Lives Torn Apart – Survivor’s Stories Part III of IV
Posted on 21. Aug, 2010 by Nathan W. Armes in Blog: On Assignment
Hurricane Katrina ripped homes from their foundations, trees from the ground and lives apart. Over the next few days I will recap three stories from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, which felt the full force of the storm.
Thursday Aug. 19: 5 Year Anniversary of Katrina
Today, Friday Aug. 20: Chris Steiner – Waveland, Miss.
Saturday Aug 21: Deborah & David Burgess – Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Sunday Aug 22: . Rebecca McIntosh & Kathy Everard – Waveland, Miss.
VIA The Hickory Daily Record. September 11, 2005
For two days Deborah Burgess slept with a decorative hatchet beside her bed.
She got it from an artist friend in New Mexico. It’s sharp but was never intended to be used as a weapon to ward off looters or attackers that Deborah believed roamed the streets. Soon after Hurricane Katrina swept into Bay St. Louis, Miss., Burgess was left alone when her husband, David, hitchhiked into Mobile, Ala., to try to find supplies and water.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever been so isolated,” says Deborah.
The couple’s house sits just beyong a seawall at approximately 22 feet above sea level. They tried to leave, but Interstate 10 East was closed because the roads out of town had flooded with water and traffic. They had no choice to ride out the storm.
“I was starting to lose it then,” says Deborah.
David remembers looking out form the cracks in the plywood covering the doors and windows and seeing angry gulf waters swirl around and eventually into his home. As the water filled the home, Katrina’s wind blew apart neighboring buildings and her storm surges ripped apart home after home.
They still have a roof over their heads and food is coming in from donations and shelters. They have adopted a stray border collie they call Kat, short for Katrina.
Cheers,
Nathan W. Armes
Denver Photographer & Photojournalist
Be Social and Connect With Me:
Related Posts:
Connect With Me
Facebook comments: