scene would not be doing their utmost," he replied. Bob's idea is to purchase what he calls "second aid" - hardware items such as wheelbarrows, duck tape, rope, shovels and batteries that will be needed to make homes habitable. As The Herald went to press, he was taking advice on what goods are most practical and awaiting the go-ahead for his mission from the town authorities. All being well, he hoped to be on the plane bound for Kansas next week. A bank account was being set up to accept donations to the appeal. Anyone wishing to contribute can send a cheque, made out to The Six Tons of Hope, to the Camberley branch of NatWest bank.
