BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- It took Hurricane Katrina’s wicked winds and churning waters just an hour or two to pulverize hundreds of years of history and development in the neighboring Mississippi towns of Bay St. Louis and Waveland. But more than seven weeks after the most destructive storm in U.S. history, questions about the futures of the close-knit beachfront communities aren’t close to being answered.
While no one is suggesting that the picturesque towns in coastal Hancock County won’t be rebuilt, local officials acknowledge that it will take years to repair what Katrina ripped to shreds.
“I don’t know how to describe it,” Bay St. Louis Mayor Eddie Favre said of the devastation that in some places extends miles from the beach. “… It’s just nothing but piles of sticks and lumber and people’s entire lives in one pile of mess.”
It also will take time to regain the sense of community that residents of the towns treasured. “A lot of people have left for good,” said Camille Tate, a Bay St. Louis real estate agent. “A lot of people just couldn’t stand it, came back and looked at it and said, ‘I will not stay here.’”
The historic Old Town area of Bay St. Louis was virtually erased by Hurricane Katrina. (photo: James Cheng / MSNBC.com)
In a scene playing out in communities all along the Gulf Coast, local leaders are contemplating a massive rebuilding effort at the same time they are facing severe budget shortfalls because of damage inflicted by the storm.
“We’re being promised that there has never been a municipality that has gone bankrupt after a presidential disaster declaration, so … all we can hang our hat on is that it will be made better, we will be made whole again,” said Hancock County administrator Tim Kellar.
Kellar estimates that Katrina instantly erased more than half the county’s tax base, cut its population of 46,000 by nearly a quarter -- at least for the short term -- and left county staff with just one 1,200-square-foot office building that was safe for occupancy.
Already the federal government has poured more than $70 million in emergency aid for individual residents of Hancock County, and approved more than $10.5 million to meet the short-term needs of the governments of the county and its only two incorporated towns -- Bay St. Louis and Waveland. But all parties agree that this is merely a downpayment on a long-term reconstruction effort that will carry a price tag that no one can yet even estimate.
“(Recovery) will be measured in years, not months,” said Eric Gentry, administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Hancock County.
Residents who have either remained in or returned to their homes have more immediate concerns – such as searching for belongings in the massive debris piles or cleaning the toxic muck left in their houses by retreating floodwaters.
Many also are battling with insurance companies, which are classifying the storm surge as “flooding” rather than a hurricane-caused phenomenon.
“My homeowners (insurer) has offered me $10,000 … that’s only for the tree that fell out front and a few other little things,” said Tate, the Bay St. Louis real estate agent. “They say they don’t owe anything (on the damage to the house itself) because … it was rising water.”
Only about one-quarter of the 21,000 homeowners policies issued in Hancock County included flood insurance, according to FEMA’s Gentry.
Huge rebuilding task
When residents pause to contemplate the future, many express fears that the pressure on the economically devastated local governments will lead to approval of coastal developments that will destroy the charm of the towns and neighboring communities.
An aerial view of the damage in Bay St. Louis. (photo: James Cheng / MSNBC.com)
“The cities and the counties need the money more than ever now to rebuild … and it’s going to be very appealing to put high-density housing on the beach,” says Ellis Anderson, a Bay St. Louis resident who co-founded the Coastal Community Watch earlier this year to fight condominium developments proposed for the area before Katrina hit.
Anderson, who like many other Bay St. Louis and Waveland residents describes her hometown in terms usually reserved for Norman Rockwell paintings, said she intends to mount a grass-roots campaign to insist that officials make preserving the charm and small-town atmosphere of the arts colony a priority in considering redevelopment proposals.
Her efforts will be complicated by the extent of the damage inflicted by the storm.
Bay St. Louis, a town of 8,209 built on the bluffs where French explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Bienveille hunted game in 1699, and Waveland, which had a pre-hurricane population of 6,674, were at the worst possible place at just the wrong moment when Katrina roared ashore early on Aug. 29. Her “eye” passed just to the west, putting the cities squarely in the northeast quadrant of the eye wall – the counterclockwise maelstrom where the winds are strongest and the storm surge most ferocious.
Though Katrina had weakened from a monstrous Category 5 storm before it made landfall on the Louisiana coast that morning, experts estimate that it was still packing winds of 125 mph or higher when it reached the Mississippi coast. But the big killer was a storm surge of at least 30 feet, with wind-whipped waves of seven feet on top of that.
Fortunately, most residents heeded authorities’ warnings and fled before Katrina crashed ashore. But some, believing they had survived the worst Mother Nature could throw at them when they rode out Hurricane Camille in 1969, stayed put and hoped for the best.
“We kept putting out a lot of warnings (but) people had ‘I Survived Camille Syndrome’ … and wouldn’t leave,” said Brian “Hootie” Adam, director of the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency.
It was a decision that virtually all of them would regret – if they survived. At least 50 people in Hancock County perished in the storm and many others – no one is certain just how many – are still missing.
Brian Mollere, a Waveland resident who fought for his life – and that of his mother’s Chihuahua, Rocky – after the torrent flattened the family-owned hardware store and her home above it, was one of the lucky ones.
“I was picked up by a 40-foot wave and pushed 800, 900 feet,” he recalled. “It just wasn’t my time to go.” His mother, who had left to ride out the storm in Bay St. Louis, didn’t survive.
