Nancy and Shrimp

Nancy is the owner of Bayou Jewelers, next door to the church.

A Self Portrait

This is a picture of my shadow. It is also the mark indicating the location of a FEMA trailer.

Mike and Jeannette, long-time members of the church, lived in Pass Christian. After their house was destroyed, they have been staying with friends in St. Francisville.

Tomorrow they will have their new FEMA trailer installed in the back yard of the church. Since they do a lot of work at the church, this arrangement will be convenient. They can look after the church, while waiting for their home to be replaced.

Taking A Break

Dave

Working on walls

Gregg

Gregg took the sheet rock and made a sill for the windows.

Ted

Cutting the sheet rock.

Pythagorean Theorem

At the same moment that Ted was using a right triangle to cut a perfect rectangle of sheet rock, Troy was studying the Pythagorean Theorem, for Geometry.

Jim

Painting Doors

Walls In The Sanctuary

Fred is working on the walls in the sanctuary.

The New Lights For The Church

Building Permit

I Can Dig It

I am making a trench to bury the electrical conduit which supplies power to the two RV's parked in back of the church. This will also put everything in order for a FEMA trailer which is going to be parked in the back, tomorrow.

RV's In The Back Yard

Two RV's are parked behind The Lutheran Church of The Pines. These are a gift of the group from the Lutheran Church in Bedford, MA to provide temporary housing for the visiting teams of workers.

I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm... Psalm 55:8

The Mail Gets Through

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Motto on General Post Office, NYC.

A Cement Truck

New foundations are being poured.

Hauling

Debris is being hauled away to clear the way for new building.

The Beach

The beach is clear. The sea breese is fresh.

220 Main Street - "The Artists"

220 Main Street is a newly remodeled shop called "The Artists". A red and white sign on the front declares "We Are Staying".

This is the shop of Vicky Nicolet, who published a book "Parting Shots of Old Town Bay St. Louis". It is a picture book of the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina demolished the town.

Vicky was away, but a neighbor, Renee, went in and sold me a copy...

"Where else can a neighbor get in the store and sell you something while you're away ? We really appreciate people coming to help rebuild our town. God bless you."

Renee and her husband live next door. She is working on re-opening her dress shop, which was located in 220, before the hurricane.

A Small Latte'

I met Billy ( some people call him Billy T. ) at "The Stirred-Up Bay Coffee House". He has a new bike and is thinking of another road trip at the end of the month. He once visited Massachusetts and stayed near the Gillette Stadium.

This morning, he's looking for something different to have for breakfast. Restaurants haven't come back fast enough to provide much variety.

In the newly-re-opened coffee shop, I saw a picture book of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The address, to buy a copy led me to 220 Main Street, in Bay St Louis.

Who will Do The Laundry

Trailers are too small to have major appliances, like washers and dryers. Next door to the church, there is a Laundromat consisting of two full-size mobile homes, attached end-to-end. The gravel parking lot is full all day and into the evening.

Trailers

A few large trailer villages have been built to house returning residents. Others have installed trailers where their houses used to be.

Progress on Dan's House

This is what happened at Dan's house, since we saw him on Monday.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 - Celebration of Hope

C'est Une Event Sociologique

I went to get gas for the car. Not unexpectedly, all the working stations are very busy, because all the small trucks are filling-up and getting snacks and coffee.

My pump (number 5) was out of paper and I really wanted a receipt. The pump said go inside and get one from the cashier.

Inside the mini-mart part of the station, there was a line of carpenters and other real people, getting their coffee, donuts, newspapers, and sandwiches. So I joined the line and started to soak in the ambience. Just like any other morning at a 7-11, except more people.

As the line wound up to the cashier, she asked me..." can I help you"

"Yes, I'm at pump number 5 and would like to have a receipt."

"No problem. In the future, you can just come right up to the front and ask for it "

"Hmm. If I jumped line back in Massachusetts, I'd have a fight on my hands..."

"Oh no. It's OK. It was our fault that our pump ran out of paper."

( from the next man in line ) ..."Here in the south, we have a slower pace. We're not in a hurry. Besides, we all have to look out for each other"

Business Cards

At Bailey's Building Supply, a large part of the countertop is devoted to business cards of the many tradesmen who are eager to help with your rebuilding. Every service is available.

Signs of The Times

Small signs are everywhere. Advertizing for hauling, remodeling, carpentry, clean-ups and so on.

Gentleman, Start Your Engines

The trucks are parked all night in the lots of the boarded-up strip malls. Each morning, they come to life and go out to continue the never ending quest for rubbish removal and repairs.

