The Art of Planning

Red Cross Sifting Internal Charges Over Katrina Aid

2006-03-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK TIMES
By STEPHANIE STROM
Published: March 24, 2006

The American Red Cross, the largest recipient of donations after Hurricane Katrina, is investigating wide ranging accusations of impropriety among volunteers after the disaster.

John F. McGuire, the interim president and chief executive of the Red Cross, and Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Iowa Republican who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said some of the actions might have been criminal.

The accusations include improper diversion of relief supplies, failure to follow required Red Cross procedures in tracking and distributing supplies, and use of felons as volunteers in the disaster area in violation of Red Cross rules.

Pascagoula uses the “M” word

2006-03-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

Planners propose riverfront moratorium

Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By BRAD CROCKER
The Mississippi Press

PASCAGOULA —The planning board Monday recommended a six-month moratorium on new building permits along a certain section of property along the east bank of the Pascagoula River.

The proposal—which will have to be adopted by the City Council—was made to give Pascagoula officials a chance to study proposed zoning changes and ordinances, SmartCode adoption, the city’s comprehensive plan and other land use issues discussed in recent months related to waterfront development.

The proposed moratorium would affect riverfront property from U.S. 90 south to the end of the old Ingalls shipyard on the east bank. Currently the area is mostly zoned industrial, but city officials want to incorporate mixed-use zoning to attract retail, restaurants and other development.

March 19, 2006

2006-03-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

When I arrived in Slidell yesterday I discovered that my laptop was broken. Somehow the hinge of the screen was damaged and it wouldn't open wider than about 20 degrees. I'm not sure when the damage happened, but I may have banged it into something while travelling.

Keisha and Carla picked me up in Slidell around 4pm on their way from the New Orleans airport to the Lofty Oaks Inn (north of D'Iberville).

When we arrived, I learned that I was going to present the development scenarios and preservation policies at tomorrow's town hall meeting. I should have assumed that I would present something, but I didn't volunteer because I was pretty burned out from the all-nighters designing the plans. I had hoped other people would step up and volunteer, but I was delusional. I realize that I am probably the best person to speak about those things among the three of us, but we should have established our roles much sooner. I would have prefered having a day or two to prepare.

Later in the evening we had a run-through of the town-hall meeting. I was completely unprepared. It quickly became apparent, and Pat Bonck commented, that I had the hardest job of the meeting. We debated with Pat about whether and when to discuss casino development. There is a real fear that bringing up casinos could change the course of the meeting, diverting attention away from our main agenda - implementation of the plan. I liked our decision to have Jennifer mention the casino issue before I speak, explaining in general terms that there are some things that the plan cannot control.

I'm still concerned that people will want to talk more about potential casinos and that could set a very tense atmosphere even before I begin my challenging presentation.

In the midst of our meeting, Ms Alice comes in and interupts us, grabbing all of our attention. She said:

Honeys, I need a huge favor. I'll give you whatever you want, except my body, if someone would give me a little bit of pot. It's for medicinal purposes.

We all look at each other like WHAT? apparently it didn't occur to her that most of us had been through an airport just hours earlier. She then asked if anyone planned on getting some soon, as if we know dealers on the coast. lol. Maybe she figured the Saucier team had access to some of the meth labs in the woods now that they've been working in the area for a while. I mean, would any of us have actually declared that they had pot (if they did) during a meeting with our professor and county representatives? I mean, really. She then said:

If you haven't smoked pot by the time you have graduated college, then the
Pope isn't Catholic.

A few minutes just after we resumed our meeting, we were interrupted again by a thin blonde middle-aged woman. She had tanned leathery skin and overbleached hair. She introduced herself as an assistant to Ms Alice (I don't think anyone remembers her name) and rambled on about some nonsense. It was pretty random - like apparently she has 200 pairs of shoes and 100 pairs of jeans.

I worked on my presentation notes using Carla's laptop until about 1am.

Photos from DeLisle, Mississippi, March 18, 2006

2006-03-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

I spent some time in DeLisle today on my way to Slidell from the Gulfport airport. Our meeting is advertised on the DeLisle Elementary School sign. "DeLisle Town Meeting, West Harrison Civic Center, March 20, 6:00." Apparently the corner of the school's property is now a used car lot. How's that for mixed use in the center of DeLisle?

Nicky D's Open Soon. This is off of Kiln-DeLisle Road adjacent to the old gas station/convenience store. That building has been demolished.

This image is looking west along Kiln-DeLisle Road. It shows the old gas station/convenience store has been demolished.

Immediately behind the former gas station site is a new self-storage building.

Speaking of storage units, none have been constructed yet on Vidalia across from Martha Murphy's property. However there has been some sand/soil put down to fill in the low lying areas at that general site.

Drove down Wittmann to check out the area we thought that people used for access to the river. While there is some access here and it looks like this pull-off gets some use, I'm skeptical. Could many people really use this as a launching point for boats in this condition?

I drove over the bridge and took the first right. Hmmm, what is this?

This sign lead me to a real boat launch with a wide paved area that could accomodate dozens of vehicles.

Speaking of boat launches, I found this access to Bayou DeLisle near where the Bayou crosses under Cuevas-DeLisle Road. Obviously this is no longer used, and it looks like it may have been private. Didn't we get a phone call to the 800 number mentioning recreational opportunities at the bayou?

Stopped by the old DeLisle Cemetery to take some pictures of headstones for the plan. I couldn't find any that were older than mid 1800s. I was hoping to find Father Sorrin's grave, but couldn't. This cemetery is in bad shape, it's pretty sad. It is not abandoned though, as there had just been a burial a few weeks ago.

This stone reads "A.R. Jarret Died August 29, 1901 , aged 103 years." Hurricane Katrina happened on the anniversary of this person's death.

Stones of the Thompson family. Dates 1854, 1867, 1871.

One line of many Dedeauxs. The dates here are 1862, 1863. The stone obviously isn't that old.

Found a couple of Sauciers too.

The azaleas are looking good this year.

A picture for the plan.

This sign says everything you need to know about DeLisle's regional connections. It points to Pass Christian, Memphis, New Orleans, Gulfport, Horn Lake, and Walmart.

Looks like they going to rebuild the fire station.

Photo of First Baptist of DeLisle for Plan.

I drove up Lobouy to photograph the wastewater treatment plan.

Across the street from the treatment plant on Lobouy is Mt Zion Methodist Church, Rosemary William's church.

Next to Mt Zion Church was this abandoned building. The two structures are probably fewer than fifty feet apart. Note the same white gravel parking surface. I believe that symbol is used by the Freemasons.

Billy's Auto Body Repair, 7011 Vidalia Road.

Swanier's Quick Stop is located at the northeast corner of Lobouy and Cuevas-DeLisle Road across from the fire station and distribution center.

I went further north on Vidalia and explored since we didn't get to do that in January. The following are within the planning area (south of I-10). Here are some pictures of homes from that area. This one is on Eddie Road (spelled Eddie on the street sign, but Eddy on some mailboxes and in some of our GIS data).

Also on Eddie, this shows a mobile home on concrete supports behind a site-built home.

Cute house with a metal roof.

There were cows off of Eddie Road too.

This house was further north. I think it was off of Elm, west of Vidalia.

This house was nearby the one above.

This house was across the street from the one above. If it weren't for the setback and strange fence, this could have been in The Oaks.

This shows a large pond behind a house east of Vidalia.

The railroad crossing at Vidalia Road looking north towards I-10.

March 5-11, 2006

2006-03-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

I have gained a ton of knowledge and experience through this project that I will be able to carry with me into practice.

I've learned and applied cutting edge planning concepts like the smartcode, sectors, and transects. It is quite a unique opportunity to get to apply these new tools to a real planning problem.

I also gained less specialized and widely applicable experience in communication. By the time this project is complete I will have helped conduct four public meetings and facilitated small group discussions. Both experiences increased my confidence with those sorts of situations.

Probably the most valuable aspect of the project I think was the process of working in a team environment on a multi-faceted project over an extended period of time. This project pushed my organizational and communication skills (including sensitivity and tact), as well as my patience, beyond any challenge I've encountered.

Knowlton to help rebuild Gulf Coast

2006-03-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Innovative new program taps into expertise of KSA faculty and students

3/8/2006
http://knowlton.osu.edu/newscenter/show.asp?ID=591

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced seven universities will receive over $2 million through an innovative new program that draws on the expertise of these centers for higher learning to help rebuild communities throughout the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The funding is provided through HUD's new Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP) initiative. The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School of Architecture will receive a grant in the amount of $266,741.

The grant will fund the continuation of OSU’s efforts over the next two years. Beginning in December 2005, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning Jennifer Evans-Cowley has worked with a group of 12 students and three planning professionals to provide community planning assistance to Harrison County, Mississippi. “This grant is a wonderful learning opportunity for the students, while benefiting Harrison County in the rebuilding process,” Evans-Cowley said.

Future projects will include the creation of additional community plans, revising the County’s zoning ordinance, and assisting communities with implementing strategies for rebuilding.

HUD's URAP initiative was created through an existing design program that benefited schools of architecture and planning. Seven grants will assist other schools for community design and planning. Working with local, state and national organizations, URAP will provide an opportunity for groups of college and university students, faculty and staff to develop creative solutions to respond to the disaster.

