Beautiful....nuff said!

Any idea on what was on the set list ?

What a difference in attitude between this city and New Orleans! They'll get themselves back in business eventually if they just keep on like that. It's nice to see people actually taking charge of their problems and digging in to work at them instead of whining about whose fault it is that nothing's getting done.

I am so glad to see some coverage from Waveland. I left a large piece of my heart there when I came in October to work with a relief team. We have been covered up with coverage from New Orleans - but I truly felt that Waveland had been forgotten. Thanks for this piece and my prayers and hopefully more work team efforts will continue to pour forth for Waveland.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY SUFFERED THE MOST AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE FORGOT THEM. YOU DONT HEAR THEM COMPLAINING ALL THE TIME ABOUT GOVERNMENT HELP. THEY JUST KEEP ON TRYING TO GET THEIR LIVES BACK BY HARD WORK,INSTEAD OF SOME FEDERAL PROGRAM DOING IT FOR THEM.

I know these people will get through this. My prayers have been, and will always be with them.

I wish they had footage of the proposal... a volunteer asked a Waveland woman to marry him. They met when he helped out at a soup kitchen after the storm. My mom said it was so touching. House or not, Waveland will always be home.

We in the FLorida National Guard Adopted this fine city because they had the same attitude about rebuilding that we have. They didn't give up or blame anyone that had nothing to do with what happened to them. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work cleaning up and rebuilding.

Anyone giving NOLA a hard time ought to be ashamed of themselves. Look, where most of the Gulf Coast suffered a catastrophic natural disaster, in New Orleans, it was a preventable man-made disaster caused first and foremost by the failing of the levees whose maintenance was underfunded by the Bush Administration -- despite grave warnings -- long before Katrina hit and compounded by the same administration's incompetence and utter neglect of the city after Katrina hit. Most of the city's residents had their homes and livelihoods destroyed. Entire neighborhoods of houses are gone -- reduced to rubble or consumed by toxic fungus. They can't just roll up their shirtsleeves and pick themselves up by their bootstraps.

Residents can't get reconstruction work, but our tax dollars are going to ship in Bechtel security guards to stand around watching FEMA trailer homes, plopped down in the middle of nowhere, that cost more to put up than permanent housing would. All this while they're tearing down refurbishable public housing. No wonder New Orleans' largely black displaced suspect an ethnic cleansing campaign at work.

We have family/dear friends in Waveland. We came back to Ohio just 2 days before the storm hit with some of our aunt's keepsakes not knowing it would be the last time we ever saw her or her home. Had we known there were such hurricane warnings we would have taken everything we could get into the truck. It truly breaks my heart to see so little coverage on Waveland when they were the most severly hit. The courage and fortatude that everyone we know there continues to shine while facing so much beauracy and trying to rebuild. Yes, they lost everything but they are picking up the pieces and putting it all back together. They aren't waiting on someone else to pitch in and do it for them. Waveland holds so many wonderful and dear memories and we have so many wonderful friends, it hurts us so deeply to see all the destruction and a lost to the way it was. But, they will be back you can be sure of that! There are a lot of very good people in that wonderful little town. They will overcome!

This story demonstrates the power of the human spirit to not only survive, but thrive in the toughest situations. The people of Waveland are an inspiration to everyone.

What a great time we had sitting on the beach listening to Colin and Steve and Heather!Even Jeff Bates was brought in for autographs and personal encouragement to continue picking up the pieces. Too bad we couldn't have a short set from the guys of Three Doors Down, but thanks for the fire truck anyway. After all the work we have done to clean up this place, it was nice to reflect what has been done since the hurricane and remember those who have given so much to our community. Thanks!!

Surviving on Seabrook (soon to be Living on Seabrook!)

In the midst of pain and suffering, the bonds that link human beings together triumph, as strangers become friends. Life does go on; there is a time for everything under the sun!

70 miles of Mississippi Gulf Coast flattened and devastated. Do you hear about that on the media reports? No. Does anyone out there realize that the Mississippi Gulf Coast was ground zero? You wouldn't think so, would you?

Waveland is a wonderful little town, full of brave, hard working people. God bless Colin Ray and people like him who remember the good folks on the MS Gulf Coast.

People want to say that New Orleans had it worse. Take a drive to Waveland. Drive down highway 90 and look at the miles and miles of slabs where beautiful homes used to be. Then tell me that it's worse in New Orleans.

Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, Long Beach...these are the places filled with folks who make me proud to be a Mississippian.

It is sad that Matteo would take this space to try to argue his case for New Orleans plight when it is heartening to see a community rising up to take care of itself against all odds. I am so proud to be counted among those 'rising from ruin.'

Such a stark contrast here...people of New Orleans waiting and stuck with an incompentent local offical (Mayor who is also a bigot) and the untold many others who see this event as a natural event (not Bush's fault) and get back to fixing thier homes. Funny how it is always the laziest of people that have a microphone before them so they can blame others with a pile of trash at thier feet they refuse to pick up.

Matteo,

I dont see how its Bush's fault at all, New Orleans has its own local and state government that is desinged and capable of taking care of the city and state. If the levees were under funded put the blame on the people who were responsible for mantaining them wich would be the City and State, not Bush.

