BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. – It is a fitting season to ponder the comeback of Hancock County and the rest of the Gulf Coast, eight months after the late-summer nightmare of Katrina.
As nature’s rebirth summons new leaves, fresh grass, black gnats and Purple Martins, human enterprise sprouts from the hurricane-ravaged neighborhoods and commercial districts of Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead and other areas.
The difference those months have made is most visible along Highways 603 and 90, which now feature a host of eateries, banks, auto and boat dealers and building suppliers. The debris that filled and flanked parking lots in January has given way to the cars and trucks of eager diners and shoppers.
Hard-hatted workers swarm over some of the larger projects, like the new Lowe’s Building Center on 603 and the fast-rising Silver Slipper Casino at Bayou Caddy.
In some places, if you squint a bit, it is hard to see many signs of the deadly fury that struck here Aug. 29. But squint like a local and you will note the lack of grocery stores and gas stations. And you won’t have to squint at all to see that next to no physical progress has been made on replacing the Highway 90 bridge across the bay, a lifeline that would save shoppers and commuters 40 or 50 miles on a round trip to Harrison County.
In the hard-hit residential districts, debris removal has made a night-and-day difference since January. But the bare slabs and omnipresent FEMA trailers still loudly telegraph the magnitude of the disaster and will for years. Although Hancock County officials are poised for a residential building boom in unincorporated areas, construction has begun on fewer than 75 homes in Bay St. Louis and Waveland.
The water's fine; don't come in
The beaches are looking better and the water quality is fine for swimming -- and for catching the speckled trout that are this area’s special seafood delicacy. But plenty of nasty debris still lurks beneath the surface and county officials strongly urge bathers to stay out of the inviting gulf waters.
It is a fair bit of time, eight months. A full autumn, an entire winter, a good chunk of spring. Two-thirds of a year. Already hundreds more days and thousands more hours than the short time it took Katrina to blow and wash away so many homes and trees and cars and, worst of all, so many lives.
The cliché about the healing power of time is oft-repeated here, even by therapists who work with the walking wounded. But you wonder: How much time, how much healing?
Optimism is still to be found. And thankfulness for the volunteers who continue to pour in and swing hammers and wield paint brushes is expressed frequently. But the ubiquitous gratitude to be alive, the exhilaration of plotting the future that carried these towns through the first post-Katrina days and weeks and into the new year have given way to uncertainty over the pace of progress and fears about the next hurricane season, just a month away.
Over and over, townspeople ask outsiders who have been back and forth from the hurricane zone if change can be seen. Over and over, they talk about how warm the gulf waters already are, the forecast for nearly twice the average number of tropical storms to threaten the United States this year and the 81 percent odds that at least one of those will make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane or better.
Ill will puts in an appearance
Old rivalries have resurfaced and new ones have sprung up. Suspicion, jealousy and envy have found more prominent places in the conversations over drinks and dinner. “Knuckleheads!” mutters a well-respected member of one board of elected officials about another board. “Go figure!” says one public servant about how his counterpart in another town does business.
Still, the reservoir of rebuilding spirit runs deep. From the likes of Rep. Gene Taylor, the handsome, mop-haired Bay St. Louis congressman who is universally praised for his leadership and constituent services after losing his own home, to Dan McManus, a banty rooster of an ex-Marine who was among the first to start rebuilding below the tracks in Waveland, they are all in this together.
The cut has closed and the stitches have faded, but a delicate scab rides the surface of this community’s wound, scant protection for the deep pain that still lies inside. And you wonder if, in the months and weeks that lie ahead, the overwhelming changes wrought by Katrina and the hurricane seasons yet to come will let that scab fall gently away or pick at it until it bleeds anew.
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Dan,love. Coastal Mississippi is a beautiful place, in part because of it's people. The sun sparkles off the water and the weather is usually very pleasant, even in summer, because of the steady breeze and the plentiful rainfall that keeps things lush and green. It used to be known as the Emerald Coast and does have wonderful marshes and could be a great nature reserve. You are absolutely right. Visit Bucaneer State Park. I have friends who helped build the bridges and trails that take you through that environmentally diverse area. Who knows, 100 years from now, maybe your wishes will have come true. But your post felt like a pretty big slap in the face to the survivors who read it. I didn't reply because I was shocked and didn't know what to say. Have you been to the Bay? There is no way you could ever have said such a thing, if you knew these kind and resilient people. They will learn from this and are. But your comments probably felt like a kick in the gut. Is that really what you intended?