THursday, April 6, 2006 - A New Day

Waveland is a busy place. Every morning there's a rush hour as trucks and vans go about the work of restoration and rebuilding.

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - Judith

Gregg and Troy present an OSLC T-shirt to Judith. They are emissaries of OSLC and of the local Danvers, MA Boy Scouts, Troop 16.

Judith and her family are long-time residents of Waveland. She is a local leader for the Venture Group, a Scouting-related organization for older teenagers. They live on a street named after them by the Mayor in 1969 ( father of the present Mayor) in appreciation for her husband's medical work after Hurricane Camille.

Disaster is no stranger to them. Relief and recovery is part of their life.

They stayed during Hurricane Katrina since they live on the north side of the track in a "non-flood zone"

At 8:32 AM a friend called. Water was coming up the sidewalk into the house. Judith was baking and had just finished muffins and cakes. These were taken upstairs. The family survived on bottled water and fresh baked goods until the waters subsided and her husband and kids walked to the center of town to receive MRE's. Judith forgot to bring shoes upstairs and managed to find one black and one white sneaker, which she wore.

During the storm, the rising water forced doors open, downstairs. Later the fiberglass doors were found to be bowed by the pressure and unsuitable for re-use.

The peak water in their home was 9-1/2 to 10 feet. The next day, there remained 5 feet of water. Judith was able to paddle around the pool room in a kayak to survey the damage. All the scout supplies were lost.

On their property, they had 14 miniature horses in a barn. Five of them were lost. the rest, including a 5-month old foal( born on Good Friday ), survived by swimming over their stalls and out of the barn. They swam for 4 hours.

During the storm, a man and a dog were rowing by, in a boat. She tried to throw a rope from the second-floor window, to get him in. After the water subsided, Glenn, a chef, stopped by to tell them he was OK.

Her church, St Clare's Catholic, holds services in tents. The church in Southwest Waveland, was completely destroyed. The stone grotto, that her husband helped build, in high school, remains.

Their property is still littered with junk along all six acres -- railroad pilings, refrigerators, a boat, and pieces of houses. She and her family lived on the porch of their house for 3-1/2 weeks. Now, they have a FEMA trailer.

They have been visited by the Boy Scouts of Tulpe Lodge ( see link at right). On their monthly trips to Waveland, the scouts stop by for Pizza one night, and dinner another night. This is a tradition they started.

Judith and her venture group began a project in Waveland to make and install replacement street signs.

The North Shore of Bay St. Louis

For me, this is the most poignant photo -- a piece of cement, in the roadside ditch. "Mike" made his hand and foot prints in this cement when he was younger. Our young boys did this same thing in fresh cement at our house, too.

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life... Psalm 39:4



Along the North Shore of Bay St Louis, the marinas and all the housses facing the bay were destroyed. This truck is marked with the words "Please don't loot, it's all we have left".

The words were written neatly as though the metal were flat at the time of writing -- perhaps just before ethe storm.

The Highway 90 Bridge

The Highway 90 bridge stands like a modern "Stonehenge".

A temporary bridge will be ready in 2007.

The Train Bridge Over The Bay

The railroad bridge from Bay St Louis to Pass Christian is in operation. Cranes are still working on it. Trains pass at least a dozen times a day.

The trains we saw were as long as the bridge, itself.

Bay St Louis Water View

Bay St Louis has a magnificent view of the Bay. Pass Christian is in the distance.

Marked for Demo

Closer to the water, this house was being removed this week.

Here to Stay

The Main Street United Methodist Church sign reads "We are Here to Stay "

Inside 610 North Beach Blvd.

Bay St Louis

This house was crushed. The front is open to reveal the inside.

Wednesday April 5, 2006 Comment on the Damage in Bay St Louis

The city of Bay St Louis is East of waveland, on a bay. (St. Louis Bay).

This area suffered damage due to the storm surge, which was amplified by the wind blowing additional water up into the bay.

This home is close to the small downtown. City buildings, the local newspaper, restaurants, the boardwalk, the Hancock County Sherriff's office, art studios, and everything else suffered severe damage due to flooding and water.

Waveland Civic and Cultural Center

The Waveland Civic and Cultural Center, on Coleman Avenue.

Coleman Avenue

Coleman Avenue runs North from the coast, parallel to Nicholson Avenue, about two miles west.

City buildings are mainly operating out of round tent-structures. Here is the Waveland Market, a fremer's market, operating in a tent, next to the Hurricane Camille memorial.

Nicholson Avenue - Lots Strewn With Rubble