Unspeakable devastation
When the waters receded several hours later, an unspeakable scene of devastation awaited local officials venturing out for their first look.
“We expected to see roof damage and parts of buildings maybe gone, but this was entire neighborhoods and entire blocks of streets … totally gone, nothing left,” said Favre, who is serving his fifth term as Bay St. Louis mayor and was among those left homeless by the storm.
The picture hasn’t brightened in subsequent weeks.
“As best we can tell right now, we’ve lost about half of our homes and businesses, maybe a little bit more … (and) probably 75 to 80 percent of the tax base,” said Favre, a distant cousin of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. “… Casino Magic (the biggest single contributor to the city budget) is gone for at least a year, if not longer.”
Also devastated was the town’s core: three blocks of Main Street that were home to the city’s vibrant arts colony and the scene of the Second Saturday art walk, which drew visitors by the thousands every other weekend during spring and summer.
A cleanup crew removes debris along Main Street in Bay St. Louis. (photo: James Cheng / MSNBC.com)
The bad news doesn’t stop there: The Hancock Medical Center, the only hospital in the city, was badly damaged and is now offering limited services from a series of tents erected in its parking lot; the city’s schools, which sustained major damage, remain closed, with a target date for reopening of Nov. 1; the Highway 90 bridge that connected Bay St. Louis with Pass Christian was destroyed and will take many months and approximately $150 million to replace; a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew intended to discourage looters remains in place; and residents with utilities are still being advised to boil water as public works crews struggle to repair a host of leaks in the water system.
Waveland scene
The situation is as bad or worse a few miles to the southwest, where the government of Waveland almost ceased to exist when the floodwaters swamped neighborhoods that had never flooded before.
In this video that originally aired on “Dateline NBC,” on Sept. 9, correspondent John Larson tours the town of Waveland with Mayor Tommy Longo.“Our 130-year-old City Hall was gone, every public building was gone except for that fire station and the police station, but both of them had multiple feet of water in them and … were condemned,” said a visibly exhausted Mayor Tommy Longo, who is directing his city’s recovery effort from a makeshift encampment and command center atop a water treatment plant. “So we literally had lost every resource that we had – 91 city vehicles. We got an animal control truck working that we shared for about a week. I had people chasing me with dogs everywhere, flagging me down.”
The downtown area looks as if a bomb was dropped on it. All that remains of City Hall is a flag pole, a small piece of a mosaic mural depicting a Mardi Gras celebration and a plaque expressing gratitude to those who helped the city rebuild after Hurricane Camille.
While most of Longo’s attention in the weeks since has been devoted to clearing the streets using donated and leased heavy equipment, and restoring water, electricity and sewer service to as many residents as possible, he also has been able to get many city offices back up and running out of Quonset huts obtained from an Alaska company.
The mayor, who also lost his home and was forced to relocate his wife and five children to Maine, said the city is still assessing the extent of the damage, but that virtually every building gulf-side of the railroad tracks that bisect the city was destroyed, and many others on the other side were left uninhabitable.
The federal government is standing behind the embattled local governments so far. The initial $10.5 million allocated by FEMA went to cover payroll and overtime costs during the frenetic first weeks after Katrina hit. City and county officials are now preparing “project sheets” that, if they are approved, will enable them to permanently replace equipment and facilities destroyed by the storms, on the federal dime.
Gentry, the FEMA administrator, said that while the cost of the rebuilding will be steep, the agency is in Mississippi and other Katrina-ravaged areas for the long haul.
“We still have offices open in Florida from last year’s hurricanes and those will be open for years to come,” he said. “This will be a multiyear recovery and FEMA will be here throughout that process.”
Less clear is to what degree FEMA will cover the local governments’ ongoing expenses until they regain their financial footing.
“We’re not sure. We don’t have all the answers yet,” said Kellar, the county administrator, when asked how long the emergency federal funding was expected to continue. “This is our first time to ever go through this and I hope it’s our last.”
Optimistic outlook
Despite the financial uncertainties facing them in the coming months and years, city and county officials are uniformly upbeat in assessing their long-term prospects.
A historical marker thanking people for coming to aid of Waveland after Hurricane Camille in 1969 is one of few things still standing at the site of the old City Hall. (photo: James Cheng / MSNBC.com)
“We have an opportunity that not many people get… to build a model community from scratch,” said Longo. “… We have the history since 1887 to learn from and build from.”
Jeffrey Reed, a Bay St. Louis city council member and minister of the non-denominational Powerhouse of the Deliverance Ministries, said he believes the city will come roaring back as long as the city gives residents a reason to believe.
“By keeping in contact with the people, keeping their spirits up and keeping hope alive in them, just by the fact that they’re here, the city is going to come back,” he said. “… If they’ve done something before, they can do it again.”
Many of the citizens – at least those who never left or are returning to the cities – also remain optimistic despite the scenes of destruction that greet them each day.
“There’s going to be a change, but… I’m hoping that it’s going to be for the good, that it will be a small wonderful community with small shops and a lot of artists,” said Tate, the Bay St. Louis real estate agent.
“It’s like a cleansing,” said Mollere, the Waveland man who survived a close encounter with the storm surge, describing the post-apocalypse landscape he sees from his tent and trailer encampment across the street from the flattened City Hall.
“It’s like you look around, everything’s gone. It’s like you can paint a new picture now. The town can come back better than it ever was. ... It can be the perfect little city now.”
