Life and Death of the Forgotten

Winter's rain, cold are all tent dwellers can see

By RYAN LaFONTAINE

rlafontaine@sunherald.com

HANCOCK COUNTY - For months, William Hayes and his wife have been scrounging for food and sleeping in a tent behind a storm-battered doughnut shop in Waveland.

Hayes said his wife, who was more than five months' pregnant, got sick this week when the temperature dipped into the 30s. Rain poured into their tent, it was cold, and his wife needed a doctor.

The couple was expecting a baby girl, but when Hayes got his wife to the hospital, his nightmare got even worse. The baby was dead.

I just don't know what I could add to this to emphasize that THIS IS AMERICA - WTF are people doing still in tents more than 3 months after the greatest national disaster our Nation has ever experienced? Where are the fucking FEMA trailers???

Hayes, currently without work, and a few other families are living in a small lot behind DaddyO's restaurant, less than 100 yards from FEMA's Disaster Relief Center. He goes there often to check his trailer application's status.

If you are not outraged by this, you need to check your pulse.