WAVELAND, Miss. – Space No. 154 is near the end of the dusty campground road out in Buccaneer State Park, but inside the 30-foot Keystone trailer that sits there a new beginning is under way for Shane and Ivy Jordan.
Surrounded by ice chests, kids’ bikes and lawn chairs, the travel trailer is now home for Katrina survivors Shane, 26, Ivy, 24, up to five kids at times and a finger-nipping Jack Russell terrier named Ellie.
Welcome to FEMA-ville by the beach, one of many such encampments that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has set up across the region ravaged by the Aug. 29 hurricane. In Hancock County, 3,456 trailers were occupied as of Monday, according to the county’s Emergency Operations Center.
With maybe 300 square feet, the trailer is a far cry from the two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,000-square-foot Bay St. Louis apartment the Jordans called home until Katrina tore half the roof off and sent water four feet up the walls of the second-story residence.
But the lack of space and privacy are really the only negative issues the couple will mention, well aware that other families are still waiting for trailers and grateful that Shane’s job as a rookie Bay St. Louis police officer jumped them to the head of the line.
This 30-foot travel trailer is home to Shane Jordan, his wife, Ivy, five kids and a dog. Click "Play" below the image to hear Shane and Ivy talk about their new lifestyle. (Jim Seida / MSNBC.com)
Shane and Ivy weren’t high school sweethearts. Had they been, they likely would have been voted “cutest couple.” Thin, tall and pretty, blue-eyed Ivy’s dark hair falls to the middle of her back. Clean-cut, compact and quiet, Shane looks every bit the U.S. Army Ranger that he was until June, serving in Iraq in the 509th Airborne, 1st Battalion, until June.
When it comes to the trailer, “the biggest difficulty is just storage,” Shane says.
Sleeping by day
Well, says Ivy, that and when “he tries to sleep during the day because he works at night …” Shane finishes her sentence: “The whole trailer rocks if anybody moves.”
But “the kids love it,” Ivy says. The couple have their own two sons, 6-month-old Taylor and 5-year-old Ryan, and they take care of their nephew Joel, 11. In addition, Shane’s kids from a previous marriage, Terrell, 6, and Katelyn, 8, are frequent members of the household.
“I don’t mind it,” Shane says. After all, “I just got back from Iraq.” Adds Ivy: “I don’t mind it either, as long as we can find somewhere to put our stuff.”
A lot of the overflow is sitting outside for now, some of it on a deck that Shane just finished building with salvaged fencing and pallets. “This will keep us out of the dirt.”
Inside, an eight-foot-square bedroom at the front of the trailer houses a queen-sized bed. The main living area, which features a pop-out section is probably 12 feet square and contains a couch, dinette and small but complete kitchen. A tiny hall leads to the bathroom with its mini shower and sink. A third 6-by-8-foot room in the back houses four bunks for the kids.
“I don’t cook very often in there because it’s so small you turn the stove on and it heats the place right up,” Ivy says. “So we use the microwave a lot and my husband cooks on the grill a lot. We eat a lot of Pop Tarts, cereal and sandwiches.”
Trailer is theirs for 18 months
The trailer is not much, but it’s theirs, at least for the next 18 months -- if they need it that long. It’s a good base from which to plot the future.
For Ivy, that’s a return to college to finish work on the associate degree in business that was interrupted with just five weeks to go by Katrina. For Shane, it’s settling into the rhythm of 12-hour shifts on the police force.
For the family, it’s a chance “instead of renting to buy, which we were trying to do anyway,” Shane says, maybe even build their own place. “Hopefully, some good will come out of it.”
Their financial situation is actually improving because there’s no rent to pay on the trailer, no utility bills, “all that stuff that was hard to handle because he’s a police officer just starting out, making $9 an hour,” Ivy says.
And “we’re young,” she says as Shane’s favorite country singer, Brad Paisley, launches into a tune in the background. “It’s easy for us to start over. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Bright spots in disaster zone
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My husband and I took a 33 ft trailer down to Bay St Louis for his sister and husband. Due to the fact that FEMA was giving them the run around while they sat in a shelter for 5 weeks. I dont think very many residents will be rebuilding, due to the fact that it is now required for Bay St Louis residents, to rebuild their new homes on 13 FOOT stilts! Most of the old homes were on 5 foot stilts. Also, my sister in law went to get a permit to build an out building for a washer and dryer. They were fused a permit, due to the fact that you need a home first, in order to build an out building. So there washer and dryer sit outside, uncovered, next to the trailer. More red tape... My cousin, who lost his home in Pass Christian, was living in a tent on his land for 5 weeks. He finally got a trailer from FEMA. But FEMA wouldnt put the trailer on his land, due to the fact that he didnt have water or electric yet. So my cousin requested they take it cross county line to Bay St Louis, close to his mothers trailer. They refused, saying that he would have to go to THAT county, and get on THEIR Trailer list, and start over again. My cousin has a wife and 2 children. Finally after 8 weeks, they got a FEMA trailer for 18 months..So I guess they need to have their new home on the 13 foot stilts built within 18 months? What a bunch of red tape!!! On our journey down there, we saw miles and miles of empty trailers in a field, 2 hours north of Bay St Louis!!!! I am ashamed of whoever is in charge of this absurdity!!!
