(Map courtesy of MapQuest, Inc.)
John Sperath, Billy Gilbert and I piled into Chief Haraway's Chevy Blazer around 3:30pm on Thursday, 1/12. Each of us drove for several hours at a time, and except for meals and nature breaks, we didn't stop until we reached Waveland, Mississippi almost 14 hours later, shortly after 4am Central Standard Time (in our planning, we forgot to account for the time zone change!) On this trip, I found that there ARE some advantages to being small - as I was the only one who could stretch out comfortably in the Blazer! After the first four-hour stretch, we thought we were going to have to extricate John from the back seat.
It was still completely dark when we finally arrived in Waveland, so we couldn't see much as we wandered the empty streets. We could barely make out some damaged buildings in the shadows, but we also saw a Wal-Mart, a Sav-a-Center, a hotel, and several other large buildings that seemed intact, and thought at first that perhaps things were getting back to normal here. But when we found the Waffle House, and saw a hand-written sign that they were only open from 7a - 9p, that was our first indication that all was not right in this town - I've never seen a Waffle House that wasn't open 24 hours a day!
Not wanting to wake up the firefighters at this ungodly hour, we decided to find a parking spot and catch a bit of shut-eye. At 7a we joined the rush entering the Waffle House. By 7:01a, the restaurant was full and the waiting area was standing-room only. It was then that we realized that this was probably one of the few eating establishments that was up and running, hence the mob.
After breakfast, we drove to Waveland Fire Department's temporary station that was set up on Gulfside Drive. In the daylight, we finally saw the reality - only a small portion of the Wal-Mart was open, and the Sav-a-Center and the hotel which had seemed intact from the outside were actually gutted. Though we were still quite far from the beach, there were more damaged buildings than not. And one of the eeriest sights - a water mark on the outside walls of the big box stores that was FAR over my head!
I'm not sure what any of us were expecting to see, but I AM sure that what greeted our eyes was more devastation than I could ever have imagined would result from a hurricane! As we headed south toward town, we saw countless structures that were gutted, missing roofs, torn off their foundations, or in heaps altogether. In residential areas, most houses were in shambles, and those residents who had returned were living in mobile trailers or tents in the yard or driveway. But the worst was yet to come - closer to the beach, as far as we could see not a single structure was even recognizable. Houses and their contents were shattered and strewn about like matchsticks, enormous trees were uprooted, and vehicles still lay where they had been thrown, some upside down, others buried in debris, all totalled.
Asst. Chief Smith met us at their station. After riding out a torrential wind and rain storm standing in the bays (apparently they were under a tornado watch the morning we arrived), he offered to give us a tour of their town. As you look through the photos below, keep one thing in mind - by this time, it had been nearly 5 MONTHS since the storm. Even 5 weeks would be too long for many to endure living in a tent or a trailer, especially in the winter. And these folks still have a LONG road ahead of them.
Photos below were taken by John, Billy and myself. Click the thumbnails to view a larger image in a separate browser window.
Those that had returned have taken up residence in temporary quarters while they work to rebuild. The lucky ones were living in these...
... those less fortunate were living in these.
Imagine what a cold hard winter that would be!
Where would you start?!
Property owners have to give permission for someone to come in and clear the lot...
...but with people still scattered all over the country, much of it has remained untouched.
Despite the devastation, there were many signs of defiance and resilience...
...and some folks were even able to show a sense of humor!
This sign reassures: "Katrina was big - but GOD is BIGGER"
An admirable persistence (the sign reads "I'm Still Here")...
...and a LOT of faith...
...with a pinch of optimism!
A 30-foot storm surge tossed cars around like toys
A bit topsy-turvy...
This was just a roof. Where the house was that used to be underneath it, is anyone's guess.
Each structure had its own heart-wrenching story to tell. Scrawled on the side of this house: "Manny & Carol & Family OK"
And on the side of this one: "Todd & Chanell OK Need help finding mother's urn of ashes"
This one bore the proof that Virginia's Task Force team had searched it for victims
Not only did the saltwater take the structures - it is also killing many of the once-beautiful trees.
Asst. Chief Smith said "It may not look like it to you but, a LOT of progress has been made since the storm..."
He went on to explain, "At least most of the houses are off to the side now, rather than in the MIDDLE of the roads!"
We figured insurance would eventually pay for most of this. But apparently, a lot of companies are calling this "flood damage", and many of these people DIDN'T have flood insurance!
So... what would YOU do?
There WAS a lot of cleanup work in progress
And you thought we had a lot of dump trucks in Wake County - well let me tell you what.....
By now this was all probably old hat to Asst. Chief Smith (center). But for us, it was hard to find the words as we surveyed the scene
This was the only way to tell which lot was whose
On the waterfront, the force of the storm was even more evident. Of the once-gorgeous homes, steel frames and the foundation was all that remained.
Even those that had block structures weren't much better off
We saw photos at the fire station of what this area used to look like. This was once a beautifully manicured lawn.
All of these beach front houses were swept off their stilts...
...further in-land, we could see a very distinct debris line, almost like you see when the tide goes out, except instead of shells and seaweed on the beach, it was roofs and walls and furniture and cars and bits and pieces of people's lives scattered in the trees
This town's entire infrastructure was damaged as well. Asst. Chief Smith said they had long ago turned off the natural gas supply due to the ruptured lines.
Things that we normally take for granted, like going down the road to get fuel - all of that was taken away.
Even simple things, like finding one's way around here, are difficult now - with no landmarks, no street signs...
This was the town pier
Look at what the surge did to the asphalt!
This gives a perspective of how high the water came. It completely washed out the first floor, and did a heck of a job on the second floor as well
Every once in awhile, we would see a lone structure off in the distance that had somehow remained standing
In the background, construction crews are working hard to rebuild this bridge, which had come crashing down into the water during the storm
The services go on...
...and though some are a little tattered, the flags are still flying high
Where the Waveland City Hall used to be, one of the few things left standing was this sign, which gave thanks to those who had supported the town after Hurricane Camille had decimated it in 1969
This was the main street downtown.
Hope no one was inside when that roof came off!
As you go back to your own homes, and crawl into your own warm beds at night, please do not forget about these people. As long as it takes, I hope we will all do everything that we can to help those in need.
(Map courtesy of MapQuest, Inc.)
