Welcome to Biloxi!

Wow, what a day it has been! After some much needed rest, we started our morning off Southern-style with breakfast at the Waffle House (Denny's for others). We then drove to downtown Biloxi to see what the area looked like.

We saw the memorial to Hurricane Katrina, full of personal belongings from the storm. For myself and others in the group, it was incomprehensible to imagine the huge wall of water surging into buildings. Evidence of the destruction is evident-- an Exxon sign with no gas station, or stairs that lead to a once-present foundation. FEMA trailers are still there. Throughout downtown Biloxi, progress is evident as well- casinos have rebuilt, and houses are up. We drove through Lee Street and saw Yankie Stadium where previous Livingston CARES work groups have stayed. Infamous "Xs" on the wall are there, indicating when the house was inspected, by whom, and how many deceased where there.

From Biloxi, we drove to Walmart to get some supplies for our stay. After that, we drove to the Gulf of Mexico (about a 2 mile walk from Camp Victor) and spent the afternoon walking and wading in the mostly warm water. I can say that is a first- to wade in the water in January!

After some more relaxation, we headed out to The Shed, a famous BBQ place that many Livingston CARES volunteers have gone to. The food was amazing! We saw a magician and enjoyed relaxing outside talking. For the evening, we had an orientation at Camp Victor with the other groups staying here. There will be roughly 200 people here (including church groups from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as Habitat for Humanity).

We were fortunate to hear Suzie's story tonight about her experience in Hurricane Katrina. A life-long resident of Ocean Springs, her church acted as a Red Cross shelter after the Hurricane. Those displaced stayed at there for many months. It's been a long road for residents here, and promises to provide more challenges as we move farther away from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Suzie also mentioned that FEMA plans to remove its trailers by March 1st and remove the Katrina cottages (semi-permanent housing).

Tomorrow we will begin our work in East Biloxi. We're unsure of the work yet, but anxious to begin!