HUD Secretary Alphanso Jackson said the funding is designed to tap into young, bright minds to help devastated Gulf Coast communities to rebuild.

More information about OSU’s efforts in Harrison County can be found at http://www.co.harrison.ms.us/departments/zoning/downloads.asp

Pat Bonck and Supervisor Ladners' visit

2006-03-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was both pleased and a little frustrated with Pat Bonck and Marlin Ladner's feedback.

First I must say that I was unprepared to present. I had decided to leave the powerpoint production up to Carla since Ellen and I got scolded for working on it before when it had been assigned to her. I decided that I had done enough, and if no one else wanted to improve it, then we would use it as is.

I think it showed. The powerpoint should have been changed more for this presentation, it was very unorganized and that made our presentation take forever.

I was pleased with the praise that Marlin had for us. He said we were exactly right on several topics. I was surprised by some of Pat's comments. Why did he wait to tell us at this meeting that 800 housing units are going to be developed just north of I-10? and why didn't he tell us about the casino/condo developer who is interested in developing his land south of the Wolf River? I think that some of this should have been communicated to us way before this point. Now we are trying to refine and finish the plans, but with new surprises happening daily, I don't feel that we are making much progress.

Saucier, DeLisle rebuilding plans available for review

2006-03-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

SUN HERALD
3/3/06

Citizens in Saucier and DeLisle can review and comment on draft plans for rebuilding and growth that are open for comment until March 10.

The plans were created as a result of a partnership between Harrison County, Ohio State University, and the citizens through the Mississippi Renewal Forum.

DeLisle plans are at St. Stephen's Catholic Church, Mount Zion United Methodist Church and the DeLisle Fire Station. Saucier plans are available at the Saucier Children's Library, Saucier Utilities, Hardware Plus, Herrin's Short Stop, People's Bank and the Saucier Community Center.
Plans are online at http://co.harrison.ms.us/departments/zoning and the Harrison County Zoning Office at 15309 Community Road in Gulfport. Citizens can provide comments online at http://co.harrison.ms.us/departments/zoning, or by calling (800) 906-6009 ext. 9647, or on forms at the above locations.

After incorporating feedback into the plans, OSU team members will present the implementation strategies at town hall meetings.

The meetings will be in: DeLisle-March 20, 6 p.m., West Harrison Civic Center; Saucier-March 21,6 p.m., Saucier Elementary School.

February 12-18, 2006

2006-02-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Feb 13 - Ellen and I worked on the plan nearly all night.

Ok, so maybe I misunderstood, but I thought the zoning team was our resource. Now it seems that we can't bother them with questions. Apparently certain questions we should find answers to, and other questions we can direct to the zoning team, however that is still unclear.

It is very frustrating that we ask for zoning-related recommendations from the zoning team and all they say is "look at this or that." Like we have time to do all that additional research on top of everything else. They are not much help.

January 29-February 4, 2006

2006-02-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

We began making plans to return to The Gulf Coast this week. The plan is to spend spring break and conduct Town Hall Meetings focussed on implementation of the plans.

I spent the last two weeks (among other things) trying to contact the county engineer, Danny Boudreaux, about possible road and sewer system improvements. Amelia finally heard from him this week. Of course, he didn't have any useful information. He wasn't sure why the sewer district boundaries were set as they were, but supposes it had something to do with density. In regard to whether the county has considered a water district in DeLisle and what the criteria would be, he said that water service isn't needed in DeLisle since the lots are large enough to have wells.

Justin and I spent a couple very long nights putting together the landuse map for DeLisle. It is a time-consuming process in any case, but it was worse because Justin's conputer is somewhat slow. There was no better option though. Working in Knowlton prison would be worse.

Meanwhile I've been completing my plan areas and editing the background chapter. I volunteered to research and write about Rebuilding in DeLisle, including housing. Our meeting with Kris was very helpful. Her knowledge is really impressive. I've learned a lot from her. I agree with Ellen that we couldn't pull this off without her help.

Keisha embarrassed us this week (particulary Kris) when she posted our Goals and Objectives to Basecamp before the team had seen them. I really don't know what she was thinking, but they didn't reflect what we had discussed. Kris asked Keisha not to post things to the writeboard until the team (and she) had approved it. Keisha needed direction on how to frame our goals like Saucier did. Ellen decided to take a stab at refining the goals . I'm not sure if she upset Keisha by reworking the goals. From that point, the file went back and forth between each of us for about a week before we sent it to Jennifer. I think that process could have bee much easier if we had just met and worked it out together.

Meanwhile I was working on the second newsletter and trying to not fall too far behind in Law.

January 22-28, 2006

2006-01-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

We are well into the process now and are beginning to put the plan together. I am also seeing a division within our group. Two of us are putting forth considerably more effort than the other two. It is frustrating because I know the Saucier team is meeting regularly, but we never work together. All of our work is independent, and then someone has to take all the parts and put it together. I'm not sure which is more efficient. I would like to meet and discuss our work, but my team doesn't seem interested. I'm sure that no one has read any of the material anyway, except Ellen who seems on top of things. Carla couldn't even tell the difference between our landuse map and a zoning map.

I'm trying to be careful not to let this become the Ellen and Michael show, but things have to get done and we don't have time to hold each others' hands.

Another issue that has arrisen is the pace at which we are working. I know we are all under tremendous pressure and corners are getting cut. This happened on the first newsletter. There was an error that I overlooked and didn't revise. In ideal circumstances, there would have been ample time for the author of the article to proofread the newsletter before it was printed, which might have prevented that problem.

Regional water, sewer plans considered

2006-01-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

THE SUN HERALD 1/25/06
By MIKE KELLER
mkeller@sunherald.com

Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality expects to get between $500 million and $600 million in federal money to restore water and sewer systems damaged by Katrina and extend services north of the worst damage, where evacuees resettled.

The plan, which is still in its infancy, will be one of the first taking the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal recommendations to regionalize what has been the domain of local governments and businesses.

"It may be the first step to regionalizing," said Charles Chisolm, DEQ's executive director. "It certainly relates and comes directly from the vision established by the Governor and the Governor's Commission."

[source article]

DuPont's earnings slump 45 percent

2006-01-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

By RANDALL CHASE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 1/25/06

DOVER, Del. - Blaming hurricanes and higher costs for raw materials, chemical maker DuPont reported a 45 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday and predicted a decline in first-quarter earnings as well. Shares of Wilmington-based DuPont fell 52 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $39.03 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

[...]

While 13 of the company's 14 affected plants are back in operation, DuPont's titanium dioxide plant in DeLisle will not resume full operations until April, officials said.

[read more]

Barbour: Dupont an example of state's resolve

2006-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

THE SUN HERALD 1/25/06
By RYAN LAFONTAINE
rlafontaine@sunherald.com

DELISLE - Governor Haley Barbour said today the restart of the DuPont titanium dioxide facility here is a sign of Mississippi's resolve, and the state's ability to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

"All of our big employers on the Coast are working hard to put people back to work, and I feel like progress is being made," Barbour said during a brunch in DeLisle to celebrate the plant's reopening.

A study conducted just before the Aug. 29 hurricane estimated DuPont's annual economic impact in the state to be about $394 million.

Katrina's wicked winds and waves pounded the facility, which combines titanium-bearing coke and ore in a unique fashion to create super-white titanium dioxide pigments along the north shore of St. Louis Bay.

Despite the storm's mammoth beating on South Mississippi, no hazardous materials were released from the DeLisle plant, according to a recent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

[source article]

Scientists: Pollutants washed up

2006-01-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Heavy metals found after Katrina's surge

THE SUN HERALD 1/25/06
By MIKE KELLER
mkeller@sunherald.com

LONG BEACH - Two scientists assailed DuPont and government regulatory agencies on Tuesday night for what they believe are inaccurate representations of widespread pollution carried in by Hurricane Katrina's tidal surge.

The comments came during a public meeting held by the Mississippi Coast chapter of the Sierra Club at the West Harrison County Civic Center in Long Beach.

Wilma Subra, a Louisiana chemist, and E.W. Cake Jr., an Ocean Springs marine biologist, tested sediment washed up in 17 industrial and residential locations along the Coast.

[...]

Both scientists said analysis of the sediments showed levels of heavy metals that exceeded regulatory limits.

"The (government) agencies said 'It's not a problem,' but they did not take into account the availability of contaminants in the sludge," Subra said. "When you take all of the contaminants together, it is a cumulative impact to the health."

[...]

Nate Pepper, a spokesman for DuPont who was also at the meeting, disagreed with the scientists' interpretations.

"Subra's study had a number of major flaws, including that she does not compare her data to background data that naturally occurs in Mississippi soils," he said. "Second, she does not compare her results to the appropriate health-based standards from Mississippi or the federal government. Third, EPA, MDEQ, Chemrisk and DuPont's own analysis have repeatedly shown that there was no adverse environmental impact at the DuPont DeLisle site related to Hurricane Katrina."

Subra's sediment analysis showed elevated levels of dioxin, infection-causing microbes and the heavy metals arsenic and chromium in several samples collected along the Coast.

She said that the problem fell on regulatory agencies, which would be responsible for cleaning up hurricane-caused pollution.