What sticks in my mind the most, was seeing a refrigerator 20 feet up in a tree..and the smell was still bad after 5 weeks..The flies were real bad, swarming into the trailer every time you opened the door..Until you walk those streets, and see the total devastion..you cannot imagine...It has changed my life forever...It makes you stop and think, how quickly all your material things could be gone in an instant...how little they really mean to you...think about it...and hug your family..
Liz (Sent Oct 29, 2005 2:46:17 PM)
Anyone who has been lucky enough to get their FEMA trailer should be thanking their lucky stars as this couple are as there are thousands of us who still have not received our trailers, yet hundreds of occupant ready trailers have been sitting empty for days due to FEMA bureaucracies.
Susan, Biloxi, MS (Sent Oct 29, 2005 3:06:46 PM)
Hang in there Shane and Ivy. Teach your kids what it takes to be strong and to survive when things go wrong. And teach them to be generous and sensitive and helpful, unlike Patty who sounds very cold and selfish!! Shame on her.
Carol Hansen Blaine, Minnesota (Sent Oct 29, 2005 5:01:25 PM)
Keep up your strength and if there is anything I can do ask your mother from nsw the hamburger queen and I will do my best. All the best Cor
Corry B Melbourne Ausralia (Sent Oct 29, 2005 8:57:32 PM)
Patty, its people like you who are the reason this world will never get better! Ivy and Shane are BOTH very hard working people. They pay their taxes and help make life better on a global scale as well as a local one. Who are YOU to ask if they were on welfare or worry about who is now paying for the FEMA trailer? Try getting off your own butt and making life better for people other then just yourself!!! Love to ya Ivy and Shane, your step sis!!
Kristy Byrne, Sydney Australia (Sent Oct 29, 2005 9:02:01 PM)
To Patty; Did you have a bad day at work? I am GLAD to know that a FRACTION of the taxes I pay are going to help the victims of this hurricane. This is like giving them boots so THEY CAN "pull themselves up by the boot straps". Reality Check! My bedroom/closet/bath is larger than that trailer. Get a grip, not a gripe. Shane - THANK YOU for serving this country, both in the military and now in law inforcemente. (Too bad you can't arrest someone for being mean-spirited. HA!) Ivy - Back to school? Good for you! I agree with Carol - love your kids & teach them to be generous & kind to those less fortunate. Blessings, Bill
Bill Pedler, Tacoma, Washington (Sent Oct 31, 2005 1:30:19 PM)
my question is what happpen to the billions of dollars that red cross got for hurrican katrina aid. what are they doing with the money?
lynne lewis, vero beach, fl. (Sent Nov 1, 2005 8:38:41 AM)
Lynne, you have asked a very good question. We got hit here in Southeast Texas by Hurricane Rita. We were told to go to the Red Cross and sign up and they would help us. We are in a very small community. There were about 200 people when we got there, we put our name on the list (we were #251) They stopped taking names at #300. So we just got in under the wire, we thought. After sitting in the baking hot sun for nearly 2 hours (some had been there for 4 hours) the Red Cross closed all of it's doors for a "meeting". We were told that they had found extra help for all of us and were discussing how to get it to us. Well that was great news we thought! After a hour in the "meeting" a young man came out and announced that the Red Cross was shutting down for the day and that we should come back at 8 A.M. the next day. They would have computers there and other people that would give us the help we needed. Then he announced that if anyone there needed food or cleaning supplies to stay and they would see that we would get it. We stayed because we could really have used the supplies. We waited for 30 minutes and NO ONE came back out to help us. Soon all of us left. Over 300 people showed up the next day (some came as early as 4 A.M.) Red Cross NEVER SHOWED UP!!!! They lied to us the whole time! I am thankful that this young couple in the story was one of the lucky ones that got a FEMA trailer..........they deserved it 100%, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others out here who have been forgotten.......by, FEMA, Red Cross and most of the nation! Our young cousin could not live in her home. She her 3 very young children and her husband moved in with her mother and dad. FEMA and Red Cross both turned her down for ANY assistance! They didnt get ONE DIME of help from any services! I think that is a shame! Especially when I just read that the CEO of Red Cross makes almost $450,000.00 a year!!! I wonder if she gives anything to the Red Cross? Just a question!
Brenda Newton County Texas (Sent Nov 1, 2005 11:53:58 PM)
Hang in there Shane and Ivy, I have seen first hand what these Hurricanes can do to peoples lives. I know good will come out of this for you both. I am glad to hear that out of this you are truely trying to better yourselves and your family, unlike those that still have their hands out and do nothing to better themselves. Keep the kids happy and smile at one another and all good will come your way.
Glenn Dippel Gainesville Fl. (Sent Nov 2, 2005 4:04:28 AM)
My best friend and her family live in a FEMA trailer in Waveland. I went dowm and stayed with them a week ago. It is small and the issue of space is a big one, but it is alot better than the tent they lived in for the first six weeks. Seeing it for myself makes me thank my lucky stars for what I have. My thoughts and prayers go out to EVERYONE in Waveland and I hope people will not forget that they still need all of the help we can send.
Leslie m (Sent Nov 3, 2005 2:47:01 PM)
please be compassionate toward our fellow
Americans affected by the hurricanes. We all need each other. I can't imagine losing my home,car,job and in some cases family members all in one fell swoop. There are miles of emptiness where homes once stood. Concrete slabs and sticks that are all thats left of beautiful trees. It was our luck to be coupled with a woman named Judy who lost everything,and a wonderful caring man who discovered just how much help she would need. Mike donates his time putting tarps on roofs of homes that survived enough to be protected. Judy had no roof,no home left. Just a concrete slab. She was absolutely thrilled to accept an old Travco motor home named Twinkie and we were happy to give it. When we asked her on the phone what she had, she said ,well I was sleeping on the ground,then I got a cot , thats it. A bath was a bucket of water over the head from the water truck. You had to walk to the area with the truck. No bathroom facilities,no running water,no electricity,no toothbrush,soap,towels,no place to do laundry if lucky enough to have clothes. Out in the elements with heat,bugs,the smell,rain. It's like Mike said when he asked for assisstance to tow the motor home from Florida to Mississippi and was quoted a price of $5,000.00,"some people get it and some don't" Mike drove it up to Mississippi and personally delivered it to Judy as well as staying to hook everything up, along with a friend who followed him up so he had a ride back to Florida. If any of you have a camper sitting in the yard, you may want to think of donating it to someone in need. I haven't spoken with Mike in almost two weeks , but you can be sure he is tuned in to the needs of others asking nothing in return. We all pay taxes, and there is nothing that would make these people happier than to be working and have a normal home again. They are doing their part,we must do ours.
Theresa Loder Sarasota,Florida (Sent Nov 5, 2005 9:15:11 PM)
WE had put our Aunt on a list that was lost. Someone called us and told us where she was at. Deborah Drinkard and Pam Murphy left on a Suday afternoon about 3:00. When we got there it was dark. Distruction all over the place. WE ask a few people and they told us where to go. WE found our 86 year old Aunt laying on concret on some curtains and other stuff at and old school. She was about died. WE got her and her son and take them to Montgomery, Al to the hospital to ckeck them out.They are staying in Montomery in a mobile home doing great. She lost here home she was about a 1/2 block from the beach in Waveland. Orlene Evans says thanks for all the prayers
Deborah Drinkard Troy, AL. 36081 (Sent Nov 11, 2005 7:53:23 AM)
Shane and Ivy I applaude you for your triumph. I was a resident of Bayside Park, and left due to Katrina. I am pregnant with twins and have a 4yr.old and an 18 mo. old. I will not return due to my conditions, but my heart and prayers go to you and everyone there who stayed. I have been blessed with all of my needs for myself and my family here in Texas. I still have family and friends I wish I could know that were ok, but God will reunite us again. God Bless you, and may he give you strength in these trying times.
Tonya Hopkins, former BSL resident (Sent Nov 12, 2005 12:48:18 AM)
Shane & Ivy.. Hey sweeties. I am SO proud of you both. You just got back from Iraq and you are now having to struggle at home. That is alot to bear. Again, I am very proud.. I love ya'll and will be praying for you.
Denise Denson (Sent Nov 13, 2005 5:54:20 PM)
I am shanes little brother we are only 1 year apart but big brother if i become half the man you are i am a man i love you and was always proud of you....ivy keep in line
Travis jordan ponchatoula,la (Sent Nov 14, 2005 2:31:11 PM)
This story doesn't reflect half the man Shane is, nor does it reflect Ivy's determination and will. I am extremely proud to be Shane's little bro, and have always been elated to have a new sister-in-law. Shame we don't get to spend as much time as we could! But keep on keeping on.
Patrick Jordan, Ponchatoula Louisiana (Sent Dec 15, 2005 4:39:17 PM)
Shane and Ivy, I am truely touched by your story, Growing up in a Cop family has not been easy for me. I really understand the cramped quarters Being a dispatcher myself. It seems that you have the grit,determination,and the faith to pick up the pieces and push forward. I wish you both all the best, Most importantly stay safe and watch your 6 on the streets.
