(Editor's note: This post is from an e-mail Maria Russell sent to her friends and family on Sept. 6. The photos were taken by Maria and her husband, Dave.)
Rumor was that post office was going to be bringing in trailers and try to restore business, so we were asked to move. So today we moved across the street to a church parking lot. But we liked the post office parking lot better; the old oak trees provided the nicest shade and relief from the heat of the day.
Over in our new digs we were able to disconnect our camper from the truck, and now that we had the mobility, we made our way to our neighborhood. Although we already knew that our house no longer existed, it is still a shock to see NOTHING THERE.
before Katrina (view from the street)
after Katrina
Well, the concrete pilings remained, but not much else. And a smelly, yucky muck covered the streets, the lawns, everything. We were surprised to see little damage done to our dock; the pilings and the bulkhead were intact and I think we were missing only 3 or 4 boards. All of the houses at the first half of the street were totally gone; the rest of the houses were severely damaged and absolutely not livable. The lot at the end of the street that we bought earlier this year had someone else's house on it; whose we don't know. The two palm trees whose seeds were blessed by the pope in 1983 were still standing though, seemingly very healthy.
Search and rescue teams went from one demolished house to the next, spray painting symbols on the outside indicating that they had been there to inspect, and whether or not they had come upon any survivors. It’s a very eerie scene to take in, especially on a hot day when a certain smell permeates the air. All of them were from somewhere else, like North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Georgia, and we thanked them for coming to help out. God knows Mississippi needs it.
Our neighborhood was a wreck. What used to be a street with houses on both sides was completely wiped out.
This has not been bull-dozed, this is from the storm surge. We heard that sustained winds of 150 miles per hour pummeled Bay St. Louis for at least 10 hours. The storm surge exceeded 30 feet.
Then came the task of locating our trawler and Kate's sailboat. Our friends, Mike and Diana, who also had a home in our neighborhood, had already been down here and told us where to find them, but getting there through the muck was a challenge. One of the search and rescue members asked if he could give us a lift.
We found Miss Kate first; she was sitting high and dry on a lot about 4 canals over. She did not appear to have sustained a lot of damage (at least her windows weren't broken out and her hull seemed to be in one piece), but until the surveyors look her over, who knows?
The first time I really felt Hope
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We want to help but are unsure how to practically put
out 4x4 truck, trailer full of tools for construction and our skills to use... My husband is a contractor here in Oregon and we have a heart to serve our Lord by doing what ever we could. We have been involved in collecting items and taking them to Medford for folks relocating there from your area but would volunteer time to help rebuild if supplies could be purchased and we could connect with someone there for direction. You're not forgotten there and we do think of you and pray for all there so do not lose hope. Blessings,and please let us know practical ways to connect.
K.S. Waller (Sent Feb 10, 2006 1:40:33 PM)
KS---Hope you read this as it is months after your posting. If you have not come here but are still willing to come and help, please e-mail me at kkmc@mchsi.com. What do you need to come? Are you offering your services for a reduced fee, free or for hire?
Bay St. Louis FEMA trailer occupant. (Sent Jul 26, 2006 11:41:50 PM)
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