The scene upon Team 3's arrival at the first home we were to work on presents a slight air of confusion, not misrepresented. The homeowner, using aid money from FEMA's assessment of her home's damage, had ordered these supplies to be shipped in from Fairbanks on the weekly ferry. These were the general materials that the resident and her father (possessing more construction knowledge) decided she needed most to winter-proof the home. While bulk materials like plywood and insulation were becoming more abundant in the village, it was the little things, the pipe fittings and electrical components, that were beyond scarce, and for which the need could grind construction to a halt. We quickly ran into problems such as this and had to ways to work around, to move on and come back when the materials were found, purchased, flown in. It was not a problem that went away.
This was also our first day every having worked together as a team. The ten of us—the others from Sacramento, Vancouver, northern Idaho, near Galveston and outside of Anchorage—dove into the work and quickly learned each other's skills and strengths. It worked better out of the gate than I think anyone anticipated.
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