"They don't want to clean it up because they are afraid of the precedent it will set," she said.

[source article]

Spending Katrina Recovery Money - Perilous comparisons

2006-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

Louisiana had better get its own house in order

1/24/06
By MELINDA DESLATTE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BATON ROUGE - In the comparisons of hurricane damage, Louisiana's debris stacks up higher in landfills and stretches wider across cities and towns than Mississippi's destruction.

And state officials never shy away from pointing out that fact, in requests for money and in comments about dollars received.

[...]

But there's a fine line in the weighing of damage, the measuring of pain and destruction.

It can bolster Louisiana's requests for financial assistance by demonstrating the depth of need, or it can simply look crass, like Louisiana officials are trying to discount Mississippi's misery to help alleviate their own.

After the 2005 hurricane season ended, Louisiana had 786,000 people displaced, 217,000 homes and 18,800 businesses destroyed, 835 damaged schools, 10 ruined hospitals and 240,000 fewer people employed, according to Blanco's Louisiana Recovery Authority. More than 1,000 Louisiana residents were killed by Katrina and the storm's flooding.

Mississippi had 110,000 displaced residents, 68,700 homes and 1,900 businesses destroyed, 263 damaged schools, two ruined hospitals and 46,000 fewer employed residents, according to an LRA comparison of storm impact. More than 200 people died because of Katrina in Mississippi.

[...]

Louisiana already is walking the tight rope, trying to offset an early $250 billion request from its two U.S. senators that made the state appear greedy, with more tempered, specific project funding requests. It's also feared that Louisiana politicians won't spend federal hurricane aid well and that corrupt officials will steal it.

And as they question the amount of the aid, state officials have yet to draw up complete plans for using the cash already approved by Congress.

With that in mind, Blanco, Louisiana's congressional delegation and other state officials would do well to tread lightly and keep their eyes focused at home rather than on comparisons with their neighbors.

[Source Article]

Henderson Point fears new elevations

2006-01-24T08:57:00.002-08:00

Supervisors may withdraw support for maps

THE SUN HERALD 1/24/06
By MICHAEL NEWSOM
mmnewsom@sunherald.com

GULFPORT - Harrison County supervisors said Monday they will likely withdraw support for the preliminary FEMA flood-plain maps after Henderson Point residents told the board the new regulations would destroy their community and offer them little protection.

[...]

Some Henderson Point residents said they worry they might be required to rebuild at up to 23 feet.
[...]

One Henderson Point resident said her destroyed home was built at 20 feet above sea level.

"I don't have anything left," said Nonnie DeBardeleben, when speaking against increasing the height rules.

Supervisors were told it could be up to one year before the final FEMA maps are drawn, and those maps could deviate from the first flood maps released just after the storm.

Supervisor Marlin Ladner, who represents Henderson Point, peppered FEMA representatives with questions but ultimately said municipalities' hands are tied on adopting FEMA's final flood maps, which could come in a year.

"A year or two from now, the cities and the counties, whether we like it or not, will have to adopt," Ladner said.

He said it has to be shown that the coastal cities made an effort to improve their regulations so it might be easier to ask for sizeable federal bailouts in the event of another catastrophic storm.

"If we don't show an effort to protect ourselves, and something happens, I am not going to be the one going to Washington to ask for billions," he said.

[...]

The new flood maps, when completed, will be a major factor in flood insurance rates and eligibility. The regulations will affect residents' eligibility for a $30,000 flood insurance credit, which is given to those who live in communities with elevated height requirements.

Besides elevated heights, supervisors were concerned the FEMA recommendations don't take into account stronger building practices and instead relies on the height as the principal safeguard against devastating storm surges.

[read more]

Ohio State University volunteers help plan Gulf Coast rebuilding

2006-01-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Group solicits input of Katrina survivors to complete recovery in Mississippi towns

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Sunday, January 22, 2006

Story by Debbie Gebolys Photos by Ellen Marrison

A group of professional and student planners from Ohio State University is helping small-town Mississippians find the opportunity left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake.

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, an OSU city and regional planning professor, volunteered last fall to help a Mississippi state committee piece together recovery plans. By December, she had assembled 13 graduate students and three professional planners to take on the assignment — help two small Mississippi towns draft recovery plans and chart future growth.

Saucier and DeLisle, rural communities roughly a halfhour’s commute from coastal Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss., are among dozens of communities that aren’t receiving the attention that New Orleans is getting an hour’s drive to the west.

The OSU group spent the first eight days of January in the Mississippi bedroom communities, assessing storm damage and townspeople’s hopes for revival.

"The task is enormous," Evans-Cowley said.

"In DeLisle, people experienced 20 feet of storm surge or more," she said. "There are still people living in tents pitched on the concrete pads where their homes once stood."

DeLisle, near Bay St. Louis, lost about a quarter of its homes to the hurricane. In Saucier, damage was less severe, but high winds ripped off roofs and shattered windows.

Harrison County, Miss., officials told Evans-Cowley’s group that a rebuilt Saucier might get an influx of Mississippians leery of coastal living. DeLisle, they thought, might lose some of its 1,300 residents because of its proximity to the bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Because neither community is incorporated, Harrison County officials control them. Until the OSU group came to organize town meetings, residents there had never been asked their opinions about how they wanted their communities to be redeveloped.

Evans-Cowley changed that, first by establishing a Web site, the Harrison County Online Community for Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal, to open a channel for citizens to voice their opinions. Nearly 400 people signed up.

Then she set up town meetings, facilitated by Harrison County officials, to get people to talk about what would be best for the future. Roughly 100 residents attended each of the town meetings.

"It was an emotional boost for the people down there to think about the future," said Kris Hopkins, a Cuyahoga County planner who volunteered to join the student group.

"It was a way of having hope for the future," she said.

Planning student Corrin Hoegen said the people of Mississippi brought remarkable enthusiasm to the task.

"I couldn’t have described (the destruction) had I not gone down there," she said. "And yet, I sat with people who were so positive and so uplifting even though they had lost everything. I was inspired."

In addition to collecting opinions on how to rebuild the communities — largely, residents hope, making them the way they were — the OSU group was asked to analyze the county’s zoning code and recommend changes.

"I was extremely excited," Hoegen said, about an opportunity to put new professional skills to use in a real-life setting.

"I think I learned more (that) week than I would have in an entire class," she said.

"I’m excited that we have nine more weeks to work on this project."

The students are to complete draft planning documents for Saucier and DeLisle and recommend zoning changes by early March, when Mississippi officials will come to Ohio State to review results.

Evans-Cowley also brought a dozen modular-home manufacturers to the county to discuss ways to quickly replace moderately priced homes lost in the storm.

"She’s a pretty special person," said Pat Bonck, Harrison County zoning administrator. "She’s got it together."

Evans-Cowley wants OSU students to do even more for Mississippi. She has applied for a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that could extend the planning assistance to other Harrison County communities for two more years.

Several groups within Ohio State gave the planning troop $17,000 in various grants for the first trip.

Bob Cowell, planning director in Bloomington, Ind., joined the troop at his own expense, using vacation time to travel to Mississippi.

"They’re still operating a food and water distribution center with nice long lines," Cowell said. "Most of the people are living in FEMA trailers or someone else’s house."

Yet these people turned out to ask for changes that would permit modular and manufactured houses for the first time, create town centers with small shops, add neighborhood parks and keep out large-format stores.

Cowell said he was equally impressed by residents’ enthusiasm and the dedication of the OSU group.

"This wasn’t just a class or a grade," he said. "They are seriously interested in what role they can play in the recovery.

"What we could bring to them was ideas for the future," he said. "I felt like we were actually achieving something. Sometimes, that’s difficult to find."

Bonck estimated that it will take five years for Harrison County to be fully restored, adding that the OSU planners have helped the process immeasurably.

"What they have done for us is really fantastic," he said.

dgebolys@dispatch.com

Forum for Evacuees in Atlanta Draws Small, Unhappy Crowd

2006-01-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

Interesting Contrast

comment by Ellen Marrison on 22 January

Check out how much these meetings contrasted with ours, yet they were focused on the same thing – planning. My favorite quote is from Blanco: “Sometimes ideas that make sense to planners do not make sense to people.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: January 22, 2006

ATLANTA, Jan. 21 – The 15,000-square-foot grand ballroom at the Sheraton hotel in downtown Atlanta was mostly empty Saturday but for laminated posters emblazoned with the slogan: “Louisiana speaks: Our voice. Our plan. Our future,” and a small army of eager-looking people in suits who seemed ready to pounce on anyone who set foot in the door.
But they had few takers. Although it was the first time the thousands of Katrina evacuees living in Atlanta were given the opportunity to share their views on rebuilding with Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana, by noon, barely two dozen had arrived.

“Is this it?” asked Ruth Creecy, unsure she was in the right place. Ms. Creecy, 67, and her husband, Milton Creecy, 81, are living with relatives in Atlanta until they learn whether they can return to their flooded home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

The meeting, called the Louisiana Recovery Planning Day, was one of 31 such events held Saturday throughout Louisiana and in cities including Memphis, San Antonio and Houston that are playing host to displaced residents of the Gulf Coast.