Im sick of hearing that people are bending over backwards to place blame, but so few people are willing to just get the job done. If you dont like how things are now, take an active roll in chaning them. Dont sit down and complain about the problem, do some thing about it.

Waveland is a good example of people who are taking an active roll in their recovery.

To Matteo
You need to come to the Gulf Coast and spend a little time in New Orleans and Mississippi. You too will start to get aggrevated by the attitudes of the residents of NO. If the residents of New Orleans would get to work like the residents of Mississippi have then they wouldn't have time to sit around, complain about the government, and feel sorry for themselves.

It is amazing to see how one city realizes the best way to move forward and rebuild is to rely on the efforts of the citizens of the city while another city believes the federal government is responsible for not just the rebuilding but also the natural disaster. This is why Mississippi will be a success story and New Orleans a failure. I was married in New Orleans and love the city; however, they will never succeed in their rebirth with their current mentality. Good work Mississippi. Maybe your ethic and drive will eventually inspire the residents and politicians of New Orleans.

Yes, I think I see where this is going. The residents of NOLA are lazy, ungrateful and underserving, right? What kind of people do we historically associate those qualities with? Hmm... Black people, maybe? Where the people in this story, the good roll-up-your-shirtsleeves git-r-done people depicted, are all white.

I'm not disparaging their courageous efforts to get their lives back together. The people of the Mississippi coast, black and white alike, have withstood this tragedy with awesome fortitude. But the good old boys and girls making thinly-veiled racist comments on this story shame us all. Whether in NOLA or Pass Christian, Katrina was a national tragedy (though in NOLA, it was one bred largely by government incompetence). That anyone -- whether opportunist pols like Bush and Nagin or anonymous commenters online -- would use it as a pretext for the glorification of bigotry is truly sad.

I've read the above blogs and agree with everyone. Having experienced both Katrina & Rita, the influx of evacuees into Baton Rouge and the initial chaos created by an additional approx. 300,000 people is beyond anyone's imagination if you were not directly affected. I have to agree that Mississippi is getting the shaft on their hardships..BUT they are tired of waiting on the bureaucracy to do its job and have taken in pride in their homes and lives and are attempting to do something about it instead of crying about it.
NO evacuees, not all, but certainly the majority of the ones who waited for the government to personally fetch them now call themselves "victims". These are the individuals who give the majority of the true evacuees a bad name. As for the "thinly veiled racist remarks", it goes both ways. This hurrican was not directed towards any race, but certain races were determined to make it appear that way. Ironically, these "victims" were calling themselves "victims" for many years prior to Katrina. Most of these "victims" scream and cry about their homes in the lower 9th ward, what the majority of the world doesn't realize is that about 80% of those "victims" didn't own the home in the first place, they were renters renting from slumlords. As for "refurshibable public housing", these housing projects should have been torn down 50 years ago. Again, unless you have seen it and how the people lived there, you have no idea what the reality is there. The demand to rebuild in that area is laughable to the people who live and know New Orleans. These are people who have never,ever left New Orleans, not even to come to Baton Rouge which New Orleanians considered "backwoods".
I have found that the majority of these comments from the northern states have never had the pleasure of dealing with these type of "victims" and are eager to discuss the southern way of life and attitude on a personal basis. If I were to guess, most have never stepped foot below the Mason Dixon line. New Orleans will never be what it was because of the good ole boy attitude that still abounds in Louisiana...that includes the governor and mayor.
Bigotry is not the problem in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi....the problem is individuals who have become so accustomed to receiving handouts and the government willingly giving it to them, that when the gravy train has derailed, their first and only way to deal with it is to cry victimization. They have no pride or ethics or respect for themselves so the best they can do is point the finger at someone else. Jobs abound within 100 miles in and around New Orleans, but I see firsthand these "victims" who refuse to work for one reason or another or just simply because they don't want to work. I challenge any of them to prove me wrong.

I think that some of you are being quite unquestioning when it comes to the recovery of Mississippi. You are not seeing what has happened to the poor and struggling individuals that resided and still reside in Mississippi one of the poorest states in this country. A lot of them, of all races have been shunted to the side and covered up. May I suggest that you look at the NY Times Sunday magazine posted on September 27, 2006. I think if those who are singing the praises of Mississippi recovery do a little research you will find that many, many people have been paid a lot of lip service when it comes to helping them recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. We all as citizens of this great country should be demanding that all of our government officials, whether local, state or federal do all that they can to help our brothers and sisters who are struggling. It doesn't matter if they are white, black, Asian or Native American. We should all feel like we are in this for the long haul and that we are in this together. I offer this as a black female who grew up low-income in the inner city. I don't sympathize with those affected because they were mostly black, I sympathize with those affected because they are Americans, raised in the same country and instilled with the same basic beliefs that I have. I am not saying that we should throw money at individuals for years on end; I am saying that we should insure that everyone who suffered this tragedy is given the basic building blocks to start over. For those who are determined by what ever social service to not be as financially astute, they should be required to enroll in programs created to teach fiscal responsibility. Once this country has done all that it can to set these folks on the right path, we tell them that it is for them to walk down under their own steam because no one is going to carry them.

We all were raised to believe that this country always takes care of its own not some of its own.

The story seems to point out that there are individuals that are willing to move forward and quite with blaming others for what happened a year ago. Through all of the media coverage, so much leads to negativities and not what positive steps have been taken to recover what was lost. Having some form of a normal life gives me hope that the Gulf Coast will recover. Enough blaming, move on!

Katrina just proved the folks of Mississippi and South Alabama are a resilient lot. They are taking probably the worst thing any of them have ever experianced short of a shooting war, and they are working hard, and working together to make their places even better than they were before.

Anyone who has ever lost everything due to a fire, or other disaster is still not in as bad shape as these folks, and they are making a come back.

God bless the strong men and women of this region who are working hard to help themselves, instead of sitting back waiting for a hand out. I am not sure some other parts of the country would have made this much progress in only one year.

I was there , and also in the band, and alot of what was said is true, i have read everyone of these cmments and I think you all. We didn't play very much but the people of Waveland did enjoy it. While I'm in my house and many more aren't I still wish that it would return to normal but sadly, it will never.

Matteo, Man you either got a mental problem or a baaad chip on your shoulder. Just because you don't like the President don't mean HE made the levee fail. New Orleans maybe should have been more worried about "mowing their own back yard"....Oh that means mantanice. Gee my house needs painting...Let's blame the President...Or the Mayor...Wait, I can blame the Governor....GEE someone HAD to cause that paint to start chipping after only 24 years!.....Maybe I could blame my neighbor. Get A Life ,Man!!!!

I sat for a week and watched the TV and what they showed aout Katrina and it made me so sad for the people that live in Mississippi. We had only been there in June and it makes me sick for the people to see so much destruction. I wonder about the sweet little lady at the mitel where we stayed and the deck hand on the boat that we went out fishing. Are they ok? We went out on the boat Good Times that was docked at the Broadview Marina and our deck hand's name was Kenny Koon. If anyone knows about him please let us know. Thank you

^5 to Lynn of Baton Rouge. I totally agree. I have been watching some of the quote "anniversay programs" and I must say it sickened me to see that Mississippi is hardly ever mentioned. It is always New Orleans. My favorite was that the Superdome was finished and they would be having their first game there soon. I see Mr. Nagin knows what it is important. I used to want to go to New Orleans for vacation but now, not a chance! I will without a doubt go to Mississippi. I want to meet some of the wonderful people I read about daily on here.

My heart breaks for all of those so badly hurt in BOTH New Orleans and the Mississippi coast.

Many years ago a wise man told me that god helps those who help themselves. It seems that the residents of Mississippi have taken that to heart. Katrina is not a "fault" kind of thing, it's a "what is" kind of thing. The only thing left to do is rebuild. And, if that means you get your hands dirty, then so be it.

I left New Orleans 26 years ago. My roots are in the ninth ward. A few years ago my father and I went on a tour of where he and I grew up. When I saw the neighborhood where I lived from the first through fifth grade, I was horrified. This was a nice place to grow up. It had become an eyesore. Those people were not an asset the the city could count on in the event of disaster. Well, the disaster happened.

What happened to the people who lived in my old neighborhood? Well, they live in St. Tammeny and the other parishes in southern Louisiana and on the Missippi gulf Coast. And I am quite sure that they have the same attitude that they had when Hurricane Betsy flooded the city. That is, "It's time to get our hands dirty, again."

there is no doubt that the MS folks are making a great effort to rebuild--

there ARE many heroes in New Orleans, too--we need to do a better job of getting those stories out--but comparing New Orleans to Waveland is like comparing apples to oranges---Waveland, MS had a population of near 8000 preKatrina----New Olreans is a large metropolitan area which housed and employed hundreds of thousands of people--of every class and color--
a major American city of great importance in trade and energy markets--
it was flooded after the storm by the breach in the various poorly constructed levees--the water covered the city for many, many days,destroying the contents of homes and businesses

what most people criticize the president for is the slow response in bringing help to the citizens of New Orleans as they sat days without food and water on televised news programs--

we have brought aid to people in other parts of the world faster than it came to Louisiana and Mississippi

the rebuilding is another story--many ARE doing it on their own!--most of the money promised has NOT made it to the locals---
government at all levels has been disgraceful.

I grew up in the midwest and have seen storm-natural disaster-devastation annually with tornadoes. It just seems when you have a group of "victims" who by their own choice had been victims their entire lives and are raising their childredn to be the same, we are giving them too much press. This is their claim to fame because this way and they have to do nothing to improve their lives and continue to be a drain on society. The aid has been there for them and much of it wasted. The taxpayers of America have reached deep into their own pockets to send help and Uncle Sam reachs deeper in the forms of programs funded to help with the "Katrina Plight". At what point will we get back to basics and realize that "God does help those who help themselves". My personal opinion-These "victims" are praying for the wrong things. If it was not all so self-serving, it would happen and New Orleans would rise again healthy and happy. We have seen strong people move through natural disasters before and,by choice, New Orleans can do the same.

I, too, am thrilled to see updates on Waveland. I drove to Gulfport & Waveland to bring relief supplies from California. Knowing I was going into complete devestation, I made sure to bring my own food & water so as to not take away from the residents of the communities I was trying to help. Yet, when I arrived in Gulfport and the supplies were unloaded, the volunteers and residents absolutely insisted I join them for dinner. Sitting with them, some who'd lost everything, I felt truly blessed to be there. There was no "blaming", but frustration that all of the attention seemed to be focused on N.O., as if none of MS had been affected. The folks in Waveland were also kind & welcoming. Even through tears, people in both communities showed a hope for the future. I wish the media would spend less time on Nagin & his facilitation of bigotry, and more time on those who are doing something to move forward. Even when blame can be laid upon another, we can't change the past. Our energies are better spent rebuilding lives. God bless you all in Mississippi!

