 GCN Exclusive Report
Waveland was the very city in the path of Katrina’s devastation, the one along the eastern eyewall that was literally obliterated. Miles of slabs stand where antebellum houses once stood. Twisted, ghoulish trees stand where green and flourishing branches once covered the beaches. For all intents and purposes, Waveland should no longer exist. Thanks to the stalwart nature of tough coastal Mississippians, Waveland won’t go quietly into that good night… By Mark Proulx - Special to GCN Filed 4/25/06 Updated 5/5/06 GCN There is no Bay St. Louis without Waveland…the two are as inseparable as meat and potatoes, scrambled eggs and grits, bread and butter. What surprised me was that in talking with people in Waveland, I found they had not heard of Gulf Coast News or the amount of relief and donations we’ve been getting Bay St. Louis as a result of covering the hardest-hit area along the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Some things really do stop at the city line. Kathy Pinn is the PR Director for the City of Waveland and has been in contact with GCN regarding the City of Waveland and its needs. It is a disturbing tale she tells, now nearly eight months after the disaster, but is one that needs telling. She is succinct, yet complete in her descriptions of how Waveland has fared in the interim. As you can tell by her story and the following needs list, these aren’t people with a hand out looking for charity, per se. These are proud people who “ain’t taking it lying down” and who need a hand getting to their feet. In Kathy’s own words: Waveland, Mississippi, Rising Above the Storm With the Help of Many “The face of Waveland has changed
drastically since the winds and waters of Katrina devastated our small
seaside community. Nearly every home, business, & public building was
either ripped off its foundation or dramatically flooded. This leaves
Waveland, Mississippi, with every school, public building and home to
either be totally Many of our residents are not here now, but the ones who are here have a resolve to rebuild. This has been their home, and for many, for generations. A lot of the buildings have been here over 100 years. This is our home and we want to stay. People First The main focus for Waveland is to get people back into their homes and with the generous help of many not-for-profit organizations this is becoming a reality. Most people can't even afford building materials much less pay for the labor. So groups that come to help us rebuild are a valuable commodity. And donations of building supplies top on our needs list. City Needs The City is currently operating without its tax base. We are a sales tax based community with our sales tax gone for months after the storm. We are happy to say that businesses are beginning to return and even new ones have formed so as we approach the future we do see a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's a little dark in here right now. The City needs funds to keep its employees. It's bad enough to have lost everything you own without losing your job, too. Luckily, most of our employees still call Hancock County home, so we do have nearly all of our employees still with us. Our infrastructure has been totally compromised, so, 100% of the infrastructure south of the railroad tracks in Waveland will have to be replaced. All water, sewer and gas lines must be replaced. FEMA requires that we pay 10% of the costs. Before we can even begin the process of going out for bids, we have to have 5% of the total cost in our bank account. UPDATED INFORMATION>>>The latest estimates are that $22 million will be needed to do the reconstruction south of the railroad tracks. They are still assessing the needs for north of the railroad tracks. FEMA has a 90-10 match and MEMA will give us 5% of that if we have the other 5% which would be approximately $1.1 million. Also we relied on gas service for City revenues. This 10% match is required for all public buildings and roadways that must be rebuilt. Some Good News We have been the recipient of many
generosities. More than I could every imagine. No one ever in their
wildest We no longer have people living in tents. And although people have complained about FEMA and FEMA trailer life, we do have a place to put our heads at night. The longer you live in a trailer, the more stress develops. The quarters are cramped. For most they are living on a homesite that most be rebuilt and seeing your life's belongings totally destroyed is not an easy thing. We have seen marvelous people from all over the country who understand our plight and have come to help. It's just that it's such a massive undertaking. There is still so much need. I hate living in one of the "neediest" cities in the United States, but our needs are real. My Personal Story My husband and I owned the Old Waveland Drug Store building in the old downtown on Coleman Avenue. We spent the last few years renovating the building and establishing an antique and gift shop -- That Cute Little Shoppe. We thought we had figured the whole retirement thing out. Our life was great! We had wonderful family and friends that were a daily part of our lives and we lived in a place we loved. Our home and business was close to the beach and was one of the many that was totally obliterated by Katrina. Forty years of our life --- gone. We were one of the lucky ones, though, we did have insurance. It was not easy getting it though and we are still fighting for some of it. But physically and financially we are good. Emotionally we are doing pretty well, too. It's harder for most than it is for us, so we are very grateful and thank God every day.
