Terry G

Terry & Hamilton G

Email: terry_guenard@co.hancock.ms.us

Reside: - Waveland MS

Situation: My husband and I stayed home in Waveland for Hurricane Katrina. We felt we were in a safe place, is the reason we stayed. We were supposed to have my mother and a couple from our Church stay with us, but they changed their minds on Sunday (thank goodness) and stayed elsewhere. I was drinking coffee very early Monday morning (Aug.29th) and looking out the window at the wind, as it was unbelievable.
All of a sudden I saw water coming down the road very fast. I yelled at my husband that water was coming down the road, and we frantically started putting things up off the floor, up on the snack bar. I kept running to the window to look out, and I couldn't believe what I saw, 3 to 4 feet of water all around our house, but no water in the house.
We just finished a 3 year project building our home ourselves, and finished it only months before the storm. He ran into the hallway and pulled down the attic ladder. I (who suffers with claustrophobia) said no way-I can't go in the attic.
He yelled at me to get away from the back door, as it started to bulge in around the bottom half. Just as I ran into the hall, the back door blew off completely and the water (which was about 4 to 5 feet now) slammed into the house, knocking the refrigerator (full of food) across the room like it was a toothpick.
As I was running up the attic ladder the water was hitting me in the back. I couldn't believe my eyes as we got up in the attic, the water was already in the opening of the attic and coming in. The sounds of our entire home coming apart was a sound I will never forget.
We could hear the kitchen cabinets falling down with all the dishes, and all the shelves tearing away from the walls. Everything was floating by, as we were now in over 8 feet of water and black mud. I started to cry uncontrollably and we started to pray. We were trapped in, and the water was still coming. The sounds of the wind and trees falling, and large objects hitting the house, I just knew the house was going to collapse on us. I prayed with all my heart and soul for God to be with us, and help protect us, and save us from drowning.
I wanted to get out of the attic so bad, but knew we could not. This lasted 5 to 6 hours before the water even started to go down. By the Grace of God we did not drown and the house did not collapse.It took 20 minutes to crawl out of our home over piles of stuff covered with mud - we didn't even know what we were crawling over. I didn't even have any shoes on when I ran up to the attic.
So, coming down I realized I could not walk through 2 feet of mud, glass, broken everything. I tied cloths around my feet and got outside. We just stood there looking around, but the wind was still so strong it would knock you down.
Then came the hardest part, trying to survive outside with no water, no food, no clothes, no place to lay down, and it was going to be dark soon. My husband said we had to go back in the attic when it got dark, because there was no other place, and I said I cannot go back in the attic.
I laid outside in the driveway, with complete darkness everywhere. No sounds, no bugs, no crickets, no birds, no sound at all from anywhere. I thought everybody has to know this happened, and someone has to be coming soon. Both our cars were gone, everything was gone, and nobody came.
Day after day in 100 degrees, nobody came, and we couldn't get out. We caught rainwater in anything we could find to drink. We went to the bathroom in the woods, and we were both full of sweat and mud from head to toe. After about 6 days, a friend of ours walked from Highway 90 down Waveland Avenue to our home (about ¼ of a mile). It took her almost 2 hours to walk that far, but she did because she knew we stayed home. She brought 4 bottles of water and some potato chips with her. We didn't even say hello, just grabbed the water from her and drank it in 5 seconds.
After another week, and after they cleared the road enough to get 4 wheelers in, we had other friends show up with ice chest, water and some food. The heat was unbearable at that time.We couldn't even try to save anything, as we had no running water, and no way to try to clean off anything. Everything was caked with black mud all over it, and then mold on top of that. The odor was unbearable.
Eventually some people came to help start pulling things out of the house. This was probably 2 to 3 months afterwards, and nothing could be saved. It was heartbreaking to see everything you ever owned thrown out in a pile, and the house torn apart, and the cars gone. We had a studio my husband built behind our house, and it was his art studio. He lost all his tools, which took a lifetime to acquire, and the studio (workshop) had 9 feet of water and mud.
We got a FEMA trailer, and it was put in our driveway. We are still in a FEMA trailer. We got help to gut our home, but the work is never ending it seems. We tried to do all the work ourselves, but it has been so hard. My husband was sick to his stomach every time we started working on the house, as we were tearing down everything that was left, everything he had just finished building with love and care. It just about killed him, and depression has seemed to take him over.
We have tried to get more help. We only want to get our home back livable.We just want some type of normal. My work place was destroyed also, so everything in our lives has changed completely. After we gutted our home, we had some help from a Lutheran Church in Texas. They brought us some sheetrock, and help put most of it up, but not all of it. We still have to put in a bathtub and finish the sheetrock in the bathroom. But, we ran out of money. We need sheetrock finishing/taping, painting, bathroom sinks and cabinets, floor molding, and kitchen cabinets. I believe that would get most of our home back in some type of order (and livable).
We also had a wood privacy fence around our home that my husband put up by himself one board at a time, and it took him months. The fence was all broken and on the ground, and we took it apart piece by piece, and took out the nails, and stacked the wood trying to save what pieces we could.
Any help you could give us to get our home livable, we would appreciate more than you will ever know. It is just me and my husband, as our son is in college in Indiana.

Help received so far: FEMA, Foodstamps, (SBA turned us down), Lutheran Church of the Pines-Waveland, Salvation Army

Any help you could give us to help us get our home back livable, would be a BLESSING to us. We just want to have our home again and be able to live in it.

Thanks be to people who care about and help people they don’t even know

Robb and Rod

Robb and Rod, Katrina, Leo, Precious, and now Ghetto

Email: rtilley47@sprintpcs.com or robbtilley@hotmail.com
http://360.yahoo.com/PrimalWriter
Location: We lived in Waveland before the storm, but are now living in Bay St Louis - We intend to stay in the Bay-Waveland area if at all possible.
Number in Household: 6, including pets: Rod (35 male), Robb (37 male), Leo (3 y.o. male dog); Katrina (1 y.o. female dog); Precious (2 y.o. female cat); Ghetto (2 m.o. male kitten).

Left Picture shows where house WAS.

Situation: My former landlord told me, "Don't come back. If you have anywhere else to go, don't come back," before she broke down sobbing.

Poochie, one of our dogs, died. The vet said that she had apparently picked up a parasite before we got to El Paso.
We spent the next few months in El Paso. I have Crohn's Disease, and have quite a few problems because of it. One major problem is my teeth, weakened to the point that they crack and even crumble when I'm chewing things. Before the storm, I made arrangements to have them all removed and replaced with artificial ones. So, now in El Paso, planned surgery and we began making arrangements for that.

Because El Paso was told they would not be reimbursed for their relief efforts, they discontinued their program, and we were without a home. FEMA contacted us as well, on the same day, and told us that they had a trailer for us back in Mississippi, but that if we did not come back within a week, we would lose the trailer.

We lucked into one of the nicer parks, with security and everything, so we count ourselves lucky in that respect. The week after we made it back, the car died for good, so we spent the remainder of our money to purchase a used station wagon to get to our jobs. We later found out that the car needs a transmission, but it's too late to return it.
Within two weeks of being back, I developed a lung infection that landed me in the hospital, and I had lost my job. I took another job, but before fully recovering from the first lung infection, and got another one even worse than the first. I recovered from this one, and was offered a job at the hospital. This was a gift, and I jumped on it. During my pre-employment testing, they discovered that I had TB. The health department did their tests and told me that I would have to go on a nine month treatment. I am four months into that and it is working, but the medication has the unwelcome side effect of causing my Crohn's to flare up again.
I began to get infections in my jaw at the rate of one every week or two, and spent as much time in the hospital as out of it. My job with the hospital was based on a recovery grant that ran out, so I found myself without employment yet again. We finally made arrangements - again - to have the surgery done with my teeth, and I had the first of three done on October 20, having all of my upper teeth removed, and the next is scheduled for December 1.
The Saturday after my surgery, Hiphop (one of our cats) began acting like he didn't feel well. Because of the late hour and it being a weekend, we couldn't find a vet in the area to see him. By the time we found someone who would see us, Hiphop was in horrible shape, and he ended up dying on the way to the vet. The vet said it appeared that Hiphop died due to a bite. Based on his symptoms, it may have been a brown widow.
It seems like that's life down here these days: Getting a little bit ahead and then falling down further than you were to begin with. Most everyone I talk to here feels that way. We're thankful to be alive, but there are occasionally times that it all gets to be just too much. Those times, we just try to deal with it until it gets better, and eventually it does.