Planning to rebuild, one brick at a time
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I am a resident of the impacted area. I am a hardworking, tax paying US citizen. I am not looking for a handout, but I am finally glad to see my tax dollars working for ME! I did have flood insurance and I did not receive the damage that so many others are facing. I am not looking for sympathy, but I do think a lot of the commentaries I have read here are insulting. Perhaps those who wish to pass judgement should come & see for themselves what the people of my community are facing. Our churches, schools, business and entire infrastructure is destroyed. Each of us are waiting in line for gas, water, food, and supplies. Many people are jobless. We need the help of our brothers & sisters nationwide. I personally am not looking for sympathy, but thousands of people here deserve it. I am fortunate, but thousands aren't. I am not in a financial position to help, but our nation is. I have taken in homeless people. I have fed whoever I can. You can not imagine what it is like to lose everything you own, even if you do have insurance. Some things can never be replaced. We have all worked hard to build the lives that so many of us have had stolen by Katrina. Most insurance companies are not being fair. And for those who you feel weren't smart enough to buy flood insurance, know that these people lived in areas that government maps deemed safe from flood. Some couldn't afford it. Yes, I ask for your mercy and kindess...not your judgement as you sit drinking, cooking and cleaning with your "safe" water, in your air conditioned home enjoying cable TV, not having to fight long lines for food or gasoline and struggle to travel what used to be short distances. If you can't give us your mercy, than give us your prayers. I am a christian, and I am blessed...but this enviroment can shake anyone's faith. Don't judge us, pray for us.
Susan, Waveland, MS (Sent Oct 23, 2005 6:31:32 PM)
After sending in some previous comments, then reading all these, I am appalled and disgusted by the attitudes too many of those not affected are. (I live in S. Calif... "earthquake land")
If someone has criticised the insurance companies, someone always seems to get a word in on the 'greatness'of the insurance industry and the stupidity of the insured. Come on.... how many damn insurance lobbiests are on capitol hill, with how much $ to buy off politicians? A whole lot more money than you or I will see in our lifetimes, that's how much! If insurance companies are screwing people over, it's probably true... get a clue!!
And the govermental quagmire that has created this whole rescue/aid response is a result of jealousy and competition among government agencies, not cooperation. Maybe we've got just a little too much government and not enough common sense and decency. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.
And then theres people blaming "God" for all this, and more, as is directly quoted next: "...but please don't forget to pray for all affected by hurricane, fire, blizzard, earthquake, mudslides, volcano eruptions, violence, child abuse, suicide, homicide, political differences, religious barriers, racial barriers, social barriers, etc. Because the only real truth is that "God is in control"... Exuse me!!! I believe mother nature is in control of half those things, and PEOPLE are responsible for the rest!!!!!
Our information on weather patterns only goes back a few hundred years at best. As with everything in this universe, weather cycles last longer than recorded history. Even the best forcasts are a 50/50 thing. How can anyone REALLY know what may happen next year, much less 50, 100, 200 years down the road. We might as well all move to Kansas... it's gotta be safe from everything there!
Vicky James, San Diego, CA (Sent Oct 23, 2005 9:27:01 PM)
Yes! That's it! We will all move to Kansas! Then all we will have to deal with is the tornados and the ice storms. No, no, wait... we are all supposed to move where, now...oh yes, Massachussetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island. I'm sure there will be jobs and homes there for all of us living in all these other dangerous areas.
I sit here reading and hurting for all the folks from the Gulf Coast; I wish they could know that our country would take care of them the same way we are taking care of the people in Iraq or in the other areas of the world where we send our money and people to help rebuild.
I wonder, too, how many of those who are critical of rebuilding or helping have moved every few years or so. It's easy to criticize if you have never had stability in your life. "Just move somewhere else!" is easy to say if you have done it alot. I never had the security of growing up in the same town, going to the same school every year, attending the same church my whole life, or even having the same friends for more that two years at a time. As a child, my family never stayed in one place for more than two years at a time. We attended 13 schools in 12 years. I can only dream of what it must be like to have lived in one place your whole life. I would have loved to have the life that Mary described of raising your children in the "old home place" and then watching your grandchildren grow up the same way... And then to imagine and see the kind of destruction that Katrina brought...
If it were myself and my family, I believe it would be somewhat easier to think about moving elsewhere, only because I have done it so much. But if I had the life that so many people there have,(yes, still HAVE, at least in their hearts) I can't imagine that I would even think of not staying. And I say let's help in any way we can, the least we can do is be supportive and not be critical of those who have lost everything they had. On second thought, I don't think some of them have lost everything~~they haven't lost their spirit or their "Southern" way of helping each other during hard times. May we all have that same spirit towards each other. Don't forget ~ we reap what we sow, and it could be me next!
God bless all ya'll down there in the Gulf Coast; we are still praying for you and rooting for you!
Kimberly, Chesapeake, VA (Sent Oct 24, 2005 12:01:14 PM)
I live in Waveland. I want to thank all of the volunteers who are here, been here and those who continue to come with healing hands and spirits. They are people who do not underestimate their power as shapers of the world. Here, in Waveland, we are clay and we have plenty of opportunity to build back stronger than before.
