[jsfg_cinti] Fw: News from Gulfport

Friends,
I'm willing to bet that nearly everyone who might  receive this email is no 
more than 3 degrees of separation (probably two) from at least one individual 
adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath.  This is a time for 
massive help from both government and from individuals, and also for massive 
intercessory prayer.  Please spread this email widely, as it is an example from 
just one individual in Mississippi that illustrates more clearly how much our 
brothers and sisters along the Gulf coast need our personal gifts and also our 
personal prayers.  

It's very easy to watch the news and think of the victims as "them".   But it 
is much harder when you know that one of them is an individual person named 
Katy.  Her recent email follows.

Les
Cincinnati, OH

----- Original Message -----
     09/02/2005 08:38 AM 

             
              

This is a letter from Paul's grand daughter, Katy. Paula sent it to Ann and Ann 
forwarded it to me. She lived in Gulfport  (Ann ***** is my aunt that lives in 
Kansas and Paul is her brother who lives in California). 
  
It's about 7:00pm on Thursday evening. This is the first time I've been able to 
access a computer in days and I wanted to respond to everyone but I don't have 
the time so I figured one big email would suffice. I evacuated from my home on 
Sunday and figured I would be back the following night. We get hurricane 
warnings down here all the time but they never hit. I've only lived down here 
for a short period of time but I guess I've already become desensitized to 
these warnings. I watched the news through out the next day as I realized that 
my life had just drastically changed. After the storm passed we started to 
figure out what and who was left. This one was a direct hit...and the majority 
of us didn't plan for it. By Tuesday we had received word that all of our 
houses were most likely gone. Family members were missing, jobs were lost, 
lives destroyed. 
    We decided on Wednesday that we had to go back. We were told not to and 
that it was a "war zone" but when this is your life and your house, you just 
have to go back. I've never been more devastated. I went to my grandmothers 
house first....gone. We spent a few hours there going through the pieces trying 
to find a few precious items like her cross, my grandfathers rings and watches, 
birth certificates etc. 
    I decided it was time to find out what was left for the rest of us. Jay and 
I grabbed some water and left to venture, promising to come back with a report. 
My fathers house....still standing but bad damage. My aunts house...has an oak 
tree in the middle of her living room but at least her bed was still made. My 
house.....well hmmm, no roof or ceilings, I have a waterfall in my kitchen. The 
sides are peeled away and trees fell all over. There was only one house out of 
all of us that survived. 
    Now if it was just property damage it wouldn't be so bad. If you have a 
very weak stomach this part is not for you. There are dead cows lining the 
interstate. There are dead bodies all over the front beach road. There was a 
rumor that the cemetery had been uprooted. All of my family is in this 
cemetery. After getting in a fight with the owner...I was let through. I tried 
to clear the refrigerator that was covering my grandfathers headstone but I 
couldn't. At least he is still in the ground. There are caskets and bodies or 
bones in some cases all over the place. People are walking down the streets 
with guns in their hands. Some of them are trying to protect their homes from 
looters. Others are shooting people for their water. I have never seen such 
insanity. At dusk the national guard comes out in full force with their 
automatic weapons to "protect the city." There is no protecting the city. There 
are no street lights...I mean literally they just aren't there. Most of them 
are floating or embedded in a windshield. You can see nothing at night and 
there is debris everywhere. There is no water. If you need to go to the 
bathroom, find a cup, if you want a shower, forget it, if you're hot, deal with 
it. Ohh and don't touch the water. They say "the city is flooded but don't 
touch the water." The red cross is doing that they can but there is so much 
area they just can't cover. 
    I got out again today. After waiting three hours in line for really 
expensive gas...I've arrived in Montgomery, AL at the Holiday Inn. I was so 
lucky to find this room and I've never enjoyed a shower so much. 
    Anyway...I know most of you are seeing these things on the news...be glad 
that you are safe, and that you never have to see the things I've seen the past 
few days. For those of you who have sent me voicemail's, I just got them today. 
My phone is working on and off but I will try to call if I can. 
Thanks and take Care. 
  
Katy 


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