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From Jackson, MS south, the power and telephones (and thus cellular phones) were out, and for two weeks gasoline was often not available. Lines at gasoline stations were regularly 1/8th to 1/4th mile (thus two hours) long. Wind damage to buildings became evident as we approached the coast, but it was usually in the F0-F2 category. But on the coast, both wind and water caused unbelievable destruction. Thanks to friends from CBN, the KY Disaster Team, and a local fellow who had lost his house, a 30-minute tour of the beach area of Long Beach, MS, was arranged. The houses were gone. Sometimes it was difficult to be sure where the house had stood!
 Tommy Story |
 Tommy Story |
 Tommy Story |
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In Biloxi, MS, houses generally were not swept away. More often, they were either smashed or were picked up, moved to the other side of the road, and set down. A walk-in freezer rested on one roof. A brief tour with the Southern Baptist Disaster Team "White Hat", Mike Stricklin, was too short to see much. But what was seen was bad!
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Many people had lost everything. Others had major damage to their houses. Most across the whole region were without power, telephone, water and sewer for many days. Many will never be able to rebuild. 260 Southern Baptist Disaster Teams from 36 state conventions, from California to Pennsylvania/S. Jersey, sent mobile kitchens, cooking crews, chain saw teams, shower units, child-care units, medical units, and clean-up crews to the region to try to do their little part. In the Long Beach/Biloxi region, 9 states and about 500 people were assisting. As of September 24 4,592,059 meals had been provided across the area hit by the hurricane. On a typical day at Long Beach, the Kentucky kitchen would provide 3000 meals at noon and another 3000 in the evening, while the other two kitchens each cooked about the same number. Feeding was done in cooperation with the American Red Cross at most locations, and with the Salvation Army at Long Beach and several other places.
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Cooking for up to 12,000 people per day, coordinating between three kitchens, with Salvation Army doing the ordering of supplies (all of which had to be trucked in from far away- including all of the water) was a logistic nightmare. Yet the food was always there! And it was delicious. Some suggested that it was just because we were hungry (Proverbs 27:7), but I found it very tasty. And I lost only a couple of pounds....
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 Tommy Story |
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The sleeping arrangements were - whatever you could find! Some slept under the porch roof of a damaged warehouse that had the debris cleaned up and was used for storage of the incoming supplies. The cooks had to pitch cots around the kitchen tents. More and more 2- to 8-person tents showed up as new arrivals had learned of the situation. Many had no tents and pitched air mattresses in the open. Near the end of our stay, a number of ladies from a KY church placed their air mattresses in the parking lot right outside the door of our communications trailer (the men apparently had the tents in the background). Six people were sleeping in the cargo holds of a bus. One fellow was seen sleeping on the top carrier of his car. My little Half-Dome tent and self-inflating air/foam mat pitched on the parking lot divider were quite comfortable.
Weather - The first evening I was there, a cumulonimbus was noted to the north, so I put the rain fly on the tent. Around midnight, it poured, but I stayed dry. The only other rain was a brief sprinkle one afternoon. Daytime high temperature was in the low 90s, with a nice sea breeze. We were too far from the Gulf to get the return land breeze in the evening. Even those used to hot weather had to drink large amounts of water, and there were several cases of heat exhaustion. Because our 80-M antenna was the highest structure in the area, and because of the many tents (and lack of tents), Lora, WD8LPN, Val, WD8KVD, and Brent, W5FRG, sent us regular E-mail weather updates via Winlink 2000. (The local NOAA Weather Radio stations were off the air).
The medical needs were not as severe as had been expected, but people who had lost everything had also lost their medications. Many pharmacies were damaged. A clinic, headed by Dr. Richard Paat of Toledo, Ohio, was set up, and other clinics were at First Baptist Church, Biloxi, and other places. Obtaining medications was a problem, with diabetic supplies and tetanus vaccines being in very short supply. We enlisted the help of those on the outside, from Clinton, MS, to Elizabethtown, KY, to places that we don't even know about, trying to get more medications. Some simply were not available because of the size of the disaster. Others were flown in on a chartered flight, making the medics happy. We'd like to thank those who helped with this, but we don't even know who they were. If you were involved in getting the supplies and happen to read this, THANKS!
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Various notes -
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 Tommy Story |
 Long Beach. |
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Get the most recent update on Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Note to Long Beach workers - If you need a CD-R with my (low resolution) pictures, it can be supplied if you will send me your mailing address.
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 and Magnolia KY tornado touchdown. |
Shelby Ennis, W8WN - E-mail,
