HAPPY NEW YEAR MISSISSIPPI

Today memories of "Auld Lang Syne" are racing through my mind of days gone by. So I raise a glass of cheer in celebration to the people of the Mississippi towns I have lived in.

"Here's to You and Thanks for the Memories"!!!!!!

Pascagoula, Biloxi, Kosciusko, Gulfport, Lumberton and Moss Point.

"Life is not ending

Old treasures will mingle

Amongst a new beginning"

Well Christmas is over and I am glad. Was more depressed than happy. I did attend church and thanked the Lord for my family and prayed for all the hurting people in our area. My unhappiness stems from comments coming from people in forums. It seems as though if you didn't totally lose everything you own that you have no needs. If you had a large beautiful home that was reduced to a "slab" you still have no needs. The consensus seems to be that you can build again. Good grief! With what? Pay two mortgages? No flood insurance to help. Get real people. Not possible! This isn't the time to be petty. It is a time for us to reach out to one another and share the different problems we all have. Three of my four daughters suffered losses in varying degrees.

Last week, I volunteered four days of my time to help at a distribution center. The wonderful people of Minnesota sent beautiful clothes (new) to help us all. I met various people and felt empathy for each of them. My point is that they were from all walks of life and their needs were great regardless of the positions they held prior to Katrina.

Let's work together! Volunteer and serve the people of the coast when you can. We can overcome this grave adversity by walking hand and hand into a brighter future.

God Bless Us All!!!

So many people from all around the United States have generously helped stand us on our feet again. We have come together as united people, no boundaries can separate us.

Many years ago, I married a young guy from Chicago, Illinois. A midwesterner but I referred to him as a "Yankee". When he took me to his home to meet his relatives my words became even more slurred as my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. Maybe it was because they would say, "Listen to her Say something to them". I didn't know until much later that they found my drawl rather charming.

So the poem below was inspired by all of you midwesterners. Actually, any of you that haven't a southern accent. Although I still believe that "Yall" works better than "Youse", I extend my hand to "Youse" guys.

Charming is my soft drawl
When I say things like, "Come back yall"
Means I am saying goodbye to more than one
An invitation that leaves out none

Midwestern husband began to correct my every word to help me speak my best he said
At him, many times, my eyes sparked fires of "red"

He used his dialect as the proper way to speak
Making the art of language so sleek
"Youse" he would say sounds better than "Yall"
Have to confess that between us this caused a brawl

Soon had me speaking like him
Thinking before I spoke made me sound so prim
All my southern charm would disappear
But enunciation was clear

Eventually, I had enough and spoke rough
When provoked a southern girl can get tough

"I AM FROM THE SOUTH"!!!
"NOW YOU HUSH YOUR MOUTH"!!!

Thank you! God Bless You!

A few words of encouragement to all of you in the aftermath of Katrina. The words below are my words as I have had to walk through this life facing many challenges. A positive attitude and prayer work miracles.

Walking with courage

Focused on a better day

Obtains the foreseen

I have taken a break from writing about Katrina as we have entered the Christmas season. We are all suffering hardships to some degree. Those who lost a loved one are especially hurting at this time. Christmas is called the season of love and rightfully so. We give and we receive because there is love. Most importantly, we celebrate the birth of Our Lord. Faith in Him will turn the catastrophe that hit our beloved Mississippi Coast into a bright new world for all of us.

The poem below is one that I wrote about Christmas' past in my home.

My home at Christmas is a sight to behold

All tinseled out in ribbons of silver and gold
Front door wreath welcomes all
Who may come to call

Warmth of a cozy fire entwines
And enhances the scent of cinnamon and pine

The smell of Christmas plays a big part
With the memories I hold in my heart

Twinkling lights cast a magic spell

On Christmas’ past for some to dwell
When all our dear ones were here
Enjoying the same fun and cheer

Presents laying everywhere
Decorated with color and flair
Yarns of red, gold, green and blue
Garnish gifts from me to you

Alabama’s “Christmas In Dixie” fills the air
Sending wishes to people everywhere
From my house to yours I send
This message too, my friend

Delicious food of beef and ham
Perhaps a leg of lamb or something gourmet
Could be on the menu this special day
Chicken and oyster gumbo as the main course
My mother’s family recipe the source

Fine wines to enjoy and savor
Gives food a better flavor
Homemade fudge, pies and cake
Something of which all can partake

Grandchildren listening for Santa’s reindeer
Cause radar tracking says he is near
Visions of toys dancing in little heads
As they sleepily snuggle in their beds

Sitting on a side table
Is a moss covered little stable
In humbleness a little “babe” lies
As a man on a rugged cross he dies
Obtaining for us paradise as the ultimate prize!

Merry Christmas!

Still no relief on August 31st. We had jugs of water but we desperately needed ICE. The tremendous heat and humidity was beginning to affect all of us. Something as simple as ice was uppermost in our minds. There was no electricity, running water, or telephone. A decent meal could not be cooked as grill had been under water. Oh yes --- we had cans of potted meat, spam, crackers and pork "n" beans but still we were hungry!

We were dirty and tired. The heat was sapping our strength. I was the older one in the family and on three medications to control blood pressure. My medications would not last much longer. It wasn't a senseless oversight in preparation on my part as phamacist's will not let you stock up on drugs. No blame people ---- who could have known the disaster that would befall our beloved Mississippi.

Insects were invading the house. Mosquitos, beetles, flies and the dreaded ROACH! A praying mantis took refuge on ceiling in the kitchen. I was thankful that there were no snakes!

More to come ........

The hardships and agony that Katrina would bring in her aftermath continues to this date as flashbacks. We had no transportation as both cars in the household succumbed to the flood waters wrought by Katrina's storm surge. There was no way to check on the condition of MY home as we had no phone service and cell phones could not pick up a signal.

The carpets in the house were soggy and "squished" when walking on them. We were all very tired and traumatized and tried to bring normalcy to what was abnormal. We constantly swept water from the kitchen floors as there was a continuous seepage from the carpets in the house. We kept our shoes on while in the water knowing that was not going to protect us from possible contamination. The 7 and 8 year old boys were sent upstairs to stay dry. The 2 yr. old girl stayed in her highchair and the 17 day old baby girl in her bassinet.

Our preparations for bed that evening were not the greatest but it was all that could be done. Although we had shut off the main power supply leading into the house, the boys were not allowed to sleep upstairs. We wanted everyone close in case there was more to deal with. The two baby beds were in fine condition so the two little girls had a dry place to sleep. My daughter and her husband slept in a soggy bed The boys and I slept in the living room. One slept on an air mattress and the other in a recliner. I laid on a sofa that was wet but not soggy. Believe me there is a vast difference. At least twice during the night my daughter got up to fix a bottle for the baby. I lay there watching her and tears would well up in my eyes. She had been so happy just 17 days before with the new arrival in her family. In an instant, what life was a short time ago had become another reality. One of vast devastation!

August 30th ..... A rising sun greeted us and brought back the unbearable heat of August. It is a suffocating heat that requires drinking plenty of fluids to ward off dehydration. The baby was being affected by the heat. We would sponge her down and take turns fanning her. I was very worried about her but wouldn't voice how I felt. She could die. Please Lord NO! We kept the windows open and on rare occasions we were able to create a draft. There are no screens on the windows and various insects came inside. The biting flies were the worse. The 2 yr. old girl had fly bites all over her body. Another worry that she could contract a disease.

What ice we had melted in the refrigerator along with the rotting meat. As a morale builder for the worried parents, I would tell them that help was coming soon as it had during hurricane Camille. Water and ice was brought to our doors and in rural areas dropped from helicopters. So we held on to that hope and waited.

more to come ........

The nightmare of Katrina began for me a couple of days before she made landfall. Because my home is in a low lying area, mandatory evacuation is required.

Preparations are made when a hurricane is out in the Gulf. I gathered all important documents and other valuables. Back porch furniture was moved inside. All loose objects secured. Whatever dry foods or can goods I had in pantry were packed to go. Said a goodbye to the meat in the freezer that was replaced after Tropical storm Cindy in early July. There are pieces of furniture that I have kept over the years out of sentiment, valuable only in my eyes. I chose to move the piano away from the windows and cover it with blankets and heavy sheets of plastic. A chest filled with dishes was slid inch by inch across the floor to what I determined was a safer resting place. It too was covered with blankets and plastic.

