My Family's Katrina Experience, Part I

I've been home in GA for 3 weeks now, and I have just found it very difficult to put down in words all of the emotions, and destruction I felt and saw while I was there. I'm going to try to start the log today....

August, 27, 2005
Up until 11pm this evening, I am telling my Mother just to stay put in her home in Long Beach, MS. I am reasoning that she will be safer weathering what I think is going to be a strong Cat3 hurricane in her home, than she would be getting on the road with all of the other frantic people who are trying to evacuate. Her home is in a good location, and at 73 yrs of age, Mom is not the best on the road in stressful situations. After an evacuation fiasco last year where she and her friend were in traffic for over 14 hours for a trip that usually takes 3 hrs, it seems like the best idea.


This is the shopping Center on Jeff Davis Ave. in Long Beach where my father had his chiropractic office prior to Camille. His office was just to the right, out of the picture.

As many other long-time Coast residents, I am measuring Katrina against Camille, and other storms I weathered in the 3 decades I lived in Long Beach & Gulfport. My first hurricane was Betsy at 15 mths old, which I rode out with Mom in a flooded house in Chalmette, LA. Can't say I remember much from that one, but I do remember quite well the aftermath of Camille. Camille was a bitch, and no storm had ever matched her fury in all of those years I lived on any Coast.

Comparing Katrina to Camille proves later to be a serious mistake by myself and many other hurricane experienced folks.

August, 28, 2005
I woke up early after staying up until 2am this morning watching Katrina's forcast & path. When I leave the shop, the winds have sustained speeds of about 135 mph. When I awake, the situation has changed dramatically with the hurricane now having sustained winds of 165.

Holy shit, this is a Cat5. I feel my whole body begin to tingle and go numb. It is still very early, and I am by myself. I should just pick the phone up, but I walk in a daze to the house to tell Jeff. On the way to the house, the tears started to come, and the realization that this storm *could* be as bad or worse than Camille starts to sink in. I wake up Jeff, and in a trembling voice all I can get out of my mouth is "The winds are 165 mph." Jeff sits upright, and tells me to get back down to the shop to call my family and get them out of there.

I get Mom on the phone, and she already knows. I put on my very best calm adult voice so she will not hear the panic in my voice. More than anything, I need her to remain focused so I can talk her through evacuating. We start the preparations, and Mom decides that Ms. Margaret is going to ride with her, and they are going to follow my sis-in-law Kristen, and my 3 nieces, Kristen' sister Audra, and Kristen's grandma, Nona Watts to Gadsden, AL where Nona's daughter Dolly & her husband Steve live. Ordinarily, this is about a 7 hour trip.

They get on I-10 around noon. My brother, Hal, who is weary from evacuating for other storms that never did any damage, decides he is going to stay and ride this one out. I am silently freaking at this decision, and begin my campaign to get him to leave. My brother and I are different in many ways, but we always respect each others decisions. In one conversation I ask him "where is Jim Cantore?" He laughs & tells me "Jim is in Gulfport." For those of you who don't get the significance of the Cantore reference, it's a joke all along the Coastal areas that if Jim Cantore is in your town waiting for a hurricane, it's time to get your ass on the road to evacuate. We continue to watch the storm, and talk on the phone dozens of times, until I get the confirmation he is going to leave. He pulls out at 4pm and by taking backroads, is able to catch up with the rest of the family right outside of Mobile, AL at about 6pm. Mobile is a one hour trip. It had taken Mom & Kristen 6 hours. Great.

Gadsden, Alabama
The troupe arrives in Gadsden tired, but intact late Sunday evening. Hal calls, & we all say goodnight, and everyone tries to get some rest before the storm hits in the morning. All of us saying a little prayer for the Coast, and family and friends who did not evacuate. At this point, we are all still thinking New Orleans is still going to take a direct hit. Wrong again.

The "Curious Character" Blog

I found this blog while surfing for pictures of Hurricane Katrina, and thought it would be cool to share the link. The narration of Mark & his sister's trip to Bay St. Louis is captivating, and about as accurate as I have seen. Def worth a read.