Laurie, CO (Sent May 8, 2006 4:53:52 PM)
To Gary, Weatherford OK
I see how this can seem like a "disaster competition." Much of this is just venting, a lot of it is simply frustration - frustration at insurance companies who will not pay what they are legitimately supposed to pay, frustration with the lack of contractors, lack of building supplies, lack of coordinated efforts at rebuilding. Frustrating, too, are the comments from various parts of the country telling us we should move, just up and move, leaving behind loved ones, jobs, communities. The high handedness of many of the comments here - how we are taking the very dollars out of their pockets just to rebuild mansions, etc. - are just beyond the pale.
I thought we were one country. But it seems we're not.
So if our retorts seem filled with bile and bitterness, remember that what you drove through we are living in, and cut us some slack. People here are good, hardworking people, just stretched very very thin.
R., BSL (Sent May 8, 2006 6:15:43 PM)
terry walker this not church...it's a blog...about the Mississippi gulf coast....besides don't say thank you to end a prayer...it should be AMEN
andy,ms (Sent May 8, 2006 9:52:56 PM)
I know that it must be difficult for the rest of the nation to continually haer about our plight, believe me, most of us wish we could walk away from the devestation to our lives. However, we are a stong community...all of us. New orleans, the Parishes, all the way to the alabama line. Respect for us is what we want, not hand outs. We talk about this disaster because it effects us daily. We don't want sympathy, but love and kindness is welcome. Thank you all for your kind words, they heal our souls and spirits. We could spend lifetimes trying to thank the volunteers and people who have made donations to us. Without them we would be nothing.Please remember us as the strong, capable, hardworking people that we are. Thank you all for caring...(that means you too Andy!)
Liz Zimmerman (Sent May 9, 2006 3:26:55 PM)
I continue to be amazed at the lack of understanding that some people have regarding the scope of destruction that Katrina wrought. In 2004, three storms hit Florida and damaged 27,000 homes. In 2005, one storm hit the Gulf Coast and caused levee breaches in New Orleans, leaving over 400,000 homes either non-existent or uninhabitable. 400,000!!! got it now? Someone I know made a comment to me as he seemed to wonder why the rebuilding in Katrinaville, as I call it, is taking so long. He said, "when...was hit by tornadoes, one builder showed up in the town and said he'd get it rebuilt in a couple of months! And he did it!" The town had lost a few houses and maybe a dozen or so buildings in town had damaged siding or roofs. I'd like to see the same builder take on 400,000 homes and make the same commitment. So for those of you who have suffered the loss of your home along with maybe a dozen or so more from tornadoes or fires, but still have your town, schools, businesses, movie theatre, etc, I am sorry for you. But you lack a critical ingredient of the Katrina experience: everyone and everything for hundreds of miles, 97,000 square miles, was either destroyed or left uninhabitable. And the citizens of these areas continue to thrive. In spite of their losses and suffering they work on the docks, in the oil fields, and at the refineries to bring precious goods to rest of us. They process sugar, coffee and salt.They fish and roll for oysters and crabs. But they do not live like the rest of us anymore. Whether on the Ms Gulf Coast or in New Orleans, normalcy is a third world life-style, even for those of high economic status. The only way to get away from the horror is to travel. The devastation blasts one in the face from every direction. It takes a tremendously strong person to look it in the eye and forge ahead with daily routines and the daily grind that comes with rebuiding.Thank goodness there are so many more understanding and empathic citizens in this country who continue to make a wonderful and appreciated difference in the Gulf Coast regions.
carol Wahler, Falls Church, VA (Sent May 12, 2006 6:05:16 PM)
Here's what's telling....
For the topics in this "About the Towns" tab on this
website - all have multiple comments from those in
far flung regions opining on how we should just not
rebuild, I mean the Gulf's ugly anyway, I hope you guys
get hit again this year, maybe that'll learn ya, etc.etc.
All except one topic, which has only one comment.
The name of this topic? "How you can help."
Positively revelatory.
J. Bay Saint Louis (Sent May 12, 2006 8:27:49 PM)
shoot Liz, "i'm tangled up in blue"
andy,booneville ms. (Sent May 12, 2006 8:55:22 PM)
To Dan and all others who think they can write RUDE posts:
Well, Dan, you are not acting very Southern. I know your family raised you to be a better person than that. Please realize that the people in Waveland/BSL are intelligent, honest men and women who just want to live their lives and rebuild their community. There is NO NEED to make rude and condescending statements toward us. We are hard-working Americans, and we deserve better than that from fellow Americans.
We truly appreciate all the generous help that has poured in from across the nation. One day we will be there to help those who helped us. Hopefully, though, they will not have to go through such a disaster.