Michael Haxby, Indianapolis, In (Sent Dec 22, 2005 7:58:17 PM)
I lived in one of them darn FEMA trailers for two years a couple years back after a hurricane blasted through Florida and wiped my home (and dog) off the planet. For the first few weeks it was cool -- kinda like camping but after about two months I was ready to pull my hair out (and my wife's hair). The darn thing moved like a boat in water everytime either me or my wife moved --- of course my wife at 300 lbs could move a barge. After two years we finally got out and got an apartment. All things conisdered, I was grateful to have the FEMA tralier.
Brian Stenberg, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Sent Dec 22, 2005 7:59:26 PM)
Why must you say "Shane Jordan, his wife Ivy"? Is that all she is-- his wife? Why not "Ivy Jordan, her husband Shane"? I am sick to death of reporters who think women "belong to" or must somehow relate to a man, or that all centers around the man. Get with the times!
Christine Banz (Sent Dec 23, 2005 7:44:16 AM)
I've got a friend, Bob N., who works for FEMA, and he HATES the red tape. FEMA, etc. needs more folks like him. FEMA makes a difference - eventually, for some folks. So does the Red Cross - eventually, and the Salvation Army, and Catholic Charities and Church World Service and other groups. But the REAL differences are made by ordinary folks, like Ivy and Shane, and everyone who's reached out to them and their neighbors, and who've written here. I live in Oklahoma, a state that knows about needing help to recover from nature's wrath. This year its the Gulf Coast. Next year, God forbid, it might be us. With folks like Shane and Ivy out there, I think we'll all be okay in the long run. Let's keep hanging together, people.
AnDrea Skye, Cushing, OK (Sent Dec 23, 2005 2:16:07 PM)
you will make it thru and thank god for fema. even with all the problems and red tape it is a godsend to many people.my boyfriend works at a call center and tells me about the courage of so many people that lost everything. Hope Harmon, Richland, wa
Hope Harmon, Richland, wash (Sent Dec 26, 2005 11:14:11 AM)
There are so many mixed messages about the FEMA ordeal. For the ones who have been blessed with the living quarters that include such luxuries as running water, a stove, MICROWAVE, toiletries and a safe place for you and your family to lay your heads at night- be as grateful as this family is. There are many- for whatever the reason may be- that do not have that. Support each other in times of need and spread warmth and light to your neighbors for you are all in it for the same reason- not by choice or creed or luck or money or sex or religion or power or position. For once in your lives you stand together as the same. My deepest blessings and prayers to you all.
a.l. law (Sent Dec 30, 2005 8:52:46 PM)
Patty,obviously you do not understand - not only has Shane protected our country,which I thank him for,he is hard at work now protecting his community,paying taxes and deserves all the help he and his family can get.I too have worked all my life, payed my taxes and have lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. I am now living in a wonderful FEMA trailer with my daughter and thank God everyday for it. We have learned a valuable lesson - its not what you have that makes a house a home.I pray Patty would never have to learn the hard way but if she does I would only hope that the taxes I have paid would go towards helping her or other disaster victims. Shane & Ivy - take care, my neighbors.We have come a long way since August 29. Thanks for everyones thoughts & prayers.
Leigh Mississippi Gulf Coast (Sent Jan 3, 2006 10:47:38 PM)
I have no complaint that folks need help, but let's get srious. The storm was months ago, and folks are in subsidized housing all over the US.
When did we as a poeple become dependant on the feds to provide for us? When did we yeild our independance?
Personally I am shocked that after this time it seems reasonable to anyone that FEMA is providing housing assitance to anyone. Knowing that they are providing "FREE" housing with utilities for 18 months or longer leaves me totally flabbergasted.
As far as living on $9/hour...well isn't that what was taking place pre-Katrina? When will we as a poeple realize that we can't afford to "give" things to everyone to make all the "poor" poeple middle class?
This is just more government waste of tax dollars. I hope FEMA is disbanded.
Lee Johnston, Little Rock Ark (Sent Jan 29, 2006 7:42:27 PM)
Excuse me Lee, not all the ones in housing are poor, you dont seem to understand, there is no housing left,it was wiped outtttttttttt. Before you make judgements like this, you should go to Mississippi and the neighbouring states that were affected by the hurricanes and see for yourself. And asking the government to help with when the majority of the people affected by this are TAX PAYERS is only fair, afterall, its their tax dollars at work too. And by the way the couple here are my daughter and soninlaw, and yes his wages were such before the storm, hes not complaining, they are both working hard to better themselves, and I am from Mississippi, and I can make these statements, because Ive been there and done that.
Evalyn (Sent Feb 9, 2006 3:03:24 PM)
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