Heroes, Five Years After

Photo: NOAA

Five years ago, hurricane Katrina slammed the Mississippi shores and this week its residents are celebrating their recovery and resurgence. It's plain to see that they have come a long way but there is still much to do. That ongoing recovery has and is being done by real heroes.

They are heroes because they refuse to give up or give in. Where are these heroes? Walk down any street and they will be all around you. Sit down in any restaurant or go into any shop, they will be there. The work they did and continue to do is being done quietly, outside of the news spotlight but well within view of their friends and neighbors. Coastal Mississippi communities came together to recover and continue in their causes. Groups like the Moss Point Visionary Circle, The Lord is My Hope, Hope CDA and others were born from Katrina's devastation but they all continue to serve.

The celebration of the Mississippi recovery was called "Phenomenal People" and based upon my experiences here, they most certainly are. These are my heroes.

The Unexpected Victims

The stories in this blog and in the videos come primarily from two sources. The first is when someone tells me that there’s someone I need to talk with and then I follow the trail. For example, there was a woman inspecting a beach in Gatier who told me about the work the Audubon Society was doing at their response center in Moss Point. Audubon’s Finley Hewes pointed me to the children’s symposium put on by the Moss Point Visionary Circle and that’s where I met Darlene Carter. It works like that sometimes.

The other times I stumble upon them, like this one. I was trying to turn around on the narrow streets of Ocean Springs and saw a soup kitchen called “The Lord Is My Help”. That got me wondering if the spill had effected them. It has. They have been squeezed from both ends because the number of people needing their help is up and the donations are down.

View on ExposureRoom

Their situation could possibly get worse as the Vessels of Opportunity (VOO) program is ended (which is happening now) and fewer tar balls float ashore lessening the need for cleanup workers. There are a lot of people who came into the area to take up this work. Some will stay and look for other work, but the economy is not kind to the unemployed these days. Some number of them will need the help of places like the “Lord Is My Help”. And now, they need yours.