The problem was that few wanted or knew to show up. By the end of the day in Atlanta, a city estimated to be sheltering 15,000 to 20,000 evacuees, the official turnout was 102 people.

“No one knew about this,” said Ellaree Holmes, 60, a teacher from Orleans Parish. “I heard something on the news, but it wasn’t very detailed.”

Alfred G. Battle, who runs an Atlanta hotel that is housing 50 displaced families, said none of them had heard about the meeting. Mr. Battle, who said he was attending on behalf of the families, also questioned why the meeting had been held at the Sheraton, which he said was not housing any evacuees.

“Many of these people don’t have transportation,” Mr. Battle said. “You could have at least tried to bring it closer to some of them.I’m disappointed.”

The turnout left many dismayed. Some were also disappointed that efforts seemed to be focused on long-term planning rather than immediate concerns.

Ms. Holmes, for example, wanted to know more about the fate of the New Orleans school systems. She had just been told her job would be terminated at the end of the month. After walking around the room, she sat down at an empty table, dissatisfied.

Ms. Creecy was also frustrated.

“I just want to know what they’re going to do,” she said. “I don’t want to spend money to fix up my house and then they’re not going to let us come back.”

The purpose of the day was to get evacuees thinking about community needs and goals, rather than individual struggles, said Scott Davis, a director for planning and recovery strategy at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sponsored the meeting along with the State of Louisiana. Mr. Davis said that for some, it might be too soon to see a bigger picture.

“We can’t wait until each individual need is filled to start planning for community rebuilding,” he said. “It’s the challenge of trying to start those two conversations.”

At one card-table station offering information, a poster that urged evacuees to “think big” by focusing on community-level priorities struck a sour note with some who were still searching for missing loved ones and dealing with insurance companies.

“Whoever put this together was smoking crack,” said Carol Sutton, an Atlanta resident who came to support her friends who evacuated from New Orleans. “This is busywork, and you’re blowing smoke, and I am not happy.”

Ms. Blanco, who arrived at 2 p.m. and stayed until 4, toured the room, listening to evacuees. “I’m not surprised that they’re focused on immediate needs,” she said. “Sometimes ideas that make sense to planners do not make sense to people.”

Ms. Blanco, a Democrat, did say she was encouraged that so many had expressed a desire to return. “Home is home,” she said, “and that’s where their hearts are.”

Not everyone shared her enthusiasm.

“Does this do anything?” asked Izetta Wallace, 51, who said she would like to return to New Orleans with her daughter. “Not much.”

22 January 13:20 Justin Goodwin said…

Planners are people too . . .

This is an interesting contrast seeing that DeLisle is facing the same issues of immediate personal needs, yet residents were more receptive. I wonder if the reactions described above were less a negative feeling toward long-range planning than toward the poor execution and public outreach of the officials organizing the meetings. Had Blanco and her planners engaged people and made sure that there was a large turnout, it might have been easier for people to think big picture. If the community isn’t there, the few people that do come are going to think as individuals – not as a community.

January 15-21. Weighing in

2006-01-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

DeLisle seems to have an advantage over Saucier in that there are fewer groups weighing in on the process. The main factors we are dealing with FEMA, the County, DuPont, Martha Murphy, RoseMary Williams and other land developers.

FEMA, with their flood elevations and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), will determine how residents can rebuild. In order for the county to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) new homes must be built to or above the base flood elevation that FEMA defines.

The County currently has adopted FEMA's advisory FIRMs with an additional 2 feet above the BFE. This would mean that citizens would have to elevate their homes to 16 feet above sea level, in some cases in DeLisle, 12 feet above ground.

DuPont, for having such an ominous presence in the area, is weighing in very little. They assert that they are not polluting the water supply in DeLisle. Any quality problems are due to old wells and faulty septic systems. They have contributed considerable resources to Pass Christian schools, and have donated over 400 acres of land for conservation.

Martha Murphy, with her parcel in the center of DeLisle has a more important role currently. I am surprised that she is on our steering committee since she is not really a resident of DeLisle. She has certainly positioned herself to weigh in. She told Ellen on the phone that she believed that she could have what she wanted and DeLisle could have what they wanted and both be happy. She said she could make a "secret town" in the woods that wouldn't bother anyone.

Reverend RoseMary Williams also has land in DeLisle that she wants to develop. She is proposing to build a new church and housing units on about 30 acres of land. Her proposals wouldn't work under the current zoning without water service, but Pat Bonck has said that they would likely be approved without a rezoning.

Other developers are another concern, which we haven't directly faced. There is a lot of fear of casinos and condominiums coming into DeLisle. There was a past proposal for condos along the waterfront that residents successfully fought. Martha Murphy has been active in fighting casino development in the area. There are two possible sites in the DeLisle area that are zoned for casino development. One site is south of the Wolf River and the other is just west of DuPont along the Saint Louis Bay. The fear now is that in the post-Katrina environment, there will be more pressure to develop and it will be harder for residents to fight.

Vanishing Act

2006-01-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

Media attention is fading, but OSU students say the work has just begun

Vincent Burgess
THE LANTERN
Issue date: 1/20/06

Though Hurricane Katrina is no longer front-page news, a group of Ohio State graduate students, which recently returned from a week of assisting small communities along the Mississippi coastline, recognize that much of the work has yet to begin.

The team, led by Jennifer Evans-Cowley, assistant professor of city and regional planning in the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture, consists of 13 graduate students and three Ohio planning professionals. On Dec. 31 the team went to Harrison County, Miss., to help residents with planning efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The students focused their efforts on areas that received significant damage from the hurricane, but have not received the same amount of attention as New Orleans.

[...]
The students were broken up into three teams working with DeLisle and Saucier, two of the smaller communities in Harrison County. A separate zoning team was looking at the regulations and ordinances of Harrison County as a whole.

"Someone from the media asked us 'Aren't you guys going down really late?'" Evans-Cowley said.

Many communities, however, are barely ready to begin long-term planning, and the hurricane's destruction left large amounts debris uncollected, she said.

"For the media to be done with the story is a shame," Evans-Cowley said.

Because of a lack of supplies in the region, it is difficult for the citizens to begin rebuilding, said team member Carla Marable.

"They can't get the basics necessary to rebuild, and it makes them more frustrated," she said. "The red tape they had to go through is ridiculous."

Evans-Cowley said the lack of monetary support is putting a burden on the rebuilding efforts."No money has appeared. No federal, no state, no insurance," Evans-Cowley said. "They don't know what's going to be coming in. They want to rebuild, but they don't know if they'll have the money.

"A lot of people in the area look at Florida and are afraid that developers will come in and the region will become overrun with condos, Evans-Cowley said.

[read more]

January 9-14. Our Process

2006-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

The planning process we are engaged in is not ideal. No planning process is perfect, especially not one dealing with a post-disaster situation, but we've certainly created a challenge for ourselves. I think the hardest challenge we face is communication with the community, because we are not on location. We are conducting most of our communication through email with people who have very limited access to email. It is even difficult to get in touch with our steering committee on the phone. Also the fast pace with which we will have to work is a handicap. Looking at the schedule, there is very little time for feedback from the community on our work before we move on to the next stage. I doubt that we will get many extra surveys mailed to us, at least not from DeLisle. I think that partly because the citizens lives there are so hectic and unstable that participating in the planning process is a low priority.

I am somewhat confused or skeptical about applying New Urbanist principles to these plans. I suppose they apply if broadly defined, but neither community seemed interested in New Urbanist style development. These are rural communities, which don't quite fit into the models described in the Renewal Forum and SmartCode.

Basecamp has really enhanced our internal communication and productivity. It is great to be able to see what everyone is doing and share information. However, getting 50-100 emails a day is sometimes a nuissance.

Rockco voted supervisors president

2006-01-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Posted on Mon, Jan. 09, 2006
THE SUN HERALD

BILOXI - The Harrison County Board of Supervisors unanimously elected Supervisor Connie Rockco to serve as president for 2006.

Supervisor Larry Benefield will continue as vice president.

The president’s job will rotate annually, a practice the board had followed until electing long-time Supervisor Bobby Eleuterius to a four-year term in 2004.

Eleuterius, whose house flooded during Hurricane Katrina, resigned the job Monday. Other supervisors had indicated that they wanted to move Rockco into the position.

DeLisle Meeting Comments

2006-01-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

From Bill John:
I was impressed and encouraged by the first DeLisle town hall meeting and by the community turnout. I believe it is possible for residents of this unincorporated area of greater Pass Christian to develop a shared community identity while still allowing folks to “do their own thing”, which I believe is why most people who have stayed or moved into DeLisle chose to do so. I look forward to more communication and planning events. The visual survey of housing styles, building setbacks, town character, etc. was very enlightening. I was, personally, unaware of the range of opinions, likes and dislikes of our neighbors about such matters. I hope it will help residents realize they can and should come together and influence the future of our rural community…because it will grow and change whether we shape it or it just happens. I am concerned by an undercurrent of opinion that I have heard that a particular solution has already been reached and will be “forced down our throats.” I hope all involved will continue to emphasize otherwise. Thanks to the County organizers, local volunteers and the OSU team for their efforts on our behalf.