I have always considered myself to be self sufficient but will readily admit that I can't lift and nail heavy sheets of plywood over the windows. So I called and asked my son in law for help. You know, like my daughter and he didn't have anything to do. They had a new baby girl that was born on August 12th, a 2 yr. old girl and boys aged 7 and 8. I also asked if they could make room for my car in their garage so it wouldn't get nicked by flying debri. That wasn't possible with all they had in "their" garage so my car stayed in "my" garage. When my son in law finished putting plywood over the windows he evacuated me to their house. This was August 28th. We were watching ALL the weather alerts! Katrina was forecast to hit Buras, Louisiana and pass west of New Orleans. We made remarks like looks like another dud. The usual hype! Not that we wanted it to hit our friends in Louisiana but we weren't mentioned as a possible strike until much, much later. In fact, after the fact.

Of course we didn't sleep well that night. In the morning, with a cup of coffee in our hands, we stood on the front porch observing the weather. It was cold so we put on sweaters. COLD with a hurricane coming! Unbelievable! There was no rain. It sprinkled! This storm was not like any I had experienced. There are typical things associated with a hurricane. It's very hot and humid. Sweat pours from your brow into your eyes. The wind gusts are there long before the storm arrives and when the hurricane makes landfall the gusts become SUSTAINED winds. They bend 75 ft. pine trees in half.

The daughter and I heard this low eery rumble. She felt a sensation in her calves like numbness. I didn't feel the sensation but my mind regressed back to July 1994 while vacationing in Mexico City. I felt the same sensation and the natives told me that it was caused by an earthquake tremor. Although it is known that Mexico is prone to earthquakes, an event that was to occur within that week was that a comet was going to collide with Jupiter.

"Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was discovered by Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy in 1993. Shortly after its discovery it was determined to be in a highly elliptical path near Jupiter and on a collision course. It was difficult to calculate its orbit prior to its 1992 pass near the giant planet In 1992, SL 9 passed by Jupiter within the Roche limit. It was broken into at least 21 separate fragments which were dispersed several million kilometers along its orbit. The size and mass of the original body and the individual fragments were still highly uncertain. The estimates range from 2 to 10 km in diameter for the original body and from 1 to 3 km for the largest fragments."

Collision was expected in July between the 16-22. The fragments impacted the upper atmosphere of Jupiter on July 21, 1994.

My thoughts quickly returned to the present moment. We went back inside and about 10 minutes later the son in law said it was raining. We went to look and there had been a little rain but it stopped. As we stood on the porch the wind gusts got stronger. The low rumble was still heard. And then ..Wham! Out of nowhere water started traveling down the street like rapids at a very fast speed. Someone's dining room table, a rabbit hutch, clothing, lumber and toys were in the raging water. The house is at a 14 ft. elevation and within 15 minutes, the water was coming under the front door and all the doors at rear of house. Water started gurgling through the concrete slab. Panic set in as we scrambled to get the children out of the water. The house has a second floor so we sat them on the stairs. We frantically ran around trying to get important things out of the way. A car horn started blowing and we realized it was the family car in the garage. We watched as the electrical system shorted out. The water was still rushing into the house and we all went up and set around the landing at the top of stairs not daring to venture too far into upper house.

It occured to all of us that the water could wash the house off it's foundation causing it to collapse. We had a few life vests but they were too small for the boys. When my daughter put one of the vests on the 2 yr. old girl and it fit, we cried. How do you save one child and not all of them. The baby girl was only 17 days old. We called 911 over and over but never got a response. The water was slowly creeping up the stairs. Our local station WLOX was off the air. The radio was mostly static, but we heard a Pensacola station talking via telephone to a guy near New Orleans who said the storm should last another 4 to 6 hours. We would not last that long! We cried for the neighbors. When we dared look out the upstairs window, the houses that were not two story had water almost to their roofs. The son in law's truck parked in the driveway was completely submerged Miracuously, the water started receding as fast as when it came in. It would recede and then come back, recede and come back, until finally it was over.

The link below will show a picture of how the neighborhood looked taken from front door of daughter's house just before the water climbed the steps and came inside. Daughter's home is at a 14ft. elevation.

photobucket.com/albums/a47/paglia/HurricaneKatrina011.jpg

We were sweeping water out of the house when WLOX came back on and said they had lost contact with the national hurricane center so they didn't know what had happened. It must have turned. All the homes in Delmas Estates were gutted. Daughter's house was gutted on bottom floor, roof was damaged and large hole was in an upstairs wall that faces south. They lost both of their vehicles, all the downstairs furniture, appliances, clothing, cookware, photos and the children's toys.

My daughter, son in law and I talked about our thoughts during the worse moments of the storm. I had asked Our Lord to spare this young family, especially the children. To use my body so they could hang on and stay afloat. More to come .......