I look out over the destruction around me and find myself appreciating life and my place within it. Historically Waveland and Bay St. Louis are not just trendy little beach spaces...they are historic towns with histories intact before they were part of the USA. The heartless comments by individuals, who have a very fixed perception, ignore the facts; there are houses that were destroyed by Katrina that date from the 1780s, one that dates from 1803...what flood zone data depicts that? It was an Irish catholic mission prior to that and before that... a pre-historic indian village.
This is our home, we will not be paralyzed by by negativity...nobody can be an activist in that state of mind. What kind of illusionary structure of modern safety deludes people into thinking they have the power to bring 'things' under control? We are all small, fragile and finite beings. "Do not turn your eyes from suffering." As human beings we can effect change. We are all shapers. My thanks to all of you who are continuing to help, it gives us strength to know we are connected to God's grace and human kindness through you.
Karen Harvill, Waveland, MS (Sent Oct 24, 2005 1:27:27 PM)
The rebuilding of New Orleans is something I personally am trying to contemplate but, the logic behind it is stupid. It will be built and the houses built then the people will have to pay the high price mortgage and get high Insurance bills. Can a poor person really pay all this with $10,000? They probably had debts in the first place or were unable to hold a job because of race or the fact that they were in jail. Who do you think is the target in this outcome? they can't pay for insurance because they have 0 dollars or less. sending them out of the city is "the only option?" well, if god blessed these people he shouldnt bless the people for putting them in that hole. why weren't the leevees upgraded when they knew a hurricane could knock it out? people just believe in the fact that our government is targeting someone. the poor, the minority, and the less fortunate. These people are not lazy. The government is lazy alot of these poor people have busted their butts harder for nothing and we're saying "you should have been ready for it. sorry we cant help you too much and It's not our fault."I think they should all be fired and we need to elect some new perspectives and fast. this country stands for equality and that goes to EVERYONE!
john H. jackson, MN (Sent Oct 24, 2005 1:40:40 PM)
I checked out this web site to get some information on my home town. I now live out of state, but my entire family lived in Waveland until after Katrina. I am not going to look at this web site anymore because every time I look at it and read these message boards I just get so mad and heart broken all over again. Unless you have gone through this terrible storm, or have family living in tents or in another state, because there is no place for them to go you really should keep your opinions to yourself. I wish this site did not have a place for comments, because some of the things people are writing are so heartless and stupid that it does not even make sense to me. Yes living in a tent for 5 weeks may not sound so bad, but try it with your childrend day after day trying to explain to them why they have to walk miles for a meal, and can't go to school any more. Try telling them sorry honey that all your toys are floating out in the Gulf of Mexico. Winter is coming...don't really need to say more except yes it does get very very cold in the south during the winter and it rains a lot. I am sure spending a few weeks in a tent is not so bad if you have a fun family camping trip planned and have all the supplies you could need. Where you go to sleep hearing the crickets and frogs and animals. What crickets and frogs.. and what animals. They all died in the storm or left for higher ground..oh yeah the animals are smarter than Mississippians....they don't stay in low line areas... There are no sweet night noises there and you don't wake up smelling the nice crisp morning air. You wake up and you smell death and nasty water and muck and sewage. You can't look forward to when the camping trip is over to going to your "home" for a nice warm shower and cooked food and oh electricity because you are already home. But I can assure you that living in a tent for 5 weeks is no fun when you have no clue when you will move out of your tent. So really if all you have to say is that it's not so bad, or move to my home town, or what a waste of money it is to rebuild a place that does not contribute to the rest of the country. Don't comment at all. Have a heart and imagine how you would feel if it were you. Remember those who stayed for the storm, how tramatic that was hearing all that noise, seeing all the water coming in and your home being torn apart around you, your home that you sought shelter and safety in and not knowing if you were going to live through it.. then 9 weeks after the storm you look around and it still looks the same way it looked the day after .. think of all those people who need medicine and have not way to get it.. think of what it would be like for you to have nothing.. there is nothing there.. I have been there.. there is no wal -mart, no drug stores, no grocery stores.. there is NOTHING there..well there are some things there.. there are people there that's right.. PEOPLE who had good jobs, yes doctors and lawyers, and bankers and car dealerships, and jewlery stores and there were also homeless and poor people making it from pay check to pay check. Children who went to school and graduated. There are seniors there who will not graduate and go on to college next fall. No prom, no football game on Friday night between Bay High and Hancock North Central. No home to go to and have Thanksgiving dinner and watch a college football game as you fall asleep on your sofa. oh and no houses for the kids to go trick or treating at.. do you understand.. there is NOTHING THERE but PEOPLE trying to Survive. so please dont sit at your computer after you have eaten a nice meal with your family and say living in a tent for 5 weeks is NOT SO BAD..... Don't say anything at all... becasue you have no clue no clue at all what it is like there... no clue what it is like to have parents who have worked all their lives to pay for their home and now they have a slab.. and nothing around that slab is your stuff, becasuse your stuff is up 6 miles north at the interstate... you would be looking for someone to give you a "HANDOUT" if you were left with nothing and had no way to get anything. You can't drive to the next town because the next town is in the same shape you are in, or your car has been destroyed along with your home.. so don't make stupid suggestions like some of you have until you have lived it... oh but most of you will never live through anything like this because your home is the perfect place to live.. Well if the Katrina people came to live in your home town you'd be complaining they were taking up your jobs, and bringing crime and poverty to your perfect home... open your eyes America... Mississippi Gulf Coast is still Mississippi, USA. That's right USA just like your home town..
