MSNBC states that $79 million dollars in aid has been disbursed to the residents of Hancock county.
They also state that 25,811 persons have applied for assistance throught FEMA. The aid disbursed amounts to an average of $300,000 per person. How can this be? How much does FEMA pay for the travel trailers? Do you spend this much money on food and water every sixty days? One could have a deluxe vacation on $300,000 spent over a two month period....

Hi! I'm 51 and a group from my church voluntered and ripped out sheetrock & Mud etc etc... in Bay St. Lewis (for 8 days early Oct.) We worked hard under Samaritan's Purse who is stationed in The Kill at the Bayou Talla Church I believe it's on 43.They are helping folks who can't get the mud out... Need help, give them a call . Hope and a helping hand is available. Teams comin in to help from all over the country. It was hot, stinky, heavy, heartbraking, but also fun and rewarding. You really see immediate results of your labors, Samaritan's Purse is stationed there for at least a year. Our group is hoping to send a team one week a month. Maybe I'll see you there? Bernie from Tampa Bay, Fl

Teresa needs to work on her math skills. $79 million divided by 25,811 people is $3,061 each, not $300,000. While this still sounds like a lot, I'm guessing a lot of it actually goes to running the relief effort.

A response to Teresa. The money is NOT for "food and water" exclusively, nor are the trailers expensive and luxurious. The magnitude of the devastation cannot be conceived in a normal mind. You HAVE to go see to understand. My family has lived in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian all my life and there is NOTHING left but debris. FEMA, in my opinion, has a monumental task on their hands. Believe me, NO ONE is taking anything like a luxury vacation. I would offer that you go take a "look-see" for yourself. It is like a war zone. Please be patient and compassionate, as we are all trying to be patient and compassionate ourselves.

I hate watching the news but in this particular case I was hurt to my heart. It is amazing how selfish people can be. I know there are things all of us would like to make our life more convenient, but these people literally had only the clothes on their backs. It makes me weep to see so much devastation but God does everything for a reason, even if we don't understand. I pray He blesses and keeps all of his Own.

I am a volunteer with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry teams - several of our units were activated and dispatched to Bay St. Louis - we did mudouts almost in every instance. This town was hit very, very hard. Most homes had 10 feet of water in them and everything was destroyed. Yes, the stench was bad, but we are still there - our base of operations is at First Baptist Church, Bay St. Louis and if citizens of Bay St. Louis need help, they can go to the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center and apply for it at the Operations Center near our feedint units also set up there. We are still sending teams ther.

It is wonderful for someone to be noticing the people in the small towns on our coast. Camille Tate is a close friend of my next-door neighbors'daughter, and Camille and all of their close friends - and pets - stayed with my neighbor in Hattiesburg, MS, and a local hotel. We all cooked and ate together as food was beginning to thaw from everyone's freezer - my husband is a great outdoor cook! - and the picnic and party mood at meal times was always overshadowed by the anxiety they all felt. FINALLY hearing from the people in her house and others in Bay St. Louis was truly joyful. Even though we suffered major damage in Hattiesburg, it was nothing like our friends on the Gulf Coast. They all need any help that people can give!
Alice Staten
Hattiesburg, MS

I lived in a quaint house on Central Avenue in Waveland, MS until August 29. Now I live in a 29 foot trailer with my husband and our two-year-old daughter, with another baby due in about 5 weeks. I'd like to invite Teresa to come stay with us and see for herself how "deluxe" life is around here.

I think it is rediculous that Fema is requiring reciepts for furniture etc, in order to recieve insurance for lost Items. These poor folks have nothing left but the clothes on thier backs and in some cases just the foundations from which thier homes once stood. It blows my mind on just how generous some people are being when it comes to looking out for our fellow Americans, and how gosh darn cheap our government can be when it comes to providing food and shelter for its people. But it will spend astronomical amounts of money on a war that really won't mean anything 20 years from now, except to those who have lost reletives. Do you know what the worst part of it all is? we allow all of it to take place by not voting. We pay outrageous insurance rates and taxes, so they can make rediculous guidelines to keep from paying it back, when in all honesty it is all our money. It is time to stand up America! Let your voice be heard farther away than just your neibor's ear or the person sitting next to you in the bar or waiting in line at the grociery store. It is time to get involved, the only way we can make a change is to stand up and make it yourself. The first line in our constitution reades as follows " We The People " not " We the Gov. " Vote consciously, and let your voice be heard where it needs to be.

I'm all for the Governmental Agencies helping anyone who truely needs the help. My concern is, should our government spend our tax money to rebuild homes / businesses in a place that could just as easily be destroyed again a year or a month from now? I hope the zoning and construction / development standards for building in hurricane and flood prone areas will be evaluated and changes made. State, local and federal governments obviously failed the New Orleans area and it's citizens miserably over the last 150 years by their collective denial of what they all knew could and probably would eventually happen. Will they let it happen again or will they take the responsibility to change things to avoid such a disaster from ever happening again?

How sad it is that Teresa lacks the compassion and understanding to see that the people of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi are suffering indescribable pain and would gladly give up all of the "luxury" and financial aid they are so graciously being given if they could go back to pre-Katrina. Until one sees first-hand the devastation if is really unfair to criticize. Being so humbled and having to accept this assistance is not anything a person wishes for nor enjoys. Imagine losing your home and personal belongings-imagine losing your job and your neighbors-your neighborhood and all of your town and the town next to you (on both sides)-and the town next to it-for miles and miles. Imagine losing everything that has been in your area for years-for centuries-the homes-the tree-the harbors. Imagine tring to help the little children understand and get through the pain, the loss, the grief. Teresa, do you really think it is about the money? And I know Camille, she is a fabulous lady, I hope she stays with us here on the Coast!