My hometown is Pascagoula, Mississippi and the link below is just a minute part of the damage that Hurricane Katrina inflicted on August 29, 2005. The hurricane has passed but the lives of the people go on. So many are homeless and can't afford to build again. They are scattered around the United States seeking refuge while their hearts remain on the coast of Mississippi.

Damage on Beach Blvd.

Moss Point, Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis and Waveland. This is the coast we all know. We are all in close proximity to one another. All cities would be in agreement that we are ONE as Mississippi Coast residents.

Keep us in your prayers !

My Thoughts On Various Hurricanes

I have listed several noteworthy happenings in 1969 so you can regress back to that period of time:

January 1969........Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as 37th President of the United States

March 1969...........Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, died

July1969................Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, first to walk on moon

The link below contains pictures of Hurricane Camille. Remember this happened 36 years ago before photography was far advanced. The population was smaller and most homes were also smaller and modest.

http://www.harrison.lib.ms.us/library_services/camille_pics.htm

My name is Ruth and I reside in Moss Point, Mississippi I am the mother of four daughters. The youngest daughter has a blog on her Katrina experiences before and after the disaster. Her name is Anita. She resides in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The distance between our homes is just a "hop" and a "skip".

Some may call me a veteran with considerable knowledge on hurricanes as I have lived on the Coast of Mississippi my entire life. In Pascagoula, Ms. where I grew up and before they named hurricanes. I went through a 1947 hurricane which devastated Biloxi, Ms. My hometown is only 20 miles from Biloxi so we sustained considerable damage. Because this particular hurricane had "two" eyes, the locals, dubbed it "Ole Double Eye".

On August 17/18, 1969, Hurricane Camille struck the coast. I lived in Gulfport, Ms., with my husband and three daughters. We invited another couple with two small children to stay inland with us as they lived on the beach front.

The winds started raging at approximately 11PM on the night of the 17th and continued until dawn the morning of the 18th. The power went off immediately. No air conditioning. One would have to live here to know how hot it can be in Mississippi in August. What can I say except, "It is hot as we imagine hell will be". The continual roar of the wind was deafening. Inside walls began vibrating, windows were bowing inward, countless tornadoes were passing over the house. We could hear trees splitting and the sound as they crashed to the ground. There was the clang of metal as flying debris hit the house. Our eyes were always in an upward glance as we feared the roof would be torn off. On our battery operated radio we were able to pick up a local station and the commentor said in a very frantic voice, "downtown Gulfport is gone!"

Instinctively we turned two sofas on their sides, placed a mattress on top and had the children crawl into this makeshift cubbyhole. Just maybe they would stand a chance if the roof collasped. Each of us were left with our own thoughts and mine were only God can save us! We prayed aloud begging God for mercy. The storm vent its fury with a howling wind of over 200 mph that caused horrific noises as the outside of the house was battered and torn.

At first light, we slowly opened the front door and stood silently looking at the destruction. The bombing of HIROSHIMA came to mind. Seemingly dazed neighbors cautiously exited their homes and joined the silent vigil. When we did speak our voices sounded hollow.

The couple that stayed with us lost their home. Damages to our home were repairable.

"Hurricane Camille is said to be the worst storm ever to hit mainland United States. With winds in excess of 200 mph and tides over 20 feet, Hurricane Camille smashed into the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sunday night, the 17th of August and continued its devastating path until the early hours of Monday, the 18th."

In the ensuing years we always expected another Camille, as we believe lightning can strike twice in the same place. Personally, since Camille struck 22 years after the 1947 storm, I estimated a possible intense hurricane would arrive in 1991. Okay!!!! So the lucky number was 36 years.

In 1979 there was Frederic, in 1985 there was Elena, in 1998 there was Georges but no storm was comparable to the devastation of Hurricane Camille.

The threat of a hurricane is to be expected living on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. We board up our windows , stock up on three days of food and water, and have extra batteries for radios and flashlights. Were we senseless for not evacuating? We were always told that it was safer to stay in our homes and if we did receive orders to evacuate that we should stay in the state near our homes. The preparations I have described are listed in our telephone directories.

In the year 2004, the hurricane activity increased. The state of Florida experienced Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. In 2005, they experienced Dennis, Katrina and Wilma.

In our uncertainty of where Hurricane Ivan was going to make landfall, we evacuated to Birmingham, Alabama.

At a later date, I am going to share with you what it was like going through the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 and the aftermath.