From Erica Carter:
First off, I regret to say that we missed the Delisle town hall meeting – didn’t hear about it until WLOX mentioned it that evening. I wonder if there’s a way that e-mail alerts could be set up for this sort of meeting – we’ve been reading the Sun Herald daily but still missed the announcement.

We had a house on Bayou Delisle and are looking to rebuild. The new FEMA flood elevations are ridiculous – 50% wave heights when we had absolutely no damage from waves. Plus we hear rumors that our entire property will be a V-zone. These requirements will make it difficult for us to rebuild. I hear that the Board of Supervisors is realizing that the new elevations are unfair to the coast and are in many cases ridiculous (many areas are being required to build above the Katrina flood stage). I hope that all the governing bodies on the coast can provide a united front to FEMA and get something more reasonable adopted. Unfortunately, this will take time and we were hoping to start rebuilding this year.

I find that when I comment that I’m unhappy with the new flood regulations, many people tell me that I shouldn’t complain, that I should build to the new elevations, that it’s in my best interest. I fully agree that the flood elevations should be raised, but I think that there are other solutions that should also be considered. Rather than the 9’ higher that the FEMA flood maps require (we were already 8’ above ground), we would like to build 5’ higher and would like to put a lot of attention into the attachment of the house to the pilings and the roof to the house. We would like to build a house that would not flood in a Camille storm but which would survive Camille’s winds, and a house that would survive the Katrina flood. Far too many houses (including our own) floated off the foundations but sustained little other damage. I worry that FEMA and the local governments will group all these houses into “wave damage” and simply requiring higher elevations rather than addressing basic building code improvements that would have allowed these houses to be structurally sound after the Katrina flood. Engineering drawings showing the house to piling connections are only required for houses in V-zones. Perhaps all houses in flood zones should have them.

Leaving the Gulf Coast

2006-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Another long day of travel. By this time I was very ready to return to Columbus, or at least to leave Lofty Oaks. After ten days of working 18 hour days, sleeping on the floor, and breathing second-hand smoke, heading home was the best birthday present I could imagine. Additionally, the weather was great so we got a better view of the damage in New Orleans.
We also got to witness Andy's aggressive city driving.

January 7, 2006

2006-01-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

We had some friction this morning. Ellen wakes me at 7:15 and asks if I will come with her and finish the Land-use and damage assessment for DeLisle. She wanted to go without Kris. Apparently, Kris had pissed Ellen off last night by wanting to look at our maps at 11pm. When she began complaining that we were behind on the land-use work, Ellen aparenly said that we were ready for bed and wouldn’t be doing it tonight. Then Kris told her that “well, you’re the land-use person.”

So I rushed to get ready without really thinking about it. It only took me ten minutes, but that didn't matter because our team was up and downstairs before I was. So we had a little showdown in the dining room this morning that ended up with Kris staying behind and the rest of us finishing the land use inventory.

Ellen apologized to me later during the BBQ for being so difficult. We followed the BBQ with a bon fire. It was a great night for it; a little chilly. While we were roasting marchmallows, Corrin points out to me that Alice only has 9 toes!

Earlier today Alice showed naked picture of herself when she was younger. I'm not sure where I was at that point.

Quotes of the day:

Andy: “Are you sure?”
Justin: “I’m Saucier”

Matt: “I’m going to draw a parabola”

Justin: “And the damn paparazzi descends on Saucier”

Justin: “We’re going to see a damn trailer at the end of this road”

Alice: “Hey baby. You remind me of an old boyfriend… He was a sweetheart!” (directed to me)

Amelia: "Its sassy, its sexy, its full of pinecones… Its Saucier”

January 6, 2006

2006-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Up at 6:45p.m.

Justin and I talked this morning and we decided it was still worth looking into the tax landroll data, just to see what was available and what was involved in aquiring it.

Kris, Carla and I drove around DeLisle conducting a land use inventory while Ellen and Keisha met with Pass Christian school superintendant. At one point Carla and I got out of the van to talk to a man sitting on his porch. We asked him to identify where we were on the map and to determine which parcel we were looking at. He told his story about how he and most of his neighbors rode out the storm. His home was not in the 100 year flood plain so he didn't feel the need to evacuate. He said the water came in so fast and rose to the ceiling. He grabbed an axe and headed to the attic. His house has a very low roof pitch so there isn't much space in the attic. Had the water risen much more he would have had to break through the roof. The water stopped just below the attic entrance and rushed out as quickly as it had come in. He had to chase down his furniture and other belongings that the water pulled out. He explained that the property across the street, which is along DeLisle Bayou, is owned by a lawyer in New Orleans and is a second home. The parcel also contained a guesthouse. The owner rode out Katrina in his house. He survived the storm by clinging to a tree, when the water swept his house away.

Dupont Meeting & Tour
Martha Murphy had helped arrange a meeting for us with representatives of the DuPont plant. She knows Pat Nichols, the plant manager. DuPont's DeLisle plant is the world's second largest producer of Titanium Dioxide. This white substance is a pigment used in all kinds of products from paint, to plastics, to the filling in Oreo Cookies (really). The titanium dioxide this plant manufactures is not food grade, however.

Pat Nichols was not available to meet with us, instead we met with Al Stumpf, Donny Ladner, and Berinda Logan. We began by watching a safety video and then Mr. Stumpf began describing the plant. He said that during Katrina, they sustained 130+ mph winds for 3 hours before floodwaters arrived. He claims that they experienced no process leaks as a result of the hurricane. Rail cars were knocked off of their tracks but did not leak. Currently, only a small portion of the plant is operating, but they will be fully online in a few weeks.

Mr. Stumpf then went into a detailed and monotonous description of all of DuPont's contributions to the community post-Katrina. He tried to make sure he portreyed them as a good neighbor. They are using a 501c3 fund where DuPont matches employee contributions dollar for dollar and currently $210,000 dollars have been approved for distribution. He emphasised their contributions to the schools. This part was almost nauseating:

Supplied schools throughout the county with Walmart gift cards. At least $2,000 was contributed for that purpose by employees worldwide.
For DeLisle Elementary, DuPont provided Office Depot gift cards to teachers and administrators. “Teams of laborers” were sent to clean the gym (Al Stumpf).
Supplied funds to buy bikes for kids.
Paid for school repairs, particularly playground equipment.
Contributed $3000 for a mass baby shower for mothers who gave birth during or after Katrina, which was organized by the Governor’s wife.
Donated 30 laptop and 30 desktop computers for reopening of DeLisle Elementary. They also provided fiberoptics, which are currently being installed.
Contributed $10,000 for youth football programs in Pass Christian school district.

Mr Stumpf explained that, “FEMA is slow. Private companies provided [assistance] faster. Without DuPont, citizens wouldn’t have the library and other facilities [that we have made] available already.” Their other work in the community included:

Contributed $5000 for the replacement of trees, through a donation to Audubon of Mississippi.
Recent sponsor of “Art in the Pass” and “Music in the Air” events.
Contributed $38,000 to Pass Christian library to operate in trailers. A check will be given to the city as reimbursal, a deal that Pass Christian “might profit from” (Al Stumpf)
DuPont workers sent to clean/repair St Stephen’s cemetery in DeLisle. Men were told to clean it “as if your mother were buried there” (Al Stumpf).

The most ridiculous part was when Mr Stumpf to us that they gave $200 Walmart gift cards to 20 needy families selected by Pass Christian school district. None of us were impressed by that. I looked at Carla and she grinned. She said, "yeah, we talked to Martha Murphy yesterday..."

Mr Stumpf then said oh yeah we also contributed $18,000 in equipment and labor to clear Martha Murphy’s DeLisle property! We all made note of that. What good samaritans.

Justin left me a voicemail saying he had spoken with Heidi at Data Processing. She said they only had a GIS shape file with parcel IDs and a database of the landroll. With that we could create some useful maps. That is, if the data is accurate. It happens that there may be a lot of missing or out of date data. Justin also talked to Paula Ladner at the Tax Assessor’s office. She said the fee for aquiring the landroll was $500! Since Pat didn’t seem to think the data would even be reliable, we decided to stop pursuing it.

Later, we took Brett to his interview with FEMA at the Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi. We then drove along US 90 to the courthouse to meet Jennifer and the Zoning team who had finished their meetin about modular housing. We needed to get the credit card from Jennifer to buy groceries for tomorrow’s BBQ. I tried to see tax assessor to ask find out whether DuPont has been paying property tax or whether they in fact had an abatement, which was a rumor we heard from Robert Jones. I was sent to talk to a woman in the back room of the tax assessors office. She told me I had to go across the hall to the tax collector’s office. Well there were 20 people waiting in line so I gave up. I couldn’t leave my team outside waiting for me for an hour. I decided to try to find out on the internet.

Got groceries, waited in line for ages at Walmart.

We returned to the Imperial Palace Casino for dinner. The buffet was good, but I forgot that people can smoke indoors. I'm accustomed to the smoking ban in Columbus. There was a cool looking chocolate fountain at the dessert table, which attracted the attention of a young boy who thought it would be fun to put his hand in the chocolate and blow into it.

After dinner I walked around with Justin outside to get some fresh air. We discussed how crazy it was how all of those people can sit for hours staring at flashing lights while pressing a button and draining their debit cards.

When we returned to the bed and breakfast, I did another load of laundry. I made the mistake of walking in my socks into the laundry room. The carpet was soaked in brown slimey mildew.