Camille! I do hope you decide to stay. I can't imagine Bay St. Louis without you, and we will forever be grateful to you for finding our cottage on Washington St. (It remained standing).

It is outrageous the way the government, through FEMA and the SBA, are making these people jump through hoops to get the help that the rest of America thinks that they are receiving! Doesn't FEMA realize that receipts wash away with the furniture too? I've heard of people on the Coast being made to prove that they resided in particular homes or apartments because the government won't accept an address on a driver's license or a record at the local post office as proof! It is just so sad that the good people of the Coast, like Ms. Tate, have to keep suffering and working and cajoling to receive what the American people instructed FEMA to give to them.

It is shameful the way the insurance companies and the government is treating the people on the Gulf Coast, all you hear about is the "poor people from New Orleans."
Come on now there's thousands of people on the Gulf Coast still living in tent cities with no way of getting out. What happen to all of the agencies willing to help overseas but not here at home? Why want they help our own people? Where are all of the celebrities and their fund raising concerts they jumped to help the people in Asia why not home folks?
Where is Habitat for Humanity and all of the homes they claim to build for needy people?
The churches and the people of Mississippi are helping their fellow neighbor of the coast more than or fine government...shame on the government and insurance companies.

Teresa, didn't your mother teach you that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all? Your views are outrageous and uncalled for.

To all of my brothers and sisters of the Gulf Coast I too, went through Katrina, my family and I were blessed to have a sister who sent a 15 passenger van to get 22 of us five days after Katrina. We had no idea what was going on around us, we were just trying to do like everyone else, SURVIVE. Returning home two months later to clean the family home, depression to hold of us. We have always endured on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and I know this devastation will affect us a very long time, but we are survivors and tenacious people, that's what make us uniqiue. We all lost everything but our lives and faith, and yes we still believe and know that there is a God. My prayers are with you still and may God continue to bless us all.

i live in indiana. we are building the trailors u people are living in .i just want to say we are building as fast as we can we hope they help (teresa are u doing anything to help ??? i didnt think so )

It's good to see that the Mississippi spirit and tenacity is alive and well. Good luck to you all! May you continue to be blessed with good friends and with the compassion of new friends who can help Waveland and the Bay move forward.

I was one of 77 volunteers from Crossroads Church in Loveland, CO who went to Bay St. Louis, for 8 days in November to help the people there. We all worked very hard, doing mudouts, tearing out sheetrock, cutting trees, etc. Though I couldn't do the heavy work myself, the work I did with the donated clothing and supplies was so rewarding. People came in with only the clothes on their backs and we helped them find new clothing. This was the most rewarding work I have ever done and I feel truly blessed to have been fortunate enough to be a part of it. To those who have not been there I say go there. You can never know the harsh reality of that devastation unless you witness it for yourself. The residents we met there were so grateful for all the volunteers who have spent time there. Our church has since sent two more groups to Bay St. Louis. They still need so much help there. I hope people will open their hearts and their hands to help the wonderful residents of Bay St. Louis.

Really, nobody has room to make judgements on the residents of the Gulf Coast - least of all someone who has not been there to help. I second what Marcia from Loveland said ... the devastation is unreal to those of us, who after helping, come home to nice, dry, safe homes. God Bless ALL the volunteers from the faith-based communites across the USA who are reaching out to their neighbors in hand on ways!!!

TRY BEING AGE 40 AND WORKING SINCE YOU WERE 16 YOUR HOUSE WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID FOR IN 5 YEARS. AND NOW THERE'S NOTHING, BUT BILLS STILL TO BE PAID AND YOU HAVE'NT LIVED IN THE HOUSE SINCE THE HURRICANE. AND INSURANCE WONT PAY OFF BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO RECEIPTS. AFTER ALL THAT I WISH I COULD TAKE A VACATION BECAUSE ALL MY LUXUARY THAT I"VE WORKED SO HARD FOR IS PROBABLY SITTING IN OTHER COUNTY FROM KATRINA AND MY LIFE AS I ONCE KNEW IS GONE FOREVER

CAMILLE TATE???!!!!!!!!!!!
Marge Fruge!!!!!

I had the opportunity to visit biloxi mississppi area and the people there are awesome. I met the kindest loving people there than anywhere in my life. I'm from NY and these people made me feel welcome. I had opportunity to visit many historical and beautiful sites, which I'm sure have been destroyed by this horrible situation. It disgusts me that these people have now become victims of disaster they are also victims of insurance company games. These people don't want to rely on government handouts come on let's be realistic since when is our government quick to help the poor and desperate. My daughter's school had numerous fund raisers for people of "hurricane katrina" she was so proud of the money she collected. I will tell you out of honesty the people that had little to give gave the most and those with more gave less. Just goes to show you where compassion lies, its with people that feel your pain. I love the people of the gulf coast and I wish you the best as you heal. My only hope is that when the time comes to vote we study closely the action taken and remove those people from office. Its up to us to get out there and say " we want action and change" Let's not forget it our hard earned money that is taxed and why is when people are in "NEED" they must jump through hoop after hoop. The government should stand up for everyone and go after these insurance companies. They are too powerful and sneaky! They take our money but god help you when you need to utilize your insurance. There's a loop hole for every loop hole to their advantage. Its wrong and it needs to stop NOW! God bless everyone in the Gulf Coast area!

Camille THE BAY wouldn't be the same without ya! So glad you toughed it out with us diehards! MUCH LOVE!