What warms my heart is that so many have anticipated that we would need sustained help and have been persistent in their aid. We were in a position at first of not being aware of what we would need beyond survival needs. Volunteers have come from all over the country. They have given up vacation time to come and help. They bring us supplies and manpower (oops-also, womanpower). One of the most beautiful sights is to see a young person who could be out having fun, helping an elderly person clear their home or yard or put up a fence, or paint, or plant a tree. These are such beautiful signs of hope, not only, that we will be alright in the short term, but that our country will also be alright in the long term. Ways to Help Public Works - Public Work personnel from other municipalities come to help rebuild our infrastructure. Donations toward our 10% match can be made to: City of Waveland, c/o Lisa Planchard, City Clerk, 335 Coleman Avenue, Waveland, MS 39576. Fuel Donations - Fuelman gas cards welcome. Police and Fire Departments - All vehicles, computers, files, communications systems, etc., etc., were lost in the storm. For City Public Works supplies donations can be made to Hubbard's Hardware, 615 Nicholson, Waveland, MS 39576. Hubbard's starting helping customers fight the ravages of Katrina just a few weeks after the storm hit. They couldn't admit customers into the building so they serviced them from a split door and would go in and retrieve much the needed supplies and goods.
Most of our office supplies are purchased from Clay's, 1601 26th St., Gulfport, MS, 39501, 1-800-752-2576 and S&L Office Supplies, Hwy. 603, Waveland, MS 39576. Please know that every time a donation is made and we do not have to purchase a supply or satisfy a need, there is money to pay an employee. Our employees have been here since the storm and many had to stay here during the storm. Many risked their lives to keep Waveland and its residents safe. And they are still on duty as they deal with all the personal stuff. I asked a representative from a Sister City how they dealt with all the stresses after Ivan hit them. I was told that even though there was great devastation only a few of the employees homes were destroyed. Here as we deal with rebuilding the City each one is also faced with rebuilding their own lives. Each day I am amazed at how well people are functioning given their circumstances. Thank you for thinking of us. Thank you for any contribution you make. Even the smallest contribution is greatly appreciated.” Contact person: Kathy Pinn City of Waveland 335 Coleman Avenue, Bldg. 8 Waveland, MS 39576 228-467-3425 email: k.pinn@mchsi.com __________________ (More from Mark - Ed.) Lori had a chance to speak with Waveland city officials recently and get them to communicate Waveland’s needs. In what I hope will be the start of an on-going dialog with the mayor’s office, I plan to make sure that Waveland’s needs are published, as well. In much the same spirit, GCN wants to make sure that the nation is getting the unadulterated version of exactly what these little cities and towns are going through in their uphill battle towards actual recovery mode. Many thanks to Lori in her efforts, and here are the fruits of her labor below. Waveland Police – In an open email to Lori “Lori, Sorry it took so long. My department is in great need of Investigative supplies. Criminal investigations and Narcotics investigations. Most anything that has to do with these two units. We need Digital Cameras, Tape Recorders, Fingerprint kits, narcotics identification packs, anything for crime scene and narcotics investigation, Undercover wires, transmitters and receivers. Thanks for the Help James Varnell”
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Waveland -
Reaching Out From Ground Zero
renovated because it was flooded or rebuilt from the ground up.
dreams could put themselves in a position of being in the middle of the
worst natural disaster to hit the United States. And then to be a ground
zero for this monumental event. For most people asking for help does not
come easy. We have been fortunate in that people foresaw our needs even
before we did.
Something
to Warm the Heart
We have
to run ads in our local newspaper, The Seacoast Echo, P O Box 2009, Bay
St. Louis, MS 39521, to satisfy legal issues regarding rebuilding and City
business. Any donations to this account would be appreciated as cash is a
premium to us and to the newspaper who had to rebuild itself after the
storm and was operating out of the Editor's home at first. They are now
in their old location.
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