Irene R. Mason, Waveland, MS (Kings Point, NY) (Sent May 14, 2006 11:41:32 PM)
Irene? have ya ever been to Brownsville?....Dan may be a whole lot more southern than ya think{Mexico that is}....if ya don't speak Spanish....stay away from Brownsville!...garontee Dan can habla
andy,ms (Sent May 16, 2006 8:44:35 AM)
Irene R. Mason, I like your attitude!.....the RUDE posts...they don't count...ignore those igornate poeple....they are not Mississippians!....{and i thought Texicans were our friends}....but they looked at me funny when i bought a PBR and a couple of pickled eggs....dangitt...can't help where i'm from....but i'm dammed proud of it!...ub2
andy,ms (Sent May 16, 2006 7:52:59 PM)
First of all I would like to thank everyone from around the country for their time,effort and generosity on helping us along the ms gulf coast in the rebuilding process..May God bless each and everone of you..I am also very proud to be a Missippian..We will persevere..
Pat Bryan, Pascagoula,MS (Sent May 18, 2006 12:29:38 PM)
I have just taken a tour of the bay St.Louis and Waveland area. The pictures you see on TV do not even begin to convey the scope of this disaster. The human suffering is immense. I am currently working on a Habitat for Humanity project in Jackson MS. We went to Bay St. Louis to look at some planned Habitat homes in Waveland. My wife and I met a woman who showed us around and gave us some of the history of the area. Her attitude was so positive and uplifting. She herself is living in a trailer while trying to rebuild her home. She is having problems finding qualified people to work on her project. All the while she is trying to sort out her own life she is also trying to help others by working for Habitat for Humanity. She makes me very proud to be an American. I will never forget what I saw today. These people and many others in all the affected states need our help.
Mark Brasile, Ortonville, MI. (Sent May 18, 2006 11:48:18 PM)
If You haven't been here then you can't begin to know what we have been and are going thru. Thank God for all the volunteers ! Not all of us are sitting on our butts ..some of us work 40 hours or more a week plus try to rebuild our homes and some of us are divorced or widows ..making it the best we can. My town is gone..totally wiped out and i had water 6 inches from the peak of my house..you don't hear me complaining ..I will make it and I'm pround to be from Pearlington and I am STAYING.
Phyllis (Sent May 21, 2006 1:48:57 AM)
To the gentleman who asked about the Bush-Clinton fund.Yes, we have seen a great deal of that money. I am a student of the University of So Mississippi in Long Beach...app 20 mn from Waveland & Bay St Louis.The fund in question gave about 2 mil to the schools rebuilding fund, also there has been a large amount promised to the city of Waveland in its efforts to get the sewerage and drainage systems back on track. Isn't it nice to see the efforts of bipartisanship politics...imagine what good could be done for the ENTIRE country if the politicians could all act as altrustic as these two gentlemen. Kudos to Clinton and Bush!
Liz Zimmerman waveland Ms (Sent May 21, 2006 9:26:57 PM)
"altrustic"?....sh** ....gotta look for da dictionary now!....think it's holdin' up a corner of the sofa....keep it in laymens terms...or i get confused
andy,booneville ms. (Sent May 22, 2006 8:50:28 PM)
Has anyone noticed that DAN has not responded - he probably realized how ignorant he sounded - Laurie, you asked him if he has been to the Bay? I ask him if he's been to Church lately? Wow - wishing we get hit again! Unbelievable! Watch out Dan - what goes around, comes around - I wouldn't wish something like this on my worst enemy - even you! I hope he hasn't been here and I hope he never comes! we don't want people like that here, we have so many volunteers who have come and actually bought property and are rebuilding gutted homes to live! If you come here once, you will fall in love with the place and the people - thousands have! Thanks to all those who are keeping us in their minds and their hearts and by the way Dan, I'm rebuilding 4 blocks from the beach and if I could, I would build a house right on the beach!!!
T.Ryan-BSL
T.Ryan (BSL) (Sent May 23, 2006 9:10:39 PM)
Tell Em "T"!!!!
andy,ms (Sent May 25, 2006 1:25:46 PM)
Hey T...You tell Dan how it is. Once you go to BSL/Waveland, the pull to return to help is amazing. If only Dan could see what the people are like, he might have a change of heart. To all of you in the area, we love you and have not forgotten you. Hang in there....see you in June, T..
peggy, naples, fla. (Sent May 25, 2006 4:31:48 PM)
actually, that is what i would wish....for my "worst enemy".....dangitt...."T"....Dan maaay be on da list now!!!
andy,ms (Sent May 25, 2006 11:21:46 PM)
Andy - he is definitely on "da list" - you know what list that is! Peggy - can't wait to see you in June! Everything in the Bay is progressing, slowly but surely! Lots of debris has been removed and more businesses opening - still no grocery store!! Can you believe that - 9 mths and still no store. We do have a Lowe's opening up in Waveland in the next month or so - smart move on their part, right in time for the building boom, which really has not even begun yet - most still have little to no money from their insurance, etc....
T.Ryan (BSL) (Sent May 26, 2006 11:59:14 PM)
LOL, "T"....
andy,ms (Sent May 28, 2006 9:35:15 PM)
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