Mr. Matteo:
I typically avoid getting into ongoing banter; however, your comment following my entry begs for a response. You refer to thinly vailed racial comments. Where in my post or that of the others does it say one race is lazy. You are the one to make the outlandish and inaccurate statement that laziness is typically attributed to the African American community. Also, please keep an open mind when you refer to those of us as good old boys because of where we live. I was raised in New Jersey and lived there for over 20 years. One could easily take your words out of context and assume you too are making thinly veiled racial comments. Here is the bottom line. The government did not create the disaster. People live in at risk areas by choice. It is not the government's responsibility to compensate people and do everthing for them. Government is there to assist and not to manage your life. I don't care who you are, where you live, what you do, your political preference, or anything else. All I care about is people taking responsibility for their lives. While there are clearly people in Mississippi and Alabama playing to the victim mentality, let's face it there are many more doing so in New Orleans. I wish all cities and states impacted by Katrina a full recovery.

It is just so painful to see the initial hints again and then the inevitable blogs where some people feel it necessary to tear up other people, when all in the entire area have suffered so much. I have roots and family in both Miss. and La. and my heart breaks for both. There are different problems in each state and different resources available, as well as different current political leadership and therefore, results. Just one thing, please, please y'all get your facts straight. The levee failed because it was built improperly and inadequately in the first place...it was not even built to the specifications describing it. That would be a federal issue, as the Army Corps of Engineers has admitted their share. Compounding that, there are layers of blame and everyone shares in that. But why do we have to keep coming back to that in a story like this? The original story we're supposedly blogging on, largely highlights some people with great attitudes in general, and we all love to see that. I'm proud to say we have those kinds of people in both states (and our fellow states, lets's not forget our other coastal cousins...Florida, y'all get slammed nearly every single time a hurricane comes in the Gulf, and thank you for exercising so much restraint even though THIS storm is getting so much attention, after all you've been through...)What we should be hoping for and joining our voices in demanding, is that no matter where these monsters hit, we will not as a nation repeat the mistakes, as we have already...Andrew should never have been such a debacle, and after it you would think Katrina would have found us prepared at least to bring in food...et al...all levels of government should have been more prepared. All citizen survivors are the true heroes, have suffered more than we can ever imagine, and need our support. Isn't it possible for the rest of us to unite and help people and use our voices and energy for positive action? And share welcome stories about people doing what they find they have to do with grace, without letting the conversation degenerate once again?

Mateo, with all due respect, where this dialogue is "going" is exactly where you choose for it to go. You are encouraging a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are the one who's made references to race to being a factor in the ongoing tragedy that continues in New
Orleans, as the "good old boys and girls" you refer to are nothing more than your imagined excuse for the vacuum of leadership...at all levels..that continues to plague New Orleans. If you'll stop looking for "monsters under the bed" and start looking for constructive solutions to recovery efforts in all affected areas, I'm sure we'd all value your comments.

It was, after all, New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin who once proudly proclaimed that New Orleans would ALWAYS be a "chocolate city". So, before casting blame, pointing fingers, and calling names, perhaps you should look at the leadership of New Orleans. Only then will you be able to understand that there apparently is, sadly enough, blatant racism that is being used to somehow explain an act of God. If you believe, as many have stated publicly, that there was some grand conspiracy that led to the levees being sabotaged as part some act of "ethnic cleansing" to change the demographics of New Orleans, and further "whiten" the "chocolate city", then I suspect further reason will be lost on you...so I'll not bother.

Let me be very clear: What happened to the good people of New Orleans as a result of Katrina was horrific. I love the city of New Orleans, and its people. I have been there many many times in my life, and look forward to return visits. New Orleans will be "back", better than ever. I have great affection for its people, as I do all my good neighbors in Louisiana. And, let us not forget the remainder of Southern Louisiana. Those poor people were devastated by Katrina.

My frustration is simply that, in response to Katrina, the attention of ( most) of the National the media has been so misdirected.

In the days immediately following Katrina, I was glued to the tragic events that were part of the cable television networks' 24/7 coverage of Katrina. My guess is that for every 60 minutes of television coverage, only 5 to 7 minutes was devoted to Mississippi. Why does this matter? It's as simple as understanding that help will follow hurt...and if the "hurt" appeared to be primarily limited to Greater New Orleans, then what would become of the remainder of the people in South Louisiana? And what about Mississippi, where the hurricane did it's "worst"? For those not familiar with the geography of coastal Mississippi, I would encourage you to get out a map and follow ( what was ) the densely developed and heavily populated coastline from Pearlington east to Ocean Springs.The television cable networks were telling one story, while the local Mississippi media were telling quite another.