I think I went to bed around 2am.

January 5, 2006

2006-01-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Out of bed at 8:30

I got a little more sleep last night.

We began today by heading to Daimondhead to check out where some DeLisle residents shop. We then drove through Waveland and Bay St Louis. The damage there was worse than any we had seen thus far. It partly looked worse because the cleanup was further behind that in Harrison County.

Took a 1 hour nap.

Saucier Town Hall Meeting
The Saucier Town Hall Meeting was a lot different from the DeLisle meeting but it went equally well. First, we needed a bigger facility. The Saucier Community center was standing room only. The main difference between the two meetings was the temperaments of the citizens. During the visual preference survey, which Robert conducted very well, the crowd made many humorous comments, laughed, and gave applause. I think the different atmosphere in DeLisle was due to the catastrophic effects of Katrina. In Saucier, most peoples' lives were back to normal. In DeLisle normalcy is nowhere in sight.

The small group discussions were different at this meeting too. For one, the tables were long and narrow, so I had trouble engaging the people at the far end of the table in our discussion. Also, I heard more contrasting opinions about development. One woman was opposed to all development, insisting that she only wanted large lot (10+ acres) residential development. Others were more open to commercial development around corridors. My table was very opposed to "big-box" retail like Walmart, yet I heard that other groups supported a local Walmart.

My table's comments:

What do you like best about Saucier?

Small town atmosphere
Quiet, laid back
Friendly
Community oriented – people help each other whether they now you or not.

What are the biggest land use and development issues facing Saucier?

Tax base low
Young people leave area because there are few jobs
Emergency services are poor (long response times, trouble finding homes)
Residents in extremely rural parts of the county are concerned about overdevelopment. They do not want businesses, just residences on very large lots. Separation of uses.
Residents toward the center of Saucier (Hwy 67/49 interchange) are supportive of commercial uses along the Highways.

What suggestions do you have for dealing with the future of Saucier especially in regards to rebuilding and future development?

Lakeview Road residents want direct access to new Hwy 67 from Lakeview Road.
Sewer system
Expand water district
Need multipurpose stores nearby. Not Walmart, something on a smaller scale.
More schools so children don’t have to commute so far.
Affordable housing
Keep taxes reasonable for middle class.
Urgent care clinic would be welcome, as would other medical offices.
Restaurants, fanchises or locally-owned, are desired.
Need a red light at intersection of Hwy 67 and Hwy 49

Other Comments:

Everyone at my table had bought existing homes when they came to Saucier. Most later built new homes or expanded existing homes on their property.

Toward the end of the meeting, during the question and answer period, the meeting turned really interesting. A man got up and asked to speak. He said he was concerned that this whole planning process had been conceived and begun without the community's knowledge. Secretive, is how he labeled it. He said it was a sign that the community needed to mobilize to protect itself and its interests.

When he finished his monologue, Connie Rockco got up and spoke. Her charisma and ability to sway a crowd was impressive. The man sitting next to me at my table appologized to me saying that he couldn't understand some people show no appreciation for those who volunteer to help.

We learned today that Saucier is the largest unincorporated community in the State. Based on the survey responses, people from a huge area say they are all from Saucier. This might partly be because the zip code for Saucier covers most of the northern part of the county. I'm glad that DeLisle has natural boundaries and is limited in size.

After the Saucier Town Hall Meeting, we had a social hour with Pat Bonck and the entire team at the bed and breakfast. Justin and I asked Pat if he could help us with a data processing request. We are interested in getting the landroll from the tax assessor. We hoped to use the data to map building ages, sizes, values or other information. Pat said that he doubted that the County had any such GIS files. He also said that the landroll was unreliable, and wouldn’t have accurate values or building ages. We both thought this was suspicious.

After the social hour, or two, I realized that I didn't have any clean clothes to wear so I started a load of laundry. Of course I stayed up to finish it.

Bed at 2am

January 4, 2006

2006-01-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Out of bed at 7:00

Meeting with Martha Murphy
Today we met with Martha Murphy who owns 55 acres in the middle of DeLisle. Martha is a philanthropist, business owner, and is very active in the Pass Christian and Henderson Point communities. She is interested in developing this land in DeLisle as a mixed use traditional development. We met her and her friend Lela in her RV that she has on her property. Martha's home in Henderson Point was destroyed in Katrina. Now she lives in the most expensive RV money can buy.

Background
Housing is extremely important to the character of the community in both Pass Christian and DeLisle; much more important than commercial. Martha tells us that World Outreach Organization is planning to build 10 houses in DeLisle. One house has already been built.

The Mennonites are building houses throughout the area. Martha expressed concern over the quality of their building. She conceded that the need for housing is very high, and standards for quality and appearance might be sacrificed. The Mennonites build what they want to build, not necessarily what the community would prefer to have built. Martha was particularly disappointed that homes built by the Mennonites only include one bathroom. She explains that:

“we can’t put aesthetic concerns ahead of people’s need for housing, but people are upset about the loss of their unique historic architecture. They are saddened by ugly buildings replacing the [unique quality and character] of their communities.”

She explains that people don’t go to Bay Saint Louis anymore because it is too far (the bridge is gone). The nearest shopping for residents of DeLisle is in Diamondhead. “It’s hard for people to stay here” she says, because there are no services.

Residents are very concerned about well contamination from DuPont plant. Martha explains that there have been suspicious concentrations of disease in DeLisle for years, but they have not been conclusively linked to DuPont. Another point she made was that traffic has “quadrupled” since the Pass Christian schools relocated to DeLisle following Katrina.

It's all about The Pass
She tells us that she is open to ideas, but she wants to build some small commercial buildings as incubator locations to help Pass Christian businesses get back on their feet. The idea would be for the businesses to operate in DeLisle while they rebuild The Pass. She proposes to develop a range of housing on the rest of the property. Places where displaced residents can live, temporarily or permanently. This housing would include townhomes or condos and single-family homes. Martha is obviously influenced by the Mississippi Renewal Forum and New Urbanist rhetoric. Martha explains that the loss of the tax base is slowing cleanup in Pass Christian. People want to be near Pass Christian but may not be able to rebuild there. Some of these people may move to DeLisle because of its proximity and higher elevation.

People resent FEMA for calling Mississippians’ desire to live on the coast an “irrational exuberance.” She explains that “generations of people have lived here” (some families have made the area home for close to 300 years). Its not like in Florida or in the Outerbanks of South Carolina, people in Mississippi are not looking to live on barrier islands or to develop new land.

"People are willing to accept that they have lost their homes, but they can’t accept losing their towns."

Ideas for DeLisle
She wants mixed housing. She envisions DeLisle as a “real town” in the sense that it should contain a mix of housing types for various income levels like Pass Christian. It doesn’t need much she says, just a few places to walk to, such as a po’ boy place, a post-office or mailbox place, somewhere to get a newspaper, bread and milk, or a cup o’ coffee.

Martha mentioned recent infrastructure plans for “the cities” — citizens want dedicated hurricane shelters in their communities. These can be multi-use buildings in non-disaster times.

If anything comes of this disaster, Martha wants solutions for “next time.” She realizes that it is too late to undo many of the mistakes already made in handling the disaster, but hopes that people, especially government, will make changes to improve response to natural disasters. She doesn’t want others to endure what they have. She suggests transitional housing schemes for FEMA trailer neighborhoods. Keep infrastructure in place and reuse it for future development once trailers are removed. Currently, she explains, FEMA removes infrastructure when the trailers are removed. Martha warns that poorly designed transitional housing can contribute to social ills. She thinks the rows of FEMA trailers are depressing and inhibit social-interaction. She suggests that FEMA could arrange trailers in more socially-appropriate ways. She believes that forming clusters of facing trailers would encourage interaction and improve people’s wellbeing. However, FEMA is unwilling to deviate from their model.

Martha explains why condos are inappropriate for DeLisle: She says that people living in condos are not integrated into the community. They don’t seem to go to BBQs or crawfish boils with the community.

Flexibility in housing is also important. People in the area, especially DeLisle, have a history of starting with small homes and adding on to them as their needs change.

Jennifer tells Martha that we will develop some concept plans for her property.

DeLisle Town Hall Meeting
The DeLisle town hall meeting went very well. I had concerns that people would want to discuss flood elevations or other immediate rebuilding needs, but that didn't happen. They really seemed to enjoy the visual preference survey, though the atmosphere among the crowd was somewhat tense. I think that was a factor of the stress that people are under; many are still in shock. I enjoyed facilitating the small group discussion. Everyone was patient and willing to share their opinions, and I didn't have trouble staying on topic. Honestly I was surprised by my group. They were not extremely talkative. I had to dig to get them to tell me details. This might have been because I didn't have any women at my table. I did get useful some useful information, which is summarized below:

Table: Edward Dedeaux, Robert Jones (steering committee), Randall Henderson, Lawrence

What do you like best about DeLisle?

Space, quiet, sense of community
Friendly people
Good place to raise family
Presence of elementary school enhances community.

What are the biggest land use and development issues facing DeLisle?

Disappearing forest is very disappointing
Pollution is a concern
Not enough housing for middle and lower incomes. Need for affordable housing
Traffic volume. Concerned about speeding on Kiln-DeLisle Road.

