Day #3, Made it to Mississippi

I finally made it to Mississippi today. If it's possible the live 1000 years in one day, today was my thousand year day.

It's hard to know where to start, because the day began as a travel day much like the last 2. I enjoyed the music and scenery and the Bay of Mobile drive is spectacular. Geeze, I have not been a very good American about seeing my own country while I've done a ton of Europe. Shame on me.

When I hit Interstate 10, the hurricane damage began to creep up on me as I drove west toward New Orleans. It began with billboards and trees, then roofs were damaged, then roofs were gone...When I hit the bridge in Mississippi, part of the eastbound flow had been chewed up and spit out. I knew that if a storm could do this much damage to concrete and iron girders, what I was about to come upon in Bay St. Louis/Waveland was going to be difficult.
I met up with our Phi Mu sister Stacy Garcia, who lost everything in the hurricane and gave her a few things,including your good wishes, then drove to Bay St. Louis to deliver hurricane relief items I had in the Uhaul. Stacy gave me directions to go to the end of the road and take a left to get to the red cross shelter at the high school, but I think she intended for me to turn off before the beach. I did not do that, and ended up on another planet.
Mattresses in trees, foundations of homes with no home on top of them, parts of peoples lives strewn all over the sand. Aside from the one lone hold out ( with an American flag in front of his tent and a sign that said " come on the property and I will shoot") there was no one there except the military who were patrolling and the electric companies trying to re-string wires for power to homes that no longer exist. Very surreal.
I turned around. I drove back to the main street, or what was left of it. People are staying in tents everywhere...They have nothing, and are trying to piece lives together out of whatever small amount of relief supplies that may have landed nearby. I thought to myself ~ is this my country?

I was directed to drop items at the airport where the military are staging a substantial relief effort..But it seems to be a lot of planning right now, and they are miles from the heart of the people they are there to serve. Maybe they will transport them over once tents are set up, I don't know. I dropped the items I had brought in the uhaul and drove back to Hattiesburg at dusk so that I could avoid being stuck in the car all night with no way to get out after Marshall Law kicks in.

Cathy Sessums has graciously allowed me to stay in her very palacious home while I am here which allows me to go back to Bay St. Louis tomorrow. I'm going to stop at Walmart and buy more supplies to donate...they need EVERYTHING.

I will stop at Shellye's on the way home later in the week.

It is an amazing grace that we all stand together to help each other.
While dropping off supplies, I was interviewed by channel 4, WNBC out of New York! It should be on tomorrow's news, not sure if it's am or pm, but if you are in the NYC market, you should see me dropping off supplies and answering questions. I guarantee they butcher my last name, but what the heck!

Thumbs up today to:
*Target! They have a Starbucks in Target! I finally got a good cup of coffee!
*Lots of heavy duty construction vehicles heading into the damage area....
*Dixie! It's not just a little cup to drink out of at night. It's a way of life.
*The blessing of sun and clear weather for the drive
*Spanish moss hanging from trees...makes me think of the bayou.
*The Mississippi delta. It's beautiful
*Gas at 2.59 a glon!
*Gas at 2.45 per gallon!
*A butterfly who flew around my car while I waited in traffic on I-10
* The blessed resilience of the human spirit.

Thumbs Down:
* Traffic! Due to the storm, but I do hate sitting in traffic to cross a bridge for an hour.
* The bridge crossing into mobile...It's high! I'm afraid of heights! I almost hyperfine when I crossed the highest part!
* No phone signal in many areas here, understandable, but worries my husband when he cannot reach me and does not know where I am.


God bless, and thank you for the generosity of your spirits as so many of you have hearts as open as the sea....

Audrey

FYI, here is an update on Stacy and her family as of 10/21/05...
Stacy called me the other day and we had a wonderful long chat! As she said, email just can't do justice to all she had to relay. All is going as well as expected on her end. Her grandparents have moved out of the Orange Beach apt into a small trailer that she can, at least, call her own and they have been reunited with their dear doggie, who's been spending the time in a local kennel. They have registered for a FEMA trailer, but not sure when or where that will happen. Life is hectic for Stacy, Phil & little Philip as they daily try to cope with what life has sent them. They will be keeping the Orange Beach condo til at least after Xmas so that their entire family will have some place to congregate for the holidays. At present, Stacy & Phil go back on weekends, spending the week in the their little trailer. Stacy's school has reopened & she's busy trying to make some sort of normalcy for her kids. Phil is busy trying to get commercial heating & cooling systems up and running all over the area. Little Philip's birthday party was a huge success, if only attended by a small group. Last, but certainly not least, Stacy has been so overwhelmed by the love of her Phi Mu sisters that its gotten her through most every trial.....Anyway, it was so wonderful to chat with her and know that I've made a distinct contribution to helping her family begin the road to recovery. :)

Just wanted to share with you!

love in our bond,
Lynn