Progress being made with Ghetto and Precious! Eating out of same dish at the same time!

Current Living Arrangements:
We are currently living in a FEMA trailer in one of the many FEMA parks in Bay St Louis, MS.
Help Received: - Red Cross, FEMA. Various charities. The citizens of El Paso helped with things such as emergency medical treatment and one of the El Paso vets treated our pets for free, as well as spaying and neutering them for no charge.
Foods – non-perishable only
Soft foods - instant mashed potatoes, gelatin/pudding, canned meats - things that either don't have to be chewed or can be "gummed" will be most helpful over the next few months.
Paper Products.
Paper towels, toilet paper, bandaids, and disposable plates
Computer Supplies
Their printer uses four different cartidges - one black, one yellow, one magenta and one cyan. I've included the specifics on each one below:
· Black - Brother, LC41BK
· Magenta - Brother, LC41M
· Cyan - Brother, LC41C
· Yellow - Brother, LC41Y
Clothing
Robb - Because of the Crohn's, he must wear loose fitting clothing. Shirts - XX or larger (the bigger the better) and L or larger in jogging pants or shorts. He wears 9 1/2 wide shoes, sandals and thongs.
Rod - Rod wears medium shirt, 30-32 pants, and 11 1/2wide shoes. He works in construction, so anything worn for that would be most helpful. He typically wears jeans or jogging pants and a t-shirt outside of work.
Cleaning Supplies
Windex, Clorox wipes, anti-bacterial dishwashing detergent, anything pet safe and that would help with dust and pet hair.
Household Supplies
Because space is so limited, any space-saving items are lifesavers, particularly in the kitchen area. Try as I might, I haven't been able to find a large cooking pot for making red beans, soups and gumbo.
Stores you shop at
Walmart
Home Depot - (They carry many space-saving items that make a huge difference when trying to store things in a FEMA trailer)
PetSmart - (Two dogs and two cats who are all spoiled rotten can be a trial, but they are part of the family)
Sprint - (not a typical listing, I know, but we rely on Sprint for our telephone and internet in the FEMA parks, as no ground lines are allowed)

6/22
I know it's been a while since I wrote and I apologize for that. Between having my access turned off and having a serious flareup, staying in contact has been difficult to say the least. I got the package from you and wanted to say thank you for the shirts! They are a bit small for me, but Rod and my nephews are able to wear them just fine.

Since I wrote to you last time, things have changed quite a bit. I wish I could say the changes were all for the better, but hurdles seem to be trend right now. hehe

The car that I purchased when we moved back home died completely, leaving me with no transportation. Thankfully I do most of my work from home so I am still able to earn some money. My mom has been making sure I get back and forth to pick up and drop off things. It will cost more than it's worth to repair the car, so it's basically a lost cause. My mom is helping me try to find some cheap little car that will work for just basic errands around town.

As I mentioned above, I had a rather serious flareup that kept me down for a very long time. I wasn't earning any money during that time, so I lost my phone and access until I was able to start working and get the bill caught up. Now I'm just doing my best to take it easy but still earn enough money not to get behind again.

