THE THING ABOUT IT IS . . .

Dream For Sale. Live Oaks in fog on Front Beach in Ocean Springs.


Below this post you can see that I have posted a few images of Waveland – "south of the tracks."

The thing about it is, that those images are indeed a few. And those "few" are like breath and air within fog.

Look at the pictures. Multiply those by hundreds, and by hundreds again. And then multiply those by blocks, more blocks, neighborhoods, and more neighborhoods.

Then add to that equation the idea of miles x miles to get square miles. Picture in your head, if you can, the whole coast of Mississippi and then go inland all the way to Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian. Even though the damage was not as severe the further inland you go, does not negate that damage was done and can still be seen to this very day. We have miles and miles of downed trees and standing dead trees along the highways from the coast to Meridian. The scars are deep and imbedded in the earth.

There are still "blue roofs" in Laurel. Some houses will never be repaired or rebuilt. Some people will never have their homes back, or the lives that they knew.

I am still dumbfounded by the depth and breadth of Katrina's destructive power. Everytime I visit the coast, I become speechless for days after. The massive change to the Gulf Coast's environment is sickening.