The flood - Gulfport
Early last Sunday evening we had volunteers coming in over several hours. A group from London, Ontario has been driving down repeatedly over the last two years (16 hour drive). I did not think any of them had arrived other than the leader who came a little early. He was attending to several members one of the local families they had helped rebuild so they could move back into their own home. The family had come by to see the group.
Suddenly I heard a loud yelling and crying out and a commotion in the yard by the meal tent. I was a little concerned so I went out. The London group had just arrived in several cars and the mother of the family was crying and jumping with joy to see them drive into the camp. There were hugs, tears and shouts, and more hugs. After they all had the time to renew their friendship we invited everyone to eat. After dinner the mother wanted to tell their story again. As you know by now, we didn’t have to ask.
"The day of the storm early Monday it was really raining and blowing hard. My husband was sleeping. My mother and daughter were also in the house. I looked out the window for some reason and saw a wall of water coming towards the house. It crashed over the fence in my back yard and splashed up against the window of the house, steadily rising. I ran and woke up my husband but by that time the water was halfway up the window and water was coming into the house. It went above the window and suddenly the window burst, then the front door popped open as the pressure was released and water poured into the house. It happened so fast all I could do was just stand there and pray for deliverance for what seemed a long time. I can't swim and was petrified. I just kept on prayin'.
'Lord, oh please Lord ! We need you now, we need you now.'
There was a panel in the ceiling that covered a door into the attic. This attic door was in the middle of the room and no one could get to it. Water was sloshing in higher and higher. My husband pulled a chair over under the door, stood up and pushed open the door. We were all floating and hanging on to each other by this time. He helped me, our daughter and my mother up into the attic and was struggling to get in himself. The chair toppled and he was hanging on as the water rose. Suddenly something floating in the room came underneath him and he could stand enough to pull himself up into the attic.
In the dark attic we could hear all sorts of noises. The refrigerator and furniture were swirling around banging into the walls, knocking holes in them. We could look out the small attic window and see live animals floating around struggling to get onto something solid. We heard the screams of neighbors. We found out later our next-door neighbors also went up into their attic but they had no windows. The water went so high they had on a few inches of air to breathe but, thank the Lord, the water stopped rising.
Finally it became deathly quite outside. All there was to see through the window was the water and debris swirling around.
When the water subsided, we got down out of the attic. My husband went first and helped us down. The house was covered in thick mud and all sorts of smelly mess. My husband tromped through the nasty mud to make a path for us out of the house.
Neighbors discovered one of the old men in a house a few doors down, drowned under his refrigerator. It took four days for the coroner to come and take the body. It was so bad a time.
Then a little later you all came. You gave us food, clothes, water and helped us clean up the mess."
Her husband then spoke. These are his words as best I recall:
“Katrina is still hanging on. It is still happening. The PDA has helped in so many ways. Their help has been color blind. They have helped close the racial gap that exists ‘down here.’ We are so thankful for you. As Christians, you’ve done the best job.”
Amen.
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