I have been offered a Katrina Cottage, but I have to supply the land to put it on. Unfortunately I have no savings anymore (I've been living off of what I had saved while I was sick) so I'm trying to find someone who has land in the area that they will let me make payments to purchase. The
biggest hurdle is that I only have 29 days to find and purchase the land so that I can tell them where to put the cottage. If I don't find land within that time, then I don't get the home. If you know of any groups that help people in a situation like this, would you let me know about them or give them my contact info? Getting this place would make a huge difference - the cottages are actually small houses and are much safer than FEMA trailers. They're not much bigger than the trailers, but they are laid out in a better way and have more usable space. I would be eligible for a handicap accessable home, so getting around would be so much easier when I'm seriously ill. I just need to locate a group or person who either has land that they would sell to me on a payment plan or would assist me in finding a way to get the land on a payment plan.

The animals are all doing well. Tri and Leo had a rough time with a skin condition for about a month, but once we found a medication that they responded to, it cleared up quickly. Both the cats have settled right in and have claimed one part of the trailer as their own. hehe

1/17
I'm doing a little better after the lung infection and the flu. It's slow healing from it, but I am healing, so I'm thankful.We finally finished sorting through the clothes, seeing what was ruined from the leak, and were able to save about half of it. The rest were just too far gone.
If I had realized as soon as it had happened, perhaps that would have made a difference. But with one (small) closet, you learned to stack and cycle things pretty quick, so the clothes that were in the back of the closet ended up sitting there wet for a week or so. Most of what I could save was stuff that could be bleached and put in hot water, or that was hanging up high in the closet and only got a little moisture.
We did get someone over to fix the air conditioning a couple of days ago, just in time for it to turn cold. LOL At least I know that when it gets warm again, the air will work this time. Of course, the day after they fixed the air, we got a cold front - not a big one - just enough to take the edge off the heat. Yesterday, however, we got a pretty strong front in, and discovered that now the heat doesn't work! I'm not sure if it's because of the leaks or if they just didn't hook something back up when they were working on the air, but it won't come on at all. I don't mind the cold so much (and even I'm finding it chilly), but Rod just doesn't handle it all that well. I'm on the phone today, trying to get them back over here to find out why the heater has quit.
I saw your note about infection rates with TB and other illnesses down here, and wanted to agree with you that people really do need to be careful whether they live here or are coming down to help. I was diagnosed with TB back at the beginnning of the year, and had to go on the treatment. That's nine months of taking a nasty tasting pill every day, and regular (at least once a month) visits to the health department to have blood drawn and tested. There's also the fact that any time I go to a hospital, I have to be placed in a negative pressure room because of my TB status. If they don't have a NP room, I have to wear one of those heavy masks, and those things get HOT.
Now that I've tested positive, I will always test positive and hospitals will insist on those precautions, even when I tell them I'm not active and have been treated. Granted, there are worse things in the world, but why expose yourself to it needlessly?
1/7
It's taken me a little longer to send an update this time, as I've been sick again with another lung infection followed by a bout of the flu. I was already weak and trying to recover from the infection when I came down with the flu, so it pretty much floored me. I'm getting over it, but it's taking time.I did get the microwave, and met Mr. McGinnis (I'm probably spelling that wrong). He was very kind, and I wanted to say thank you to you and him both. Now I just have to find a place to put it where Ghetto can't get to the cord. hehe
FEMA has begun doing monthly inspections, where they come look at the trailer and discuss what we've done towards getting into a place of our own. They require a list of all the places I've contacted over the month so that they can verify that I am indeed trying. The biggest problem I've come across in looking for a home/apartment is that there are very few places available. The ones that are available are outrageously expensive - out of my price range - and still are snatched up almost immediately, usually by crews that are working down here and getting paid enough to afford them.
We've had two pretty bad rains in the last few weeks, and have discovered that the trailer leaks horribly in a few places. The worst places are by the dining table and behind the closet. I only discovered the leak in the closet a day or so ago, so I'm still pulling out clothes to dry out what I can and throw away what has been ruined. The last bad rain also shorted out the air conditioning system.