Post Katrina Update

I moved this from the Drowning Creek site... it was originally posted on 9/23.


Photo taken from inside my brother's truck in Long Beach south of the tracks on September 11, 2005. We had to ask the Nat Guard what street we were turning onto even though we both grew up here.

Well, I am back in the shop after spending 2 weeks on the Mississippi Coast. It's a mess down there, but residents, and others are working tirelessly to clean up and rebuild. I have some pictures, and a much longer commentary to post on our blog, but it's going to take a few days for me to get all of it together.

If you would like to help by contributing to one of the many relief funds being established, here are some I recommend - I'll add more as I gather all my notes together:
Noah's Wish
Conscious Alliance
Preservation Hall
New Orleans Musician Relief Fund
Team Rescue

Be careful about donating to orgs that you do not know. Unfortunately, these disasters bring out the best and worst in people, and there are many trying to profit off of the good will of people who want to donate.

Jeff and I will be running some auctions soon to benefit the Musician's Relief Fund. We'll post details when we get the auctions ready to roll.
 
Thanks for all of the words of comfort, concern, and sympathy. It truly helps knowing that people have been concerned for myself & my family.

From Out of the Katrina Zone....

Q: What is George Bush’s position on Roe v. Wade?

A: He doesn’t care how people get out of New Orleans.

Mississippi Katrina Damage Not Being Covered...

I'm moving my Katrina stuff over to this blog page so Drowning Creek can resume the business of blogging about the art world.



Well, it's been over a month since Hurricane Katrina went on her rampage in South Mississippi, and pretty much destroyed the better part of a 90 mile area. Though images were shown on national news sources showing the complete and utter destruction of entire communities, it seems that the media has chosen to focus on New Orleans. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of destruction in NOLA to be reported, and since it is the city in which I came into this world, I am equally concerned about my friends in NOLA as I am with ALL areas affected by this storm.

But I have not forgotten about South Mississippi as it appears most of the major media has.

I got back from Long Beach almost 3 weeks ago. The devastation is unlike anything I have ever seen, even with the memories of Camille burned into my brain. The damage extends far inland, but there is almost complete non-existance on buildings for up to several blocks from Hwy 90 and Beach Drive along the entire Gulf Coast. To put this in perspective, Camille left much damage, but by far, there was not the entire erasure of communities from that storm. Homes that were not in flood zones flooded and were destroyed. Housesd that withstood Camille's fury were flattened by Katrina. Businesses were obliterated.

Where people were left homeless by Katrina, FEMA is tying those same folks up in a sea of bureaucracy. There are people living in makeshift tents and shelters all along the Coast who are without transportation, money, or the means to rebuild. Insurance companies told many they didn't need flood insurance, and now that their homes were destroyed by flood waters, they are discovering that they are not insured. Red Cross & FEMA are closing the Points of Distribution that have been supplying ice, water, and other amenities to these people, some who are still without power or running water.

Stores & schools are opening, and people ARE getting back to work, but there are many who are still trying to get on their feet. Trailers that are supposed to be brought in are coming slowly. There are thousands staged in other states, but they are not getting to the people who really need them as fast as they need to.

Anyway, despite all of the federal failures to step up to the plate, there are many private citizens and organizations who have taken it upon themselves to bring in much-needed supplies, to volunteer their time towards the cleanup, and feeding people who are temporarily homeless.

These people are ouur heroes.

Here is a list of some links to ordinary people doing extra ordinary things for people. If you're wanting to help in some small way, send them a blanket or a small donation of some sort.

The Blanket Brigade for Bay St. Louis

City Team Ministries

Giving Children Hope

Help for Pass Christian

There is also a list of other reputable charities that was compiled by South Mississippi's newspaper, The Sun Herald. Quite frankly, if you want to get your donations directly to the people who need them, I would avoid the Red Cross. Seems they are mired by the same bureaucracy that has FEMA dropping the ball.

Thanks,
Judy Gex