ghost
06-02-2007, 08:14 PM
Personal story when we were in Bay. St. 3 days after Katrina.
So there we were, the four of us. We had been in Bay St. Louis all day helping my bosses friend from Atlanta find his daughter and his xwife at the Stennis Space Center in MS. We found them early in the morning around 11am. Down the unknowing path of I-10, to this little town where the eye went over at. 10,000+ Refugess here from all over the MS gulf coast, army helicopters flying in with bodies and survivors from NOLA. 100's of Ambulances awaiting call to where to go next to find people, retrieve bodies along the coast.
FEMA working there ass off, shortage of doctors, no communication and the trucks to navigate the base were starting to run out of fuel. FEMA food supply trucks and water trucks flying in at the gate. We walked that day through what looked like a warzone, we were hunting for a house near the shore where his xwife had lived at. Carefully navigating our way, you could smell the death, dead animals, dead bodies and some people cleaning what they could of what was left of there houses.
Power companies working 24/7, looking tired to restore posibilities. It was what 90% of americans in the country at the time would only see on the news, not having an actual idea of the damage Katrina had caused. You could see the people trying to move on, trying to work and continue on despite the chaos, seeing people break down crying. It gets to you after hours of this, you dont know what to tell them. Then at the end of the day after checking the fuel and resecuring everything on the vehicle we had to depart.
Bodies drained and EMTs still coming in waves from FL and surrounding states to help, I saw her, a little girl maybe 6 years old, and I will never forget her or what she did. She had in her tiny hands peices of paper, printer paper and she walked up to 2 EMTs coming in the door, both of the ladies tired and dragging there luggage into the Stennis Naval Command Center. The little girl approached and handed a sheet of paper to them each and said simple "thank you". They were thank you cards she had hand made, and was giving them to the EMTs. After everything I had seen that day, and still had to go through in Mobile with no gas, low food and no power, it took all I could to keep from breaking down. This lil girl with probably no real concept had done the greatest thing in the world at that moment. She wasnt blaming the govt., FEMA and God like the media and so many others were. She was saying thank you to the people that were doing the hardest work at the moment. For a moment, you could see a chance for things despite all the madness at the time. We left 1 hour later, though even now, a couple years after the storm, I will never forget that moment in time.
So this hurricane season people be smart, if they say evacuate get out if you can. Work with those around you, and remember, matierial possions can be replaced the lives of you and your loved ones cant. Dont be an idiot thinking you are better than the storm, dont be a hero.
So there we were, the four of us. We had been in Bay St. Louis all day helping my bosses friend from Atlanta find his daughter and his xwife at the Stennis Space Center in MS. We found them early in the morning around 11am. Down the unknowing path of I-10, to this little town where the eye went over at. 10,000+ Refugess here from all over the MS gulf coast, army helicopters flying in with bodies and survivors from NOLA. 100's of Ambulances awaiting call to where to go next to find people, retrieve bodies along the coast.
FEMA working there ass off, shortage of doctors, no communication and the trucks to navigate the base were starting to run out of fuel. FEMA food supply trucks and water trucks flying in at the gate. We walked that day through what looked like a warzone, we were hunting for a house near the shore where his xwife had lived at. Carefully navigating our way, you could smell the death, dead animals, dead bodies and some people cleaning what they could of what was left of there houses.
Power companies working 24/7, looking tired to restore posibilities. It was what 90% of americans in the country at the time would only see on the news, not having an actual idea of the damage Katrina had caused. You could see the people trying to move on, trying to work and continue on despite the chaos, seeing people break down crying. It gets to you after hours of this, you dont know what to tell them. Then at the end of the day after checking the fuel and resecuring everything on the vehicle we had to depart.
Bodies drained and EMTs still coming in waves from FL and surrounding states to help, I saw her, a little girl maybe 6 years old, and I will never forget her or what she did. She had in her tiny hands peices of paper, printer paper and she walked up to 2 EMTs coming in the door, both of the ladies tired and dragging there luggage into the Stennis Naval Command Center. The little girl approached and handed a sheet of paper to them each and said simple "thank you". They were thank you cards she had hand made, and was giving them to the EMTs. After everything I had seen that day, and still had to go through in Mobile with no gas, low food and no power, it took all I could to keep from breaking down. This lil girl with probably no real concept had done the greatest thing in the world at that moment. She wasnt blaming the govt., FEMA and God like the media and so many others were. She was saying thank you to the people that were doing the hardest work at the moment. For a moment, you could see a chance for things despite all the madness at the time. We left 1 hour later, though even now, a couple years after the storm, I will never forget that moment in time.
So this hurricane season people be smart, if they say evacuate get out if you can. Work with those around you, and remember, matierial possions can be replaced the lives of you and your loved ones cant. Dont be an idiot thinking you are better than the storm, dont be a hero.