I'm a freelance photo-journalist based in Central Mississippi, and found myself quite confused by the mixed messages. So with my camera in hand, and without credentials, I ventured south to Waveland, Mississippi shortly after the storm. What I found defies description. What remained of Waveland Mississippi was a portion of a mural on the concrete steps leading to a town hall that no longer existed, a flag pole, and ironically enough, a plaque offering thanks to all those who helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille in 1969. From that vantage point, in every direction, NOTHING remained. As I traveled the coastline west towards Alabama ( over several visits ), I found the equivalent of the scale of damage to the Oklahoma City Federal Building disaster, that spread a significant distance inland, and ( incredibly enough ) stretched across the Mississippi Coast for over 55 miles, with further significant damage to Ocean Springs and Pascagoula! Yes, you read correctly. But don't take my word for it, let my photographs tell the story.

Any interested parties can learn more of my own independent effort to get the word out about Katrina's path of destruction in Mississippi, by visiting my non-commercial website in a section devoted to the disaster.It's called "Katrina's Wake", and may be found at http://www.jackneal.net/editorial.htm . I would encourage any and all interested parties to read the commentary, and view the photo-images therein...and feel free to add any comments to the Katrina Memorial Book found on page 2. I should add at this point, in the interest of fairness, that you are reading this because of the fact that MSNBC has devoted significant resources to telling the story of recovery in Waveland and Bay St Louis, Mississippi. And they are not alone.

But yet, most Americans just don't understand that the Coast of Mississippi is no more. How could they? For the most part, the National media tells our citizens about political bickering that continues in New Orleans, leaving ( I suspect ) most Americans to believe it's "business as usual" in Biloxi.

At this point, all becomes cliché...but no less important.

This is a time for healing...for hope, recovery, and re-building...for everyone.

But I don't think the people of New Orleans will find any healing by blaming others, while there is doubtless plenty of blame to go around. Just please remember NO single elected official was/is responsible for decades of mismanagement of levee construction, levee mismanagement and maintenance, or a general lack of disaster preparedness. Katrina, in all her fury and destruction, was not wrought by man. And her fury was unprecedented. My good friends of Louisiana, we in Mississippi share your pain. Like you, we were "sucker-punched". It's simply that most people don't know about our plight.

Be assured that I, like so many other Mississippians, look forward to a greater New Orleans than ever before.

And Mateo, I don't care what "color" it is.

May we all together look forward to God's grace for healing, and may the victims of Hurricane Katrina (a disaster that continues to this day) never be forgotten...regardless of geography, race, politics, or socio-economic status.

This is the comment that makes no sense to me, Matteo:

"Most of the city's residents had their homes and livelihoods destroyed. Entire neighborhoods of houses are gone -- reduced to rubble or consumed by toxic fungus."

Um, I live on the Mississippi Coast and it's EXACTLY like that here, too. I guess Matteo hasn't been here? How many blocks of entire neighborhoods would y'all say have been destroyed? More than I can count, certainly. And I guess he also thinks there are no black people in Mississippi...

I don't see how congratulating anyone for trying to get his or her life back together is a form of bigotry. There are lots of people on the Coast still playing "victim," too, and they're causing just as much frustration as anyone else playing "victim," But that story wasn't about those people, so it really never should have come up...

And there you have it, folks. Another classic example of why the former melting-pot fabric of this great nation is in shreds. On one hand, I applaud the folks in Waveland. But why oh why do several of you that posted here feel the need to find fault with those that suffered just as much in New Orleans? Amazing...

Hey folks. The government is not responsible for taking care of me. I'm really sick of being called a "victim". No-one did anything to me.

There was another hurricane that wiped out communities too. Remember Rita, the ugly step-sister. The southwestern coast of Louisiana was wiped out just like Mississippi. Our house is 40 miles north of the coast, and the roof was blown off, water rained in, stuff was ruined. No electricity for three weeks means mold. Not all toxic, don't be dramatic! Yeah, it sucks, but we're moving ahead. Our house is still gutted, lots of people still don't even have roofs.
These storms damaged more than anyone can imagine. If you haven't seen it personally, you just can't grasp the magnitude of the destruction.
It will take a long time and a lot of work.
There is still a huge shortage of skilled labor.

But, I'll have a newly remodeled home, the State has had a 50% increase in sales tax revenues. We're all buying lots of building materials, beds, furniture, etc. The insurance companies have paid a lot. They'll be paying more. It was so huge, it will take time.

We'll keep working and move on with our lives. Yeah Mississippi. We're proud of you.

Just for the record, there were miles and miles of La. coastlines that were completely wiped out by both H. Katrina and Rita. The only things remaining were slabs and concrete steps. The greater New Orleans area includes several parishes (counties) where the water remained for weeks. My house had 5' for about 5 weeks, thanks to H. Rita which followed Katrina I thought it was a goner. But, guess what - I'm back in it thanks to my husband who is capable. But, not everyone is and the waiting line for services is long and difficult. Especially, for those who are forced to live out of town and have to commute when and if theyre able. There are so many variables to consider and unless you are here, you have no clue.
PS. I love Mississippi

The comparisons between the reaction between residents of New Orleans and other locations are indeed borderline racist, which this country has not rid itself of. Call it like it is. When will America really be America? This is one of the greatest dilemmas of our time: the desire for true equality (among other issues, namely the environment, et.al.) God help us, please.

Things will never change!! It is so SAD that the people of New Orleans are being viewed as lazy and just waiting for handouts?? Most lived in subsidized housing, with little or no education, etc... What would you like them to do? How do you expect most of the residents in New Orleans to make moves in the right direction if they do not know how? It is so sad how we spend so much time trying to compare New Orleans to the other Gulf Coast states affected by Katrina that have the resources to start rebuilding. I guess most of you are just too ignorant to keep up with some of the great things that are being done in New Orleans. There are many, many residents rebuilding and encouraging others to go back home. With so many displaced many have decided to remain where they are and not return back to there roots which to me is very sad. Let's try to help these people get their lives back together instead of criticizing them, thank YOU!!

Matteo, I'm sorry all of us good ol' boys and girls on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are being so proactive in our recovery after Katrina. We have to get our Vanilla cities up and running quickly, though, so we can host next year's Klan rally. Tell you what... we'll try to be more whiney and lazy for the next hurricane, okay?

Thank you, Mr. Neal, for your gut-wrenching photos. And thank you MSNBC for providing coverage that does more than provide a 30 second sound bite to explain what a tragedy this was and continues to be for both Mississippi and Louisiana.

But as far as overall media coverage, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Those who control the media control what we see and hear through our television sets and beyond. Somehow, somewhere we stopped paying attention to that, as full-coverage stories evolved into 30 second sound bites. Stories that newspaper editors would “bury on page 30” (but at least you could still find it and read it if you bothered to hunt for it) now aren’t covered at all. Apparently a lot of us wanted it that way, as that is all the time we have now in our increasingly harried lifestyles.

So, Waveland, MS is less than 60 miles (by state highway) from New Orleans, LA and Waveland in general gets ignored by the media for whatever reason during this tragedy. What does that say about all the other stories the general media does (or doesn’t) report to us, both here in the US and around the world? It does tend to make one pause and think.

In the meantime, “carry on” Waveland. True grit and spirit seems to be alive and well in your community and could serve as a lesson to us all.

I am a leadership speaker for high school music groups and would love to share this in my travels far and wide as an example of those "who continue to give" which is at the core of my message. Do you know any way I can get a copy of this video?

The people of MS are not forgotten, nor are they lazy, they just refuse to WAIT with INACTION for someone elses ACTION. Unlike the citizens of other areas, finger pointing and holding out for a handout.
KATRINA WAS AN ACT OF GOD! This act wrecked havoc on NOLA levee systems that were under-par to begin with. If this was a government conspiracy to flood/destroy NOLA's poor (possibly African American though I know of plenty others affected) citizens, WHY on earth would the local government announce a MANDATORY EVACUATION? Does this not defeat the purpose of the conspiracy? GET IT TOGETHER PEOPLE. . . there was no government conspiracy.
People seem to bend over backwards for many things but, some can't or won't bend over any which way to help themselves.
Best of luck to all, rebuilding or moving on.

Gee, man people like Matteo may get me "banished"....cause my last comments weren't posted! ............durnitt!

Yeah, Andy, they've censored a few of my comments too...they won't censor inflammatory posts, only the people who reply to them. I've had to "water down" quite a few of my responses just to get them past the censors...too bad they don't apply the same scrutiny to the mean-spirited, name-calling, anger-inspiring posts.

Thanks so much for the basically upbeat post--it lifts my spirits to read about such small, pleasing signs of normality as the band returning. That must been such a pleasant break--listening to the band, Colin Ray, and Heather and the Monkey King perform.

I wholeheartedly recommend Jack A. Neal's website, which is truly very sobering and thought-provoking. One comes away from it not only humbled by the way Mississippi's Gulf Coast was smashed to smithereens and by the persistence and courage of everyone who's hanging in there painstaking trying to bring the area back, but also wondering how--and why--other Americans including the mainstream media have found it so easy to wash their hands of Katrina's survivors in Mississippi, Louisiana, and the rest of the storm zone. Everyone not only should visit Neal's website, they should also sign his "Katrina Memorial Book."

Something has been bugging me--not only here but under other entries--that I've noticed. I want to preface it by saying I adore Mississippi. I admire the way Mississippians, after having endured America's worst natural disaster and against immense odds have been valiantly struggling together to rebuild their communities and pick up the pieces of their lives. It's also good how Mississippi's leaders from Gov. Barbour on down to Mayor Longo and other local officials have their act together.

God forbid that central Illinois should see a disaster--like a huge quake on the New Madrid Fault--that would be of Katrina's magnitude--but were something like that to happen here, I would hope that the people of this area would come together and Illinois' leaders act with the same sort of bravery and can-do pioneer spirit exhibited by Mississippi's.

However, my heart goes out to everyone in Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, and the rest of Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Even the best teamwork and the ablest leaders don't take away the fact that you have loads of hard work remaining and many hardships that continue. Mississippi is still in a lot of pain, and I'm sure many are under psychic strain, having had your traumas and losses. There is only so much you can do by yourselves, and it will be years before everything is O.K. in Mississippi.

That being said, I also love Louisiana very much. And it saddens me to see people picking on her and beating up on her while she's down. Why do people often call her people (especially New Orleanians) "lazy," "whiners," "negative," or say they're "sitting around waiting for hand-outs?" I find such comments and other insults insensitive, callous, and meanspirited.

