At Bolivar Peninsula, 'Beach Out' and Help Someone

This Saturday, October 18, a core group of residents of Bolivar Peninsula will be coordinating a clean up effort to assist other peninsula residents with the recovery and clean up process from Hurricane Ike. The event is called Beach Out and Help Someone. The goal of this event is to ensure that property owners who might not otherwise have assistance with removing debris and cleaning up the remnants of the storm find the help that they so desperately need.

Interested parties who would like to be involved with Beach Out and Help Someone are asked to arrive at the staging area, located at the intersection of highways 124 and 87 in High Island, Texas at 8:30am on Saturday morning. Volunteers will be matched with property owners based on what their needs are. The property owners will then decide the clean up plan for their assigned group to ensure the efficiency of the time volunteered.

Citing the concerns of some peninsula residents, a few rules that prospective volunteers should be aware of have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the clean up effort. Volunteers must remain on the property of their assigned property owner and they are reminded to be respectful of other people's property. Security personnel will be dispatched throughout the peninsula and no looting will be tolerated. No volunteers under the age of fifteen will be permitted to help with the clean up.

Volunteers are asked to bring items to assist in the clean up efforts. Items such as shovels, ropes, rakes, hammers, trash bags, wire cutters, and wheelbarrows will be needed. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring items to ensure their personal safety under the hazardous conditions on the peninsula, such as rubber boots, steel toed boots, work gloves, insect repellent, masks, hand sanitizer, and protective clothing. There is no running water, electricity, or commerce available on the peninsula so volunteers will also have to provide their own ice, drinks, water, food, and other personal and paper product items. As per emergency regulations set forth by Galveston County, all volunteers and residents alike must vacate the peninsula by 4pm. No extensions will be granted.

Volunteers who are in need of community service hours can be credited for their time volunteered for this event by informing one of the event coordinators at the staging area.

For more information regarding the Beach Out and Help Someone event, including contact information and a pre-registration form for volunteers and property owners, visit their website located at www.rebuildbolivar.com