Elizabeth, Waveland, Mississippi (Sent Oct 24, 2005 2:00:44 PM)
I think the federal, & state gov'ts should help in the rebuilding process..the issue I would like to address is, what almost everyone else is asking...why didn't the people leave after being warned about Katrina....what people that are well to do doesn't realize is, everyone did not have money for expenses to go anywhere other than the Superdome, let alone paying for hotel bills...according to what I have been reading is, most of the poor & disenfranchised were living from pay check to pay check....so, by all means, the government should help........
Kay Woodson (Sent Oct 24, 2005 2:44:40 PM)
I truly resent an outsider that has never lived in a community like Bay St. Louis or Waveland, MS to ask why they should not be rebuilt, why they didn't have flood insurance, why this, why that.
An entire cultural and historical legacy has been wiped out...who would ever thought that a house 32 above seas level that has survived 200 yeasr of storms would have been devastated. Yes, the photo you see of downtown Bay. St. Louis is 30' + above sea level.
Its depressing...my hometown of 40 years is gone. And while it can be rebuilt, the fabric of the town will never be the same. This devastation is worse than 9/11 and because it was Mother Nature as the enemy and not a know enemy, we are second guessed as a people. I hope you have the decency to lump all us dumb Louisiana and Mississippi with the upstanding fine people of Florida after Wilma is finished. When the ice storms hit Conn, this winter, when the earthquakes hit CA, I will be the first to question why we don't have ice or earthquake insurance and why should we rebuild.
I can't believe you nay-sayers.
Jules Lagarde, Covington, LA formerly of Bay St. Louis, MS with family in Bay St. Louis, Waveland an (Sent Oct 24, 2005 3:48:18 PM)
To Elizabeth from Waveland.... Well said! Some of the comments here make me mad too. But there are times when anger can be very motivating, such as that which inspired you to describe the situation on the Bay-Waveland so perfectly. I hope you will come back and read and post some more. This Bay resident appreciates your words very much.
Kammy, Bay St. Louis, MS (Sent Oct 24, 2005 6:54:25 PM)
How offensive to say that these communities shouldn't be rebuilt and that federal money should not go towards recovery in the Gulf states. I have read many postings from people in New Jersey and Wisconsin and places that have no concept of what has occured here, and it astounds me that they are so flippant about the concept of rebuilding. It is curious that there has not been such wrangling when there have been devastating tradegies in other places around the country. Why, all of a sudden, is it ridiculous to rebuild the Gulf states?
And to clarify a few points:
Number one: there was a 30 foot storm surge. That is not a flood, that is a storm surge. A storm surge is a wall of water created by the force of the wind and the power of the hurricane. In Bay St Louis, water came inland several miles from the Gulf, over land that was well above sea level. Those homes did not require flood insurance policies because they were NOT in flood zones and were above sea level. These were areas that had never "flooded" before, not even during Camille. Calling a storm surge a flood is like calling a tsunami a flood. And saying that people shouldn't have been living so close to the water is absurd. If that's the case, then the entire island of Manhattan should be evacuated immediately, along with the greatest population of California.
Second: this did not happen 36 years ago. Someone made reference to "the same thing" happening in New Orleans 36 years ago, and that is inaccurate. In August of 1969 Camille hit the Mississippi coast and caused widespread devastation, but not like this. My brother's house in Bay St Louis withstood Camille; it did not withstand Katrina. If they are referring to the last great hurricane to hit New Orleans, that would be Betsy that hit in 1966, and it did not cause the same level of damage as Katrina. And, yes, money has been mis-spent over the years in Louisiana, but there has also been a great deal of money denied for levee projects...the federal government thought it was "too expensive" to spend money on the levees.
Third: it is not only the poor and disenfranchised that have been financially destroyed, displaced and separated from their families. It is also those, like my brother, who worked very hard to buy a wonderful cottage in Bay St Louis for his family. My sister-in-law, niece and nephew did evacuate ahead of Katrina, but my brother stayed to treat patients left at the hospital there. During the storm he feared for his life but never stop caring for those patients at the hospital. Their house was destroyed...reduced to nothing but a single set of brick steps leading up to where their front door once was. Now, it is gone. They have been able to salvage nothing. Bits and pieces of wood that they can recognize by paint chips have been pulled from a pile of debris several blocks from their property, but nothing larger than a desk drawer has been found intact. Everything he and his wife had worked for to provide for their children is now gone; this includes photographs, school yearbooks, baby books, the lamp my sister bought for my nephew when he was born, my niece's baby shoes. They took what they could when they evacuated, but just imagine what that is like. Go look in your closets and cabinets and imagine that you had less than 24 hours to decide what you could take, what you could fit in your car, pack it all, take pictures of the house for the insurance claims you know you're going to have, communicate what is happening with your family, gather your important files and papers, get in the car and drive like a lunatic to get far enough away from the coast. Katrina went from a 3 to a 5 quickly...there was not a lot of time to organize and pack. Just imagine that for yourself and your family.
It is a horrible, horrible life-altering experience. I have lived along the Gulf my entire life, and I have never known anything like this. These are people who have been ruined.