What suggestions do you have for dealing with the future of DeLisle especially in regards to rebuilding and future development?

Edward would support more schools in DeLisle. Middle School and High School.
Retirement areas – need living and entertainment facilities for senior citizens.
Need recreational facilities for youth/children
No junk yards, landfills, bars, nightclubs
No more DuPonts or anything like that.
Edward would support development in DeLisle anywhere from Kild-DeLisle Road north to I-10.
Library would be welcome in DeLisle
Robert: Good zoning and well thought-out land uses. Commercial uses are currently in areas zoned residential. Need better code enforcement.
Preserve land along Bayou DeLisle as a park.

In bed by 1am

January 3, 2006

2006-01-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

Awake at 6:30

Today was a logistical challenge. The day began with our team splitting up to complete different tasks. Ellen and I went to the airport to use the free wireless internet and transcribe messages from the 800 number. That was really hard because we didn't have any headphones and the laptop speaker is on the bottom of the machine. It took two of us over an hour to transcribe three messages. I had to hold the laptop close to my ear to hear over the airport noise, then I would dictate what I heard to Ellen who was typing. We did a sentence at a time, pausing and replaying to make sure we got it right.

Meanwhile, Keisha and Carla were running errands and getting supplies.

We met the rest of our class for a "leadership meeting" lunch at the county courthouse. Connie Rockco a member of the board of supervisors representing Saucier introduced herself. She worked the room like a true politician.

After the meeting Justin and I went across the hall to the Tax Assessor's office to ask for data about building ages and property values. I had attempted several times to get in touch with Paula Ladner who could release that information, but had no luck reaching her.

After that, I joined the Saucier team in a transportation meeting with MDOT. It didn't help me much. None of the roads through DeLisle are state routes. I did learn about a potential interchange improvement at the Menge I-10 exit. But they couldn't give me a timeline; whether it was just a proposal, or a definite plan.

After that meeting we went outside and waited for the zoning team to pick us up. Justin and I were sitting at a concrete picnic table near the Courthouse parking lot. Justin was working on his laptop and Amelia dn Nick were sitting by an oak tree. A sherriff parked his cruiser and walked up to us. He recognized us as being from out of state and asked where we were from. Someone said Ohio, and he said "Oh ya'll are that group from Ohio State." That surprised us.

After dinner, we held a mock town hall meeting to practice the visual preference survey. During the meeting people will vote on images of architecture, and types of development using hand-held lectronic voting devices. This will give us a sense of what the community values and what it dislikes.

January 2, 2006

2006-01-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

Awake at 6:45

Today we arrived in DeLisle shortly after 8a.m. to conduct a thorough damage assessment of the area. We began near the DuPont plant and cataloged the apparent damage for all structures. We assessed apparent damage in four categories, minimal damage, less than 50% destroyed, greater than 50% destroyed, and totally destroyed. We considered a building to be less than 50% destroyed if its roof appeared intact, and it didn’t have obvious structural damage. Buildings that we judged to be totally destroyed were either collapsed, or moved off of their foundations. We did this for a couple of hours, and only made minimal progress.

We got pretty frustrated with the damage assessment and questioned whether it was a worthwhile use of our time. It is simply beyond our area of expertise to be able to assess damage when the professionals who are trained in such matters are having such a difficult time. After hearing stories from these residents, we realized that the damage to many buildings was much worse than we has guessed. Frequently we would say that the damage was less than 50% only to turn the corner and find the side of the home ripped apart. This proved to be very difficult. Upon meeting with our community leaders, they told 98-99% of the area had sustained some sort of damage. Whether or not it was apparent to an observer on a drive-by, it was very apparent upon entering the home.

I think it was at this point that the confusion in our group about our ultimate goal became clear. What did we need to know, and why. We weren't in agreement about what our priorities should be.

Around noon we met with our two steering committee members, Linda Ladner and Robert Jones, and George, the Fire Marshall of Harrison County and a long-time resident of DeLisle for an tour of the DeLisle neighborhoods. I rode with George and Linda. Linda had a theory that Katrina only destroyed homes with old appliances, since she has yet to find a damaged stainless-steel appliance among the debris.

As we drove Linda and George described DeLisle. I learned that it is a bedroom community, yet there are close community ties. Families have lived here for generations, and there is a very apparent sense of place/community even though DeLisle is not a town. They told of their experience during Katrina. How the water came in so fast, and people swam to a neighbor's two-story house for refuge. Linda said there were 40 people in the upper story of that house. There had been three drowning deaths in DeLisle during Katrina.

We learned of some of the challenges in DeLisle. There are conflicting reports – that some people are opposed to condos, while others tell us that they may okay. However, there are also opposing views, as to whether development should take place and what form it will take. I asked about the new residential developement in the area called The Oaks. It is not really welcomed by DeLisle residents. I think Carla made a good point that perhaps it is because The Oaks separates itself from the rest of the community with only one entrance. It has shown in its development style that it is not interested in involving itself in the rest of the community. Another area of tension is the DuPont plant, which is perceived as a poisoner. People are very concerned about the quality of their water supply. There are currently several lawsuits against this plant, but plaintiffs have failed to prove that clusters of disease exists, and pollutants are difficult to trace.
Linda said that many people, herself included, are rebuilding because they have no other choice – they can’t afford not to. Her house was only partially destroyed and she would not get enough insurance money to move away and start over.

As we neared the end of our tour Linda screamed. She had spotted a stainless steel oven among some debris and was so excited. She said she would have to call her friend because she would never believe it. But we were her witnesses.

Our steering committee also described the “boundaries” of DeLisle. They identified them as Menge Avenue to the east, the county line to the west, I-10 to the north, and the Wolf River to the south.

We also learned that there is talk of consolidating the Catholic parish of DeLisle into one church. Currently there are three churches, two of which are north of I-10. There is only one priest who services the three churches on Sundays. St Stephen's church owns a large piece of land at the end of Maple Rd which they intend to develop eventually.

Josh from FEMA told of skepticism from residents; that one challenge is that some people would likely not support or believe in the planning process.

Before the night was over, we watched OSU beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

New Years Day

2006-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Awake at 6:40am

After ringing in the New Year in New Orleans last night, our team set off for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Kris Hopkins, our team leader was driving the lead van and I was navigating. We drove slowly so everyone could get a good look at the devastation throughout New Orleans. The pace was far too slow for my comfort. As I recall, we entered I-10 at 35mph (one of my biggest pet peeves)! Along the way, I commented on what we were seeing and tried to answer questions. The fog was extremely dense, so we were unable to see what is left of Eden Isles along Lake Pontchartrain. The fog remained most of the day, enhancing the surreal nature of the destruction.

We checked in to the Lofty Oaks Bed and Breakfast (“the most romantic in the Gulf Coast") around noon. Our host Alice, a elderly woman greeted us and insisted that she give each of us a hug and kiss.

Since I had taken a personal tour of the Coast a few days before, I was familiar with the extent of the damage. The devastation is shocking. It's something I have never seen before and there is nothing comparible. The only comparison I can make is that it looks like a war zone. It recalls photos and television of war scenes, but seeing this sort of destruction first-hand, it’s more real; sobering.

I thought I had seen the worst areas, when I visited the Coast the past Friday. I was quite surprised upon touring Henderson Point, an unincorporated neighborhood west of Pass Christian. Access to the area is restricted to residents and those on official business, and a curfew is in affect. Prior to Katrina, Henderson Point was a affluent area with many waterfront properties on Saint Louis Bay. Many of these properties were primarily vacation homes. Now, there is no building left standing in Henderson Point. The bridge to the city of Bay Saint Louis was completely destroyed, with all of its concrete sections toppled like dominos. We stopped at the foot of this bridge and walked around to observe the damage close-up.

Continuing our tour we drove through Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport and Biloxi along US 90, which parallels the coast. The damage is really impossible to describe. Even pictures do not really convey the endless expanse of destruction.

Strengths and weaknesses of current planning policies on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

2005-12-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are strengths and weaknesses in the current planning policies on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Mississippi Renewal Forum brought cutting edge planning to the Coast and showed citizens and leaders that their communities could be built back better than before. The historic/nostalgic take on architecture and urban design received plenty of criticism from contemporary architects, but excited many local residents who liked the idea of building "like they used to."

However there were many faults with both the process and results of the Mississippi Renewal Forum. First the entire forum lasted less than 10 days. In that time dozens of concept plans were developed. It was amazing what the planners and architects produced in that time, but the process didn't make time for citizen input. It was a top-down approach to planning, whereas our work will be from the bottom-up. Our work will base plans on citizen input. Another critique of the Renewal Forum, is that it presented great ideas which excited people, but offered no way to implement the plans.

Another planning issue involves Harrison County's zoning. The county has only had zoning in place for five years. In looking at the maps, the zoning seems rather arbitrary as if the zoning was chosen based on the current land use - several adjacent lots may have different zoning classifications simply because they are different size parcels.

