Thursday, June 26, 2008

GARDENS, TREES, PLANTS, ALL GONE






When we returned home to Gulfport MS in early September 2005 after evacuating to Alabama in advance of Hurricane Katrina’s Aug. 29 landfall, I didn't know what to expect.

I was anxious about what we would find after learning from television news that the storm had devastated the whole Coast from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs for the most part.

The first thing I saw on television about Harrison County was complete devastation, nothing left on the beach side, the Bay St. Louis bridge and Highway 90 bridge both gone. But we lived a little further back from the beach so I was hopeful. Billy went back home without me to see how things were. We had lost our home but unlike a lot of people, we were still able to get a few things we needed out. We were alive and so was all the family, so all was well. We have learned by now, to leave when a Hurricane threatens so most of the family had evacuated.

They came later and picked up the pieces, memories piled in big trucks. Funny, but my thought as I watched them taking things away was, "Now, I don't have the closet, where my sweet little cat, Alley, had her kittens"...I kept all of them. We have three cats. Alley got killed by some of those same trucks, after the Hurricane. Her babies had just turned one year old. I miss her still.

Nothing could prepare you for the devastation, even though we had seen the news. It was really bad in Gulfport, Bay St. Louis and Waveland. As we drove around, there was road after road of nothing, like someone had just cleared the table. This meant all the huge Oak trees, the beautiful plants, flower gardens,,,everything gone in addition to all the homes destroyed.

But nature has a way of filling the gap and new trees and plants are springing up everywhere,,,people are replanting their gardens. There are many places that are still empty spaces, but I am sure in time, there will be trees and flowers and plants everywhere again. It will never look the same,,a lot of history got lost along the way,,,but future generations will see the Coast in bloom again. Hurricane Katrina will only be a memory but I will always miss those lovely trees we lost. It takes a long time to grow a tree.

8 comments:

Skeeter said...

So sorry you lost your kitty. As a mother to two Fur-Balls, my heart aches for you.

Trees and plants can be replaced and in time they will return...

Eve said...

Thank you skeeter, pets are family in every sense of the word and we hurt just as much. She was a dear little thing with a wild spirit. Her little girl takes after her. That's the little girl Meshe in the pic on my profile.

Connie said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and your nice comments.
Wow, what a tremendous loss you had. Hope you are recovering, as well as your garden.

tina said...

Yes, that was a rough go for you all down south. My friend in Diamondhead didn't have any damage, but lost her job nonetheless. I cannot even imagine the changes now.

Lib said...

My heart goes out to you!I have Family in your area.
Hope you have a great day!
Blessins',Lib

Skeeter said...

Meshe is a beauty!

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving your comments about the floods in Iowa, after going through this I don't know how you survived Katrina but like you said gardens and families survive!

Joyce said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I wish I could take credit for that basket, but, honestly, it's from Walmart! I just needed something quick for that spot.

Reading about your hurricane damage brought home once again how many, many people are still trying to put their lives together, as they are here in the midwest. We had a pianist temporarily at my church who was displaced from University of New Orleans, but she has been able to return to teaching there. It's remarkable how resilient folks are, and how kind others have been to help put things back together. Good luck to you, as I'm sure you are still suffering the effects somewhat.