Eventually, my niece...who has gone to Florida to live with my sister so she can attend school until her school in Bay St Louis is rebuilt...will reunite with her parents and little brother. My brother is a doctor. When the hospital in Bay St Louis is rebuilt he will have a job. He is one of the lucky ones. But, evenso, because the insurance company doesn't want to give him what his house and property were worth, he will be in financial dire straits for years to come. Luckily he has a supportive family who will not let him drown. My brother is a hero. He saved lives in the face of a crushing monster. He has never asked anyone to do anything for him before; he has always been a giver. Now, he needs someone to return the favor and we are all doing our best here; but this is bigger than us. This is a national tragedy and there are faces and children and dogs and families and shattered, broken hearts in need of a little compassion.
So, before you pass judgement consider the stories and experiences of the people and the lives this has touched.
Jacque, Louisiana (Sent Oct 24, 2005 10:19:30 PM)
My heart goes out to those who have suffered...
Disasters can happen anywhere at any time to anyone. How we respond to them is what matters. The Japanese, living in quakeproof houses survive earthquakes which kill thousands in countries that are not ready for them. Maybe buildings can be designed and built to withstand storms (but unfortunately nothing can be done about storm surges) It is tragic when people have to live like refugees in their own country, particularly one that has extended a helpful hand to others. God bless you all.
Grace (Sent Oct 25, 2005 7:01:10 AM)
You simply cannot appreciate the destruction unless you have seen it. We had flood and wind insurance; no settlement of any kind yet. Wind insuror on a rental property won't send adjuster or return phone calls. Many people without flood insurance were told they did not need it by their WIND insurance salesperson. Unfortunately, task force of "do-gooders" brought in by the governor meant well but are obviously clueless about construction in wind zones. Our home, built in 1999, exceeded every hurricane building standard anywhere and was completely destroyed; no residential roof is built to withstand 160 mph winds, particularly with porches. It was also raised above the "flood zone" level. To the person bemoaning assistance cuts and aid to the towns at the same time, do you want all of these people added to food stamps, etc. permanently? You cannot have it both ways. What is unfortunate is the massive waste such as Ashbrit getting $7/yard to do the paperwork for debris removal allowing them to make as much as $40 million profit on $100 million no bid contract!
We are fortunate in that we had been unable in over a year of trying to sell our previous home so my family has a place to sleep. Most are not so lucky!
If you are really concerned about the poor, etc. why not volunteer with one of the many, mostly church, organizations selflessly providing massive help in these towns. Finally, especially thanks from my family to Tabernacle Free Will Baptist Church, Kinston, NC for all of their work.
Chuck, Waveland, MS (Sent Oct 25, 2005 9:13:01 AM)
I have been drawn to Waveland and the surrounding areas. On weekends, it has been my home for the past month. We will be back this weekend to help with cleanup for Trailers or working at the distribution site at the Waveland Market. The spotlight may not be here but God is is always with us. There have been so many volunteers and the list keeps getting longer. We are to go where the need is not where the media shines. This is the opportunity so many have been waiting for who have hungered to be part of something worthwhile. A weekend, a week, a month. Go for it! You will never be the same!
Mark Madison
Mark Madison, Northport, Alabama (Sent Oct 26, 2005 2:09:26 PM)
I am pleased to see MSNBC providing coverage of this area, since most of the media focus has been on New Orleans.
I don't live in Bay St Louis or Waveland or any of the other many cities along the entire length of the state along the Mississippi Gulf Coast which received anything from almost total destruction to severe damage. However, I work just north of Waveland and MANY of my friends and co-workers lived in that area. A lot of them have nothing but left of any of their lives and family traditions because it all either washed away or is so moldy as to be totally unusable. But you know most of them are saying - We are blessed to be alive and we will get through it.
Unless you have been through this you cannot imagine how it is to find out you have 24 hours to choose to stay or go, decide where to go, hope you can find someplace to go (hotels can be filled for hundreds of miles in any direction), and pick out anything that will go with you that matters in your life. Then try to get things put away and windows covered - it is a lot of work. But if you think that is bad just wait till you come back and then you don't even know where to begin to pick up the pieces of your life. Everything is just so torn up and damaged. There is no food, water, electricity, or sewage. The temperature is in the high 90's and the humidity is that high as well. Did I mention the combined smell of death, rotten meat from freezers, molded and wet clothing/building materials and sewage that permeates the entire area. On and on top of that, if there was anything of any value left when you are able to get back to your house if you left, professional gangs of looters have probably already been through and taken anything left of value. Maybe you stayed to protect all you have worked your entire life for then you have those horrors of wondering if you would live through it.
And sure you can sit in your perfectly good town and home. How fortunate you are to have schools, jobs and stores open and where life is normal. It is easy from there to say you just wouldn't live there and pass judgement, but beware being judgmental as things can happen to good hard-working taxpayers anywhere.
There is not a day, even almost eight weeks after the storm, that goes by that I don't talk to a person I haven't seen yet that lost everything. The point of this whole story is that these are some of the most strong, courageous and caring people I have ever met. They are people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds and they are just trying to get on with a life containing some degree of normalcy. I am so proud to call the people from this area my friends, co-workers and neighbors. I had almost no damage to my home because I live further west. But, I cry for my friends and co-workers every day and I don't know if I were in their shoes if I would be as brave and able to carry on.
They are living under some tough conditions and still trying to put their lives back together (as Elizabeth from Waveland previously did an excellent job documenting.) To those of you that are critical, I hope you never have disaster befall you like these folks have and maybe that you never even have to witness conditions like these (however, some of the self-centered folks should have to experience it to gain a heart.)
I believe that our tax dollars should help these hard-working folks before it helps out the perfectly able bodied welfare recipients all over this country that drain our resources. Because if we help these people get back on their feet, they won't sit around for generations waiting for a hand out. All they need is a hand to get back up and get going again.
People all over this country are fiercly proud of their communities and would never consider leaving if nature or a terrorist decided to cause destruction. Should we expect any less of these wonderful folks on the Gulf Coast. Yes some will leave because their jobs are now gone or maybe it is just to difficult to face rebuilding and that also is not an easy decision. But yes this area will rebuild and the spirit and fabric of these communities will be forever changed. It may not be changed for the worse. Although I am not glad to see them go through it, I believe these communities and families will come through this stronger for having survived. I applaud them for their courage and perserverance.
Patti G. Hammond, Louisiana (Sent Oct 26, 2005 3:35:19 PM)
Gov. Bush and the state government takes responsibility for the reaction in Florida. Why has all the blame been put on the Federal Government for the reaction time of Hurricane Katrina? That whole state should take responsibility for what they did wrong, especially the mayor down there in LA. That won't happen though. i know it's a tough time for all but we cannot depend on our government for everything. We all as Americans are smart enought to realize that wherever you live, you should be prepared for things of this nature to happen.
R. Fry (Sent Oct 26, 2005 7:19:52 PM)
I hope when the rebuilding effort is underway, those men and women of New Orleans will be the first to be considered for the thousands of constructions jobs that will be available.
It would be sad to see outside contractors get the bulk of the pie from the billions of dollars that will be spent rebuilding that city when so many people there are in need.
Just a thought.
cmj (Sent Oct 27, 2005 2:04:40 AM)
I'm a 52 year old police officer from the gulf coast. I've lived here through 52 years of hurricanes, and like most others here I'm prepared from June through November for these storms. Until now we've been able to emerge after the storm, clean up the debris, rebuild what was damaged and get on with our lives. I dont think a lot of you understand what went on here. This storm was a freak of nature. This wasnt a hundred year event. We went through a category five storm in '69 (Camille). The damage from that storm was terrible, but was confined compared to what it is now. We have homes dating from the mid 1800's that have survived over 150 years of weather. Most of them are gone now. This event was similar to a 100 mile wide F5 tornado along with a tsunami approx.35 feet high. The damage is from New Orleans to Mobile,Al, including the entire Mississippi Coast, and inland to 150 miles. We are finding bodies almost every day, and will never find all of them. Currently in my area we have over 60 people missing. The tax base of businesses,infrastructure such as roads, bridges,sewers,schools,government buildings,and even power companies are gone. These were not all in flood zones. Places flooded that have never flooded in recorded history, much less the last hundred years. So where do you folks that think we shouldnt rebuild here suggest we start again? How about on the top of Mount Arrarat near Noah's ark's final resting place? High enough for you and the insurance companies?
Those of you who insist on defending the insurance companies need to pray you'll never need them. Those weasels will find some sort of legal mumbo jumbo clause to get out of paying for anything. I invite anyone who cant imagine how widespread the damage is to visit us,and I thank all of you who have donated time, money and material to the people here. We can never repay you for your kindness,but we'll always remember you.
RC, Gulfport, MS (Sent Oct 27, 2005 3:00:40 PM)
I am astonished by the response of American people to this disaster. We can not choose where people call home. New Orleans is home to some great things, that unless you have been there you will never understand. It should be rebuilt because so much would be lost if it was not. I am from New Orleans and all of my family live there and the surrounding areas. I am pleased to say that is my home and pleased to see how the people there have pulled together and not bowed down to the lies of the media and what the U.S. wants to be happening there. We only see the bad. Everyone needs to keep in mind how you would feel if it was your house and your history. You would want it built. Yes, this was a lack of planning or understanding of how bad it could possibly get that does not mean the citizens of New Orleans should not get there homes back. This would be the same thing as saying 'you know California has wildfires and earthquakes all the time so we will not help you if it gets to bad.' Or don't put the fires out or let people live there because of the horrible devistation California reports dozens of times a year. Keep in mind this is part of the U.S. extend yourselves to it like you would want to be helped.
Renee Watts, Reading , PA (Sent Oct 27, 2005 4:35:36 PM)
I live in Escatawpa, Mississippi, which is a small town just north of Moss Point, which is north of Pascagoula, Mississippi. You won't hear anything about us on the news, except that Senator Trent Lott had a house in Pascagoula. His home is now gone, as are all the other beautiful homes located on and near Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula. Our small communities have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Our church, Escatawpa Assembly of God, is just one of the churches impacted by the storm. (Pictures are on our website: www.escatawpaassemblyofgod.com) We had just finished restoring everything from Hurricane Ivan and it's wind damage and now we get Hurricane Katrina and the WATER. We would like to send heartfelt thanks to all the people who have come down to help us rebuild. To all the teams from Washington state, Oregon, Alabama, and all the other places that I don’t even know about, the donations from the many churches all across the country and to the churches that have adopted us to help meet our monthly operating expenses, we would like to say THANK YOU! Your love and support are the greatest gifts we could ever expect to receive. To the “Bread Man” in Washington (I believe that’s where Pastor Jimmy Smith said you were from), Thanks! Thanks for your support of our Pastor and his family! We love him very much, and welcome you into our family because of your love for him. To all the other Pastors whose names I don’t have, THANKS! Thanks for allowing your people to come down, thanks for organizing help, but mostly thanks for the prayers and the support. Thanks again to all the churches! We love you!