12/19
I've been down for the last week or so with a minor lung infection again. We caught it early this time, and they put me on antibiotics and breathing treatments same as last time. It seems to be doing the trick, but it will be a couple of weeks for me to get back to full strength. I haven't even been able to paint because the dust from the greenware aggravates it, so I've been going a little stir-crazy. LOL I'm anxious to get back to work!

I think the whole situation is getting to us all a little bit at this point. Where it seems to affect me more physically, Rod seems to be getting more and more withdrawn and will often come home from work and just go straight to the room. I'm not complaining, as we're grateful to have the trailer, but living in a space this small for so long really does get to you. I think we'll both be thrilled when we finally get somewhere we can spread out a little. I know the animals will: We walk them as much as possible, but they really haven't been able to just let loose and run around like crazy for a long time. The only exception is when we take them down the beach and there's nobody else around, so we try to do that as much as possible. hehe

The second dental surgery was supposed to be last week, but had to be rescheduled because I was ill, so we're planning to do it Jan 12... With any luck, there won't be any delays this time.
12/5
I'm sorry it's taken me a little longer to write this time, but things have been kind of busy of late. I'm working at home, doing painting for a local shop, and this is their busy season, so I've been getting rush jobs almost every day.
I got the pot you sent... Thank you! It isn't as large as I'm looking for, but it is larger than any that I have right now, so it does make it a little easier when I'm trying to make red beans. I am very appreciative of it!
My second dental surgery had to be postphoned, as I got pretty badly sick at the end of the month again. It not only ensured that I couldn't have the second surgery yet, but also slowed my healing from the first. Between that and finances (recovering from the first one left me unable to work for a few weeks - no income kind of sucks. hehe), having the second done so soon after just wasn't an option. We've rescheduled (hopefully) for the 12th of January.
Ghetto, the new kitten, is fitting in nicely. He and Precious had a pretty rough start at the first, but she has come to accept him. I've even caught her being sweet to him once or twice, so I think they'll be fine. The real shocker for me is that Ghetto and Katrina are becoming best of friends. Ghetto has no fear at all, and the two of them play VERY rough! I stopped them at first, worried that Katrina would hurt Ghetto, but every time, Ghetto fought free of me and ran right back to "attack" Katrina. Ghetto is gonna be one tough little cat! LOL
Anyway, just wanted to check in and let you know how things are going. Hope you're all doing well!
11/12
Things are going slowly for us, but they are going. I did have the first dental surgery a couple of weeks ago, and an anonymous group paid for over half of it - That was a huge help! I'm scheduled to have the second on December 1, and then the final surgery after the first of the year. Rod's finger is healing up, though he'll have a pretty obvious scar for a long time because they had to take a pretty big chunk of flesh out of his finger. We've felt pretty bad for the first week, with both of us recovering from medical difficulties. hehe But he's able to bend his finger again, as long as he's careful, and I haven't had any more infections in my upper jaw since the surgery, so overall we're doing very well now!

10/30 Robb emailed me to say that it appears Rod got bit by a spider - sounds like a Brown Recluse from the tissue damage. If they had waited a few more days, it would have gone totally necrotic and he would have lost the finger, if not the hand.

Richard and Barb

Organization Directly Assisting – http://www.thegivingcircle.org/
http://wavelandrelief.blogspot.com/2006/05/giving-circle-in-ny.html

Barb and Richard
E-mail - ron@thegivingcircle.org
Location - Waveland, MS
Number in household – 2 – Richard, 78; Barb, 72
Situation – Richard built their house after Camille, using scraps and debris that Camille left. This house was flooded and destroyed by Katrina, leaving them with nothing. Richard is now a cancer survivor and is on home oxygen, unable to assist in the rebuilding like he once would have.
Living Arrangements - FEMA trailer beside what was once their home.
Help Received - The Giving Circle, FEMA
Photos - http://www.thegivingcircle.org/wav_story_RB.htm
Needs – Since their needs are out of the normal range of the blog (medications, oxygen, etc.) The Giving Circle is asking for monetary donations to be send to them for both a building fund and living fund. Giftcards to WalMart will be graciously accepted. They need another $20,000 to rebuild the home and ongoing funds to assist with daily living.