Expectations of project

2005-12-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

In the past week I've encountered some new challenges. Kris Hopkins, our team leader, delegated background topics for each of us to research for the plan. I am responsible for housing and infrastructure. Not difficult work, but very time-consuming. I haven't done much work with census data before so doing the housing demographic research was a good learning experience. I am beginning to get a sense of our project's scope and the amount of work involved. It's daunting, and not knowing my teammates makes that worse. I didn't expect that my entire holiday break would involve background research for this project. Thinking about it though, we really can't put it off, if we intend to have plans completed by the end of the quarter.

In the past week I've followed several hot topics on the Gulf Coast. New Urbanism and the Mississippi Renewal Forum are one. The Mississippi Renewal Forum was a design 'charrette' organized by Gov. Haley Barbour. More than 100 architects, engineers and other urban planners came to discuss ways to rebuild and redevelop Mississippi's Gulf Coast region. The Mississippi Renewal Forum advocated New Urbanism, a way of developing more compact, diverse and walkable mixed-use communities. The New Urbanist ideas are based on sound planning principles. However, many of their plans plans are somewhat impractical. In Gulfport for example, the area around the port was proposed to be redeveloped with community facilities, but this land is Mississippi's primary port and the industry here is vital. Also, the land is owned by the State, which would/could not develop it as proposed. Our work will continue the work of the Mississippi Renewal Forum, using the principles of New Urbanism and focusing attention to the unincorporated areas of Harrison County that were impacted by Katrina.

On the topic of New Urbanism, I learned that there is a huge master planned traditional neighborhood development that has been approved in Harrison County north of Biloxi. The development, called Tradition, could eventually contain 30,000 people. I am curious to find out what area residents think of this new development, which will be very different from the suburban and rural development that currently exists in the County.

Another hot topic is the Highway 90 bridge reconstruction between Biloxi and Ocean Springs. This highlights several issues we may encounter. One is MDOT, Mississippi Department of Transportation. This organization is not controlled by any other government entity, they are completely independent and are only limited by the funding they receive. That means that local government has no control over how, when, and where road development occurs. This issue is clear in debates over the US 90 bridge in Biloxi. MDOT wants to rebuild the previously 4-laned bridge as a 6-lane bridge. Officials from Ocean Springs fear a larger bridge will destroy their town's quaint small-town quality, by encouraging traffic. The mayor of Biloxi is less concerned about the size of the bridge and just wants it rebuilt quickly. The absense of the bridge hurts the city's economy. In fact, Biloxi might benefit from a larger bridge, which highlights another issue: economic development versus good planning.

[Bridge Reconstruction Stirs Development Debate, NPR]

Another issue that our team is considering are the planning area boundaries. The boundary of DeLisle, as outlined by the sewer service area, seems quite artificial. It seems to us that there are more logical boundaries. Kris has proposed adding a question to the survey asking people to describe the boundaries of their community.

Also this week: I worked with Amelia to complete the designs of the citizens surveys.

MISSISSIPPI'S INVISIBLE COAST

2005-12-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Posted on Wed, Dec. 14, 2005
THE SUN HERALD

As Aug. 29 recedes into the conscious time of many Americans, the great storm that devastated 70 miles of Mississippi's Coast, destroying the homes and lives of hundreds of thousands, fades into a black hole of media obscurity.

Never mind that, if taken alone, the destruction in Mississippi would represent the single greatest natural disaster in 229 years of American history. The telling of Katrina by national media has created the illusion of the hurricane's impact on our Coast as something of a footnote.

The awful tragedy that befell New Orleans as a consequence of levee failures at the time of Katrina, likewise, taken by itself, also represents a monumental natural disaster. But, of course, the devastation there, and here, were not separate events, but one, wrought by the Aug. 29 storm.

There is no question that the New Orleans story, like ours, is a compelling, ongoing saga as its brave people seek to reclaim those parts of the city lost to the floods.

But it becomes more and more obvious that to national media, New Orleans is THE story - to the extent that if the Mississippi Coast is mentioned at all it is often in an add-on paragraph that mentions "and the Gulf Coast" or "and Mississippi and Alabama."

The television trucks and satellite dishes that were seen here in the early days have all but disappeared.

While there has been no study to quantify the amount of coverage accorded to the plight of so many here or in New Orleans, it is obvious to any observer that the number of news stories on New Orleans is many times that of those focused on Mississippi.

So, why does that matter?

It matters first as it relates to journalism's obligations to cover human beings whose conditions are as dire as those that exist here.

The depth of the suffering and the height of the courage of South Mississippians is an incredible story that the American people must know. But, in the shadows of the New Orleans story, the Mississippi Coast has become invisible and forgotten to most Americans.

Could it be possible that the ongoing story of an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba has received more coverage on some cable networks than all of the incredibly compelling stories of courage, loss and need of untold thousands of Mississippians? Maybe a lot more coverage?

The second reason that the coverage matters is in the realm of politics. If the American people and their elected representatives do not truly know the scope of the destruction here, and if they are not shown the ongoing conditions afflicting so many, then there are consequences which are playing out even this week in Washington, where Congress will act, or not act, to relieve the incredible pain that has reduced the condition of so many American citizens to Third World status or worse.

If the people do not know, they cannot care.

We believe if they are shown the extent of the devastation and the suffering, they and their representatives will respond.

So the coverage matters. A lot.

The problem, to some extent, is that you have to be here and see it for yourself to comprehend the utter destruction that is so much like Berlin or Tokyo after World War II.

We would like to invite our news colleagues from across the nation to come and view the Coast with us. It is impossible to comprehend this disaster from afar. A television can display only a single screen of the damage. When you have driven mile after mind-numbing mile and viewed the complete nothingness where cities and homes and businesses once stood, only then will you begin to understand what has happened here.

Then you will begin to wonder, where are all the people who used to live on this beautiful shore? What has happened to their families and all of those shattered lives? That is when you will understand that the story of Katrina in South Mississippi isn't over, it has only begun.

On the third day after Katrina crushed us, this newspaper appealed to America: "Help us now," the headline implored. America answered with an outpouring of love and help. That response saved us then.

Our plea to newspapers and television and radio and Web sites across the land is no less important today: Please, tell our story. Hear the voice of our people and tell it far and wide.

We are here. Do not forsake us.

We are no footnote.

And one more thing...

Thank you. To every out-of-state volunteer, to every friend and family member who has sent supplies or prayers, we sincerely thank you.

And we ask that you do one more thing: Call your senators and your congressional representative and ask them to support additional aid for South Mississippi's recovery.

We couldn't have gotten off our knees without you. But we can't get back on our feet without federal help.

[source article]

Perceptions and expectations

2005-12-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Since my family was directly affected by Katrina and my friend Anna in Mississippi has been telling me about recovery news in the state, I have some insight into what our trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast will be like.

From what I know, the cleanup and recovery is progressing very slowly. I did not visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast in November when I returned to Slidell, Louisiana for Thanksgiving, but based on what I witnessed there I have several expectations. First, nothing will be back to normal. Even businesses that have reopened have limited work hours, limited staff, and limited goods.

Also, on one hand, I expect that stress levels among citizens to be very high. Many people are still displaced from their homes and are living in FEMA trailers. There is confusion over who to call for help. Insurance companies, particularly State Farm and Allstate, have resisted paying damage claims. FEMA has been very slow to bring necessary relief and their spokespersons give different answers/excuses daily. On the other hand however, I noticed in Slidell that people are suprisingly cooperative and supportive of each other. There is a sense that the situation is a collective struggle, people always have something to talk about, sharing their experiences, or offering helpful advice. I think they have come together as a community because they all are struggling against the same outside forces.

Considering this, I think we may encounter some hostility. First, because we are outsiders promissing big things. I am slightly concerned that people will have very high expectations for our work, or will be pessimistic, suspicious, and therefore uncooperative. Another struggle we might face is that people like to talk about their experience and that may distract from the work we have come to do.

It is important to understand the stress Katrina victims are under. My doctor in Slidell and her primary nurse are both living in FEMA trailers. My doctor's trailer doesn't have a working heater, and her nurse's trailer doesn't have a working toilet. They are near each other and spend a lot of time in each other's trailer, as if one family per trailer weren't crowded enough. Additionally, this doctor is working extended hours due to the current high demand.

Also, many people whose homes are still habitable are inviting other families to live with them. It is common to find 3 families living in a small home.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress are something that we will have to contend with.

The Columbus Dispatch printed a sobering article about life in a FEMA trailer:

No room for good cheer in FEMA trailers

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 12-22-06
EXERPT:

FEMA trailers are about half the size of a standard mobile home. The oven space in the kitchen range is slightly smaller than a legal pad. The bathtub is the size of an old-fash- ioned washtub — about 2 feet by 3 feet.

Because the hot-water tank holds only 5 gallons, showering requires certain precautions.

"You wet your body," Theresa said, "then shut off the water to soap up, then turn it back on to rinse off." The next in line must wait 25 minutes for more hot water.

It is not the fear of another Katrina that drives FEMAville residents to distraction, it is the 13-pound Thanksgiving turkey that won’t fit in the oven.

It is dashing outside in a chilly downpour to fetch the food they’re keeping in plastic storage bins because there is no room inside.

It is the 40-mile drive to Picayune for groceries, the routine trips to the coin-operated laundry.

It is the sons who have asked for nothing for Christmas save an inexpensive weight bench. And it is having to tell them no because it won’t fit in the camper.

[read more]