D McInnis, Escatawpa, MS (Sent Oct 27, 2005 5:32:08 PM)
IT AMAZES ME THAT EVERY TIME SOMEONE THAT LIVES ON THE SHORE OR IN THE WOODS WHERE FIRES ARE ALWAYS STARTING THAT THE REST OF US IN THE COUNTRY HAVE TO GIVE THEM MONEY, IF YOU OR I KNOW THAT CERTAIN AREAS ARE KNOWN FOR HURRICANES , TORNADOES , FOREST FIRES WHY WOULD YOU CHOICE TO LIVE THERE AND THEN EXPECT THE REST OF US TO HAVE TO REBUILD YOUR HOMES , ESPECIALLY IN NEW JERSEY WHERE THEIR ARE MILLION DOLLAR HOMES WHERE THE BEACHES ARE DESTROYED ALONG WITH THE HOMES AND OVER AND OVER THEY APPLY FOR GRANTS TO REBUILD THEIR MILLION DOLLAR HOMES.THE ONLY ONES THAT SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD HAVE TO PAY ARE THE INSURANCE COMPANIES, THAT ALWAYS FIND REASONS FOR NOT HAVEN TO PAY THEIR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY SHOULD.THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO MAKE THE RULES AS THEY CHOOSE TO DO SO.I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT IT WAS WATER DAMAGE THAT CAUSED ALL THE DESTRUCTION OR THAT THEIR IS NO WAY FOR THEM TO TELL IF IT WAS WIND THAT CAUSED IT OR WATER. GIVE ME A BREAK WITH ALL THE MONEY THEY MAKE ON ALL OF US , ITS TIME FOR THEM TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
RON , EAST STROUDSBURG, PA (Sent Oct 27, 2005 6:44:14 PM)
I stumbled upon this site two days ago and immediately became intrigued by the attitudes of those who have no idea of the amount of suffering is taking place on the Gulf Coast. My husband's family lives there and had the intelligence and resources to lee the storm. Upon returning, some of them suffered minor damages, while others went home to a house that survived the wind but was engulfed in black mold. They are the fortunate ones. They had family to stay with and jobs to return to. Everyday they encounter problems with things that we take for granted...For example, my brother-in-law was called to return to work and then realized that he had no work clothes, because they were not part of the things he took in the evacuation. He could not buy them, there were no places to shop. He had a rely on the generosity of friends and family from other places to send him clothes so he could return to work. This is a small problem compared to that of thousands whose lives have been devastated. It is a shame that they should also have to suffer the criticism of self-righteous fellow Americans. It is easy to be judgemental. It is more difficult to be empathetic. Every region deals with natural disasters of varying proportions. I pray that if these critics are ever faced with a disaster of their own that people will be more compassionate than they have been to the people of the Gulf Coast area. As a daughter of Mississippi, my heart and prayers go out to my fellow Southerners at this time of crisis.
Donna, Cleveland, Ohio (Sent Oct 28, 2005 9:23:24 AM)
my heart goes out to the people on the coast. the insurance companys should be addrest by the state.if they say FLOOD set that pile of rubble on fire and tell them it burned...shame on insurance!
andy,ms (Sent Oct 28, 2005 9:42:44 AM)
We spent four weeks in the ravaged areas of Gautier and Waveland Mississippi rescuing animals. Our team came from central Florida. We took our money and our time to help the victims of Katrina. The folks who survived and stay on to rebuild will need help for years to come. I do not condemn someone for living close to the shore. I do believe that fed money should not be spent a second time to rebuild an area. The first time, we should help. The second time is on your own. God Bless those critters still looking for their homes too.
Ronnie Graves Bushnell, Fl (Sent Oct 28, 2005 3:00:26 PM)
I have worked in project management for disaster restoration for almost 25 years. I was eager to provide my skill in the recovery effort for the Katrina catastrophe. After less than 2 weeks in the area, I contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria), was hospitalized and have undergone 8 surgeries. After 5 weeks, I still have not received Worker's Comp. benefits.Insurance is questioning how I contracted this infection. Am I the only one who read and heard that New Orleans was, for a time, the most polluted city on earth?
John McCue, Bethlehem, PA (Sent Oct 28, 2005 8:13:10 PM)
I'm amazed at some of the cold-hearted, mean comments I've read here. Some of you may as well say that we got what we deserved here on the Gulf Coast. I've watched my home of 40 years get turned into a debris field practically overnight. I've seen houses that have NEVER flooded in 100 years get 7 feet of water in them. I've watched people's lives and livelyhood get blown away in one day.
Amazing the people here saying the aid we're receiving is a waste of money. Seems like mostly a bunch of anti-Southern, Yankee bigots to me.
I'd like to see how well "ya'll" would handle living through such a horrible natural disaster and see your community in ruins. You weak city boys and girls would be on your knees.
We need a little help... and we're not used to asking for it. We work hard and tend to ourselves. We're doing it now. If you stuck-up Yankees don't want to help us po', stupid rednecks, then you just keep eating that nasty, tasteless shrimp from Asia and we'll keep the good stuff down here for ourselves.
T. Parker, Gulfport, MS (Sent Oct 28, 2005 9:03:43 PM)
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