Wholistically speaking, Mississippi suffered the worst NATURAL disaster and PHYSICAL wounding from Katrina. Louisiana endured the "shock and awe" of a massive MANMADE disaster that not only seriously hurt her physically, but caused grave PSYCHOLOGICAL wounds as well. The wiping out of 80% of her largest and most historic and identity-defining city, with the dispersal of more than half of her residents to other parts of Louisiana and all around the nation snapped Louisiana's life in half. She will never be the same state again. And less than a month later, Rita obliterated villages on her southwest coast the same way Katrina did in Mississippi.

Thinking about this can bring tears to my eyes--but something truly heartbreaking is currently darkening Louisiana's life and sapping her of the strength--the healthy human resources--she needs to recover from last year's storms and to cope with any new challenges during this hurricane season. As if the still-unhealed physical wounds from the storms and New Orleans' flooding weren't enough, Louisiana is in a world of hurt from intensely painful emotional wounds as well. If it were possible for a state to cry from pain, Louisiana would.

Her people are just wearing down, afflicted with what officials are calling "Katrina brain"--general fatigue brought on by disruption of their lives--involving difficulty concentrating, mood swings, and mild depression. Also, approximately 500,000 of her people have since the storms been suffering from severe psychological damage--beset by sleeplessness, nightmares, chronic stress, and substance abuse.

Stress has been causing normally stable, law-abiding people to become unhinged, and according to a report in yesterday's Times-Picayune, "post-Katrina issues of displacement, anxiety, stress..." could partly be to blame for 8 weekend shootings in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish in which 4 were killed. And yet another symptom of the emotional turmoil wracking Louisiana--wife abuse has also increased in New Orleans, where shelter space and affordable housing are hard to find.

Most poignant of all, a fragile, exhausted Louisiana has been tortured by an excruciating epidemic of anxiety, depression, and suicides. This is not confined to the New Orleans area--it is statewide. When evacuees fled New Orleans for Baton Rouge, Shreveport, etc., they took their "baggage"--traumas and losses--with them. In fact, Baton Rouge, now Louisiana's most populous city overwhelmed by an influx of evacuees, is a "hot spot" for this epidemic. Saddest of all--Louisiana has insufficient resources to ease the anguish of the afflicted.

There may be a small ray of hope in the federal grant of $35 million to Louisiana Spirit, a crisis counseling program. While such counseling can keep smaller problems from becoming major ones, it's a bit of a "Band-Aid" measure because the funds cannot be used for medications or other intensive treatment, so anyone already seriously ill won't get the help they desperately need. So for Louisiana it's like being a cancer patient who's given only aspirin--which relieves her pain without treating its underlying source which is killing her.

The anguish of Louisiana's afflicted is getting worse now that hurricane season is at its peak. While the prospect of a new storm's hitting Mississippi this year or anytime soon has me very worried because it's the last thing you need with all the devastation you still have and all you need to do, Mississippi is a strong, otherwise-healthy state, and I'm confident that were worst to come to worst, you would deal with a new storm with the same fortitude with which you handled Katrina. However, I cringe at the thought of that happening to Louisiana. She fell apart when New Orleans' levees failed--a new disaster could push her over the edge.

So, please go easy on Louisiana and her people. After Katrina and Rita, she needs to be gently and compassionately nursed back to health. She does not need her people put down as "whiny," "lazy," etc. She--like Mississippi--needs the support and sympathy of other caring Americans to help her recover and become whole again.

Dang, Olivia Elizabeth Burdon.....I guess I am lazy ....cause I ain't gonna type a comment That long!

I hear the music. How sweet the sound!

thank you and G-d bless to all the volunteers, law enforcement, everyone who has come here to help. we are forever grateful to you. please know that if a tragedy were to strike you- we will be there in a flash to return the favor.
i am back in my house and the fema trailer is gone. yippee!!!

Navah--Wonderful news about being back in your house and the trailer being gone! Hope you and your family are able to spend many long and happy years in your home! Mazeltov!

Most of these post I have not read. I skipped a few and than there was one saying you do not know about the poor. Well I will tell you that you all do not know about the elderly. I know two wonderful people who sit in their FEMA trailer waiting for Habit for Humanity to accept them after they were turned down by grant money. They have no home, their is no senior group home center for them. They have nothing.
I ask all of you, what about the elderly. I once read a comment by Mayor Longo that said how the elderly sit in their FEMA trailer waiting. There is more, I don't remember, but it was not good.
Also everyone out thru the US need to understand even the ones that are in their reconstructed homes still suffer. My heart has never been so broken, I have never been brought to tears so easily. I have cried when someone filled a parking meter, I have cried when someone gave me a gift of something that had a value of $10.
After this your world changes, your heart that has broken remains that way. This is something that stays in everyone one of us forever. People who live miles away from of but work with us who did not loose their home still do not understand.
This is something difficult to shake off and none of you have an idea what something like this does to us.
We now can at times have smiles on our faces but yes, there are lots of times that the Katrina blank face, cold, hard, scared comes back to us. Not being able to look people in the eye. Mentally, we will never recover.

A survivor, I wish I could give you a hug and a Valium. Blessings .....

A survivor--Your thought-provoking, heart-wrenching post brings tears to my eyes. I feel especially sad that survivors such as yourself have essentially been left alone with your pain, and this is not the time for that.

I hope the wonderful elderly people in the FEMA trailer you mention are able to get help from Habitat for Humanity or a similar group, and get it soon--that's awful, about their having been turned down for grant money.