Please print the following donation card (mark it For Richard and Barb) and send with your donation: http://www.thegivingcircle.org/TGCdonation.pdf
Send to:
The Giving Circle, Inc.
P.O. Box 3162
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

12/28
Barbara and Richard Bourgeois, the first family selected by The Giving Circle to receive assistance through Pave the Wave, will soon have a new home!Through your generous donations to the Pave the Wave campaign, we were able to prepare Richard and Barbara's land for building and will now be able to help with a generous portion of the cost for materials needed for their new home. The Bourgeois have been issued a grant through Mississippi Home Help that, along with your donations to Pave the Wave, will cover the cost of their new home. A team led by an Amish group that is stationed in Waveland is offering free labor.
Thanks to all of you who have pledged your support by making donations or purchasing a commemorative brick, cornerstone or paving stone that will live on in downtown Waveland as a monument to your compassion. A large stretch of the sidewalk has been mapped out for the bricks and there is plenty of room for more! Progress is occurring in Waveland, but it is slow and help is still needed.
Contributions to Pave the Wave are directed towards home building in Waveland. If you would like to make a donation or order a brick on-line, please visit http://www.thegivingcircle.org A Happy, Healthy New Year to all!!

11/14
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17462019&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=17708&rfi=6

11/14/2006 Students take off their hats for charity
BETSY DeMARS , The Saratogian SARATOGA SPRINGS --
Ron Maenza of The Giving Circle couldn't have been more thrilled Monday when a group of middle school students handed him a check for $3,100. Two dozen students were on hand for the presentation of the money, which will go toward rebuilding Katrina-ravaged Waveland, Miss., where 95 percent of the homes were destroyed last year.
The city of Saratoga Springs, along with local charity organization, The Giving Circle, has adopted the southern city and committed to helping its citizens rebuild.
'It was so uplifting,' Maenza said of Monday's event. 'It was so wonderful to see the involvement of the children; it took your breath away.'
Maenza, president of The Giving Circle, said most of the students' donations will go into a rebuilding fund for a particular family -- Richard and Barbara Bourgeois.
Though many applied for The Giving Circle's assistance, Mr. Bourgeois' story captivated Maenza.'He is nearing the end of his life,' he said. 'He's in a FEMA trailer, and he doesn't want to die there.'
'I told the children how important it was to give to those in Waveland,' Maenza said. 'It enriches you as a person. ... It's part of their learning process.'
The check was the culmination of funds from monthly 'Hats On' days at Maple Avenue Middle School in which students paid $1 to wear hats during school. Because students are not normally allowed to wear hats in school, the 'Hats On' days proved very successful.
'We tried to come up with something that kids could get into,' Principal Stuart Byrne said.
When school started last year, Hurricane Katrina had just hit the Gulf Coast. For Byrne, it was reminiscent of 1992, when Hurricane William hit Florida. He recalled the students gathering supplies in the then-new school and sending them south in a tractor trailer truck.
'I had a flashback,' Byrne said, adding he wanted to do something again.
Though school administrators initially thought they would give the money raised to a national organization like the Red Cross, providing funds for the local initiative The Giving Circle helped personalize the fundraising.
'I think that made a world of difference,' Byrne said. 'Being able to work with a local group that's already identified a community in need down there -- it just made it more personal.'
Maenza couldn't say enough about the generosity of the youths. 'It's nice to see your future is in good hands,' he said.
Maenza said he wants people to realize that even more than a year later, the devastation is still widespread.
'It's going to take generations before it's back to what it was,' he said. 'Each of us has to do a little bit.'
For more information or to make a donation to The Giving Circle, visit the Web site www.thegivingcircle.org.