Gulfport, Mississippi...What a mess...

[glockman99]

I lived in Gulfport, MS for a couple years (back in '80-'81), and it totally breaks my heart to watch the videos today of the total destruction and flooding that hurricane Katrina caused yesterday to what used to be Gulfport, MS.

It really hurts to see what those people are facing in the days, weeks, and months to come as they try to get their lives back. I have had tears in my eyes thinking about this.. I have tried calling a couple friends that I still have there in Gulfport, but still no answer...But then, with all electricity and communications down, I really didn't expect to get through...

...And then I heard on the news today that over a 100 people have been killed so far in Gulfport & Biloxi due to Katrina, and that the final count could easily triple (or more) before the total count is over...

Those of you who believe in prayer, please send a few to Gulfport and Biloxi.

 

[jsmatos]

Glockman,

The news coming out regarding this hurricane has been horrible. I'm terribly sorry for all of those who have suffered, and will continue to suffer, in the weeks, months, and years to come. I know how you feel when you talk about your past in Gulfport, MS. I've felt it before when I've watched the devastation hit West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Port St. Lucie, Florida. Those are all places where I grew up. There will always be a special place in your heart dedicated solely to Gulfport, MS. Unfortunately, this hurricane has left an indelible imprint on this area. It may never be the same again, but hopefully it will be better. When they rebuild Gulfport, MS, it will be built by the people who choose to stay. These are the people who are the heart of Gulfport. They are Gulfport. As long as they are there, Gulfport has a future.

I will most certainly keep all of those affected by this terrible storm in my prayers.

 

[Emanuel]

Have been praying for the folks in New Orleans(and everyone else in the area) and will continue to pray for them.

Looks like a real disaster, sad to see happen.
Cops have to watch the looters and they can't do anything about it, their cop cars are running out of gas.
There's no water(drinkable), and the death toll will be in the hundreds.

I pray it gets better fast.

 

[MAURICE]

Lived in NO for three years. Its a killer to see all the destruction on TV. My old house, school, hang outs, all gone.

 

[parfive]

I have been watching it feverishly since it occurred! Yesterday I made a donation to the Red Cross as I could not sit by any longer and "just watch", I had to do something. By no means do I think that the devastation reports are done. From what we are looking at and seeing, it will take years to recover from this. I just cannot imagine exactly what these people are going through. Where will they go, where will they wind up, how many of those homes probably had no insurance....
The company that I work for owns a casino there and I have not heard the final damage report.
Then as if things were not bad enough, last night 2 idiots are shooting an AK-47 into a Police Station. It appears to me that it will come under martial law real quick and probably will end up like it did in Detroit in 67. At that time the National Guard were given the order to shoot on sight! I could go on and on but geez...... :grumpy:

 

[glockman99]

Damn, I also heard on the news today that two other towns in Mississippi that I know/knew pretty well are pretty much TOTALLY destroyed; Waveland and Long Beach...

When my (ex-wife) and I moved to Mississippi we stayed with her parents in Bay St. Louis for 2-3 months...(I GUESS that some of Bay St. Louis is still there...). Her brother worked in Waveland. He showed me where he worked, and the old "pet" 'gator that was in a canal near his job, and I went to a pretty cool Mardi Gras parade in Waveland (held each year near the same time the big-one was held in New Orleans).

...And Long Beach...I used to drive past there (and Pass Christian) everyday on I-90 on my way to work in Gulfport from Bay St. Louis (before my ex-wife and I split-up and I moved to Gulfport to be closer to my job there at Gulfport Memorial Hospital). I'd stop at a convience store along the hi-way 90 in Long Beach on my way home from work to buy a cold bottle of beer for the trip home...

...And now it's all a mess.....

 

[Jeff Clark]

A friend has her mother, daughter, and 4 grandchildren in Gulfport. Her daughters house was only 19 blocks from the beach while her mother's was a couple miles further inland. She couldn't talk her daughter into evacuating, even as far as grandma's house. After all grandma wouldn't let her bring the dog. Since the house wasn't totally destroyed by Camille in 1969 she figured it would be ok for Katrina.

Comes the storm and we see that the storm surge was even higher than Camille. You wonder if a single mother could get her kids into an attic and for that matter get out of an attic and onto a roof. It was about 48 hours before momma heard that her idiot daughter and the kids had survived.

My son works with a black woman who comes from New Orleans. She hasn't heard from about a dozen relatives since the storm. The one brother who managed to call her on a cellphone was still stuck on his roof.