One more tidbit!!!! Hurricane Rita was churning in the Gulf in late September. We were so weakened by the Katrina strike and personally could not take living the way we did in her aftermath. We made reservations in Atlanta, Ga. and left our area. Hurricanes can be unpredictable as we very well know and we weren't going to take the chance.

Dave had brought a used mini van to get to work so he drove his family and I drove behind them in my car. None of us wanted to chance losing our cars to surge waters if the storm came in on us again.

When we hit the outskirts of Atlanta it was during rush hour as people just got off from work. Dave didn't always signal when he switched lanes and I broke all kinds of traffic laws to keep up with him. And then ... What I saw was like in slow motion. It seemed that when the people saw where we were hailing from they pulled way back and let us go through. Thank you Atlanta!!!

It has been over four months since Katrina made landfall and it would take me at least a year to write about it in detail so I have decided to still speak of Katrina but in a different way. It will affect our lives for a very long time but we will overcome. We will be made whole again and our children and grandchildren will be here to see a new Mississippi. It's right over the horizon! A new beginning!

Dave, Anita and grandchildren stayed with me for 12 days and then returned to their home where they are making repairs to their house. A slow process but accomplishments are being made.

Another daughter and her two sons lived in an apartment in Slidell, Louisiana and had evacuated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to a private church shelter. Their apartment was destroyed. An older daughter in Florida helped her sister get to her home where she stayed a few days before going to a hotel. The Red Cross picked up the tab. I sent money to bring her and the boys here with me until she could get back on her feet. They stayed a month and she returned to Florida where she is doing well.

I also have a daughter in Gulfport, Mississippi. Her home sustained only roof damage. She is an avid gardener and in June of 2005 there was a glowing article with pictures of her beautiful yards. Katrina swept the garden away.

Although my home was spared my sufferings came from the afflictions heaped on my daughters and their children. Before I end this post, I would like to give special thanks to my older daughter for her concern about the welfare of her sisters.

May God Bless You My Daughters!

Sep 1 cont ... What could only be a five mile drive seemed like an eternity as night had fallen and we had to avoid obstacles such as trees and power lines laying across the roads. When we arrived at the house, I quickly unlocked the door and hurried through the house turning on lights to "light" my way to the a/c unit in the hallway. "Hurry, hurry! Get the children inside!" "We can unload the car later!" I realized I was barking out orders like a drill sergeant but earlier I talked about flight or fight where I had chosen to fight and be d----- if I could be stopped now.

The baby needed special attention, the 2 yr. old girl already had what we then diagnosed as dysentary and the 7 and 8 yr. old boys were just plain listless. All of our faces were of a bright red color. NOW we had a chance to recover. The children were bathed as were my daughter and son in law. When my turn came there was no hot water. That's when we discovered the hot water tank wasn't working. We had simply used up what was left in the tank. In the desperate state of being we were in, none of us thought about contaminated water until much later. We were thankful we only drank bottled water.

Our flushed faces took on a paler color as our bodies cooled down. The daughter and her husband slept in my bed with the 2 yr. old girl and the baby girl in a playpen and a baby carrier respectively. I slept with the 7 and 8 yr. old boys in another bedroom. I say slept but during the night I had to move them over so I wouldn't fall from the bed, remove a foot from my back and an occasional arm flung across my face. None of that mattered as we were SAFE and going to live much better than we had during the previous days.

There is something I forgot and wonder how I could have. Daughter had rescued a mother cat and 4 newborn kittens just before Katrina struck. They were bedded down on the back porch. And then there was "Judge", a border collie that stayed inside. He was a great houseguest!

Sep 1 cont ... Upon entering the neighborhood where my daughter, son in law and four grandkids lived I was filled with apprehension. I had experienced this same feeling when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Flight or Fight. Run a way from what would bring me much pain or stay by his side and face whatever came. I stayed. We had nine more happy years together. So.... knowing this was also at times going to bring me pain I opened the door to their house and said "I'm back!"

The day was no different than the three days before. We were tired, dirty and so darn HOT. Please God please! We took turns mopping up the water seepage through the floors and did all we could possibly do to keep the children content.

A neighbor came to tell us that a semi was in the area with supplies. Dave ran down the street to get what we needed off the truck. Diapers, lots of water, can goods, toilet tissue etc. Friends of another neighbor had gotten the supplies and drove them into the subdivision.

We decided to call my next door neighbor and ask if they needed water. He said he had been trying to call but couldn't get a connection. The power was on. You have never seen anyone move as fast as we did gathering supplies, and getting the children into the car. We knew it was after curfew so we drove with bated breath. Nothing was going to stop us. We were headed for air conditioning!!!!

More to come ...

Sep 1 ... Arose early in the morning more exhausted than ever because I had slept in a leather recliner and was so hot that my body was literally stuck to it. I went outdoors and inspected the house for damage. Three back porch screens were torn loose and a very tall pine tree was leaning toward the house. The once pretty yards were ankle deep with debri. Oaks were stripped of their leaves. A wooden privacy fence in the back yard was now listing.

Inside the house I took thawed and rotting meat out to the garbage can. Furniture that I had moved was put back in place. It was now time to go back to Anita, Dave and the kids. We had no way to contact one another and I was worried about them as they were about me.

I inched my way down the streets carefully avoiding debri in the roads. In the light of day the devastation was breathtaking and unbelievable. It was so eerily quiet. Was like the world had ended and this ONE lone car was taking this lady back to the devastation she had left just the night before. I cried all the way to their house!

More to come ...

With Christmas behind me, I will continue with the aftermath of Katrina. The dates may not be accurate as our circumstances were taking a toll mentally as well as physically.

Aug.31 cont.. It is day 3 and our struggle to survive another day was in rapid decline. Depression was setting in living under such deplorable conditions. Sewage had backed up in the house and mold was beginning to grow. Although we had taken the wet carpet from the house water continued to seep through the slab. The flies swarmed because of the rotten meat in the garbage cans. Mosquitos thrived in the heat and dampness. There was no way to keep the insects from coming into the house as we had to open the windows or suffocate.

My anguish in not knowing if my home had survived was becoming increasingly more stressful for me. We didn't have transportation to get to the house. On several occasions the son in law would ride his bicycle in search of ice or milk for the children.. Should I lay yet another burden on him with the request I was going to make?

If my home was still there and livable I could take my daughter and her family to my house where they would be more comfortable. SO I asked and he said YES! Before departure on his bicycle I gave him my keys to bring the car back with him if all was well. Within the hour he drove up with the car. When he walked in the door and looked at me my heart was pounding waiting for him to speak. He simply said, "Your house is fine." I began to cry from a gamut of feelings. They had lost so much and I didn't lose anything. The emotion of that was hard to bear.

Later that day I drove to the house. There was no power and although I knew it would be very uncomfortable to stay the night, I was HOME!

More to come...

The year 2005 started like any other but in August it ended in devastation for Mississippi. Our slate was wiped clean and now we have a chance to begin again. Most people celebrated the Christmas season regardless of their loss. Even Fema trailers were decorated. One I found particularly interesting was one that was tied with a big red bow like a present. Over the years, my home decorations would get more elaborate. What Katrina has taught me is that simplicity has always been the most beautiful. The big red bow signified to me that there was love within the family who occupied the trailer.

A decorated mantel and a wreath on the door was enough!


camille and katrina were not ladies

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.