Mississippi: Paying it Forward
After the 28 foot storm surge of Hurricane Katrina receded from the Mississippi shoreline, we stood in awe and shock at the destruction along the 66 miles of shoreline, bayous, rivers, creeks, and bays. Homes were swept into the Mississippi Sound and in thousands of places, they only thing left after decades of hard work was concrete slabs. We well understand the damage a hurricane’s storm surge can do and the upheaval and chaos it can create.
The hurricane’s fury was no match for the will of the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Chainsaws were whipped out and roads began to be cleared. The hard and dirty work of cleaning and recovery began. We were resolved to clean the mess and rebuild better and stronger. Thousands upon thousands of volunteers came and helped us with the back-breaking work in the sweltering heat. Millions upon millions donated money to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other groups. Churches, synagogues, civic organizations and others across the country gathered supplies.
Mississippi was hit with two tsunamis. The first was Katrina’s storm surge. The second and far larger one was the amount of help we received. We stayed glued to our TV sets as Hurricane Ike struck along the Texas and Louisiana coastlines. We saw the destruction Ike’s storm surge caused and we saw images of destruction that rivaled Hurricane Katrina’s. Then groups got together to pay it forward.