But what's saddest is how you describe being heartbroken, how little things can make you cry, and how mentally you'll never recover. And how even people in reconstructed homes still suffer, and that people from miles away who have been working with you still do not understand.

I live miles away, too, so perhaps I don't understand either, but I care a great deal and can imagine and make a few guesses as to why, anyway.

Even with a rebuilt home, if everything else in your world has changed so much, including familiar landmarks and favorite places now gone forever, you can still feel lost and very sad because your world now looks so different and you miss these sights and haunts.

Perhaps your daily routine is now substantially different--and there are things you'd been able to do and places you were able to go regularly before the storm, that you aren't able to, again because of how your world has changed.

Maybe in a new home, you still miss your old house, not to mention other things you had before the storm. The insensitive and cynical will say it's only "stuff" that can easily be replaced, but they fail to take into account that over time "stuff" can develop sentimental value so replacements just wouldn't be the same. Then there are photos and other one-of-a-kind keepsakes that not only have sentimental value but are truly irreplaceable.

Last but not least--I hope this isn't true in your case, but if it is...if you lost any loved ones or anybody else you know, either in the storm or in the stress of its aftermath...

It's easy to imagine how heartbroken any or all of those things would leave you. So I THINK I understand. It sounds like you're going through too much pain to have to deal with it all by yourself, which you shouldn't have to do.

I hope you have or are able to find someone kind, caring, and sympathetic you can talk to and unburden yourself and share everything you're heartbroken over with at this difficult time. That sounds like what you need.

I did notice something positive, though--you signed yourself "A survivor" instead of "A victim." Because you truly are a survivor. That is a good sign.

Take care, stay strong, and God bless.

Dear Survivor, Having lost our home, my car, my job and 98% of our belongings, I feel qualified to comment on your blog. You are right. This will stay with us forever, it is difficult to shake off and you are right when you say if you didn't lose your home you will never truly understand the mental and physical tormoil that we have experienced. However, WE WILL RECOVER. Scarred maybe, but recovered!!! Have faith. It's what I cling to daily to get through the aftermath.

Olivia thank you so very much for your kind words. Another example how little things make a difference. I think I can speak for many that just words of understanding, or trying mean so very very much.
The sad part is so many people hurt but very few actually discuss it. I have a few friends who admit to the pain, the tears. I am sure Suffering in BSL would agree to this comment and thanks for admitting the difficult we all share.
Another extremly sad part is still this week I feel the blank express take over. It is hard to hide and worst when someone comments on "you look unhappy" or etc. when you are shopping or wherever and it is a stranger. I am getting very close to being honest as to what might be burdening me at that moment.
I know things will get better, bldgs will be new, slow progess is in the making.
I am one of so many who lost the children's video's (I am lucky, I took some of the pictures). I am one of so many who luckly have two pictures of themseleves as a child. You loose your history, your families history, it is not so simple what we lost. Some children no longer even have one picture of their grandparents, that is extremly sad.
Andy, thanks for the thought of a hug, those mean so much now a days!

Matteo says:

"Yes, I think I see where this is going. The residents of NOLA are lazy, ungrateful and underserving, right? What kind of people do we historically associate those qualities with? Hmm... Black people, maybe? Where the people in this story, the good roll-up-your-shirtsleeves git-r-done people depicted, are all white."

Oh dear, oh my! Sounds pretty darn racist to me! My family is one of only two white families in my new neighborhood, and all of my neighbors are working hard to get themselves back in their homes and back to normal...while at the same time, a few (a *very* few)of the people in this town are indeed sitting around waiting for someone else to fix the problem - most of those guys are white. Your assumption is false on all sides, and is clearly based on outdated stereotypes. Unless you have actually visited this area and worked alongside the people of South Mississippi (black and white and Asian, too), maybe you should seize this opportunity to remain silent; your ignorance is showing!

Jesus, man why won't MSNBC Update more often?............Dang this ai'nt right dogonatt!...............Gurrrrrr!.....No YERF ! dangitt!

Let's give the folks in New Orleans half a benefit of the doubt. Of course they are waiting on the government. Why should they roll up thier sleeves and rebuild when the levees are worse than before Katrina? Are the people lazy? Of course they are that's why it is the Big Easy.If nothing else gut your homes and mow the grass. This goes for the Coast as well as NO. Glad to see Hancock Bank finally stepping up to the plate and cleaning their mess in the face of BSL residents trying to rebuilt after all this time. It was a crying shame to hear of the record revenues generated by us while they wait to put a tarp on the building.

If you want to help the left behind animals on the Mississippi Gulf Coast then check out mesbeth.com/animals.html. You will find this very interesting.

The band-members should be example to all of our youth that it is not the circumstances that define us, but we who define the circumstances - - based on our spirit and attitude.

This article promotes hope, which provides energy to keep going despite difficult circumstances.

And, I hope that we all move to help these neighbors in Mississippi and Louisiana keep up their spirits and hope by sharing/giving some of our resources - - money and time. I would like to invite Scott Lang, who commented above, to perhaps suggest to some of our band programs to partner with some of the schools in Mississippi and Louisiana and help them out with their music programs and I would like to invite those schools in Mississippi and Louisiana to let us know how (we) other bands can help them.

Let's move in tempo with these kids!