| A Close Community |
By: Brenda Plonis
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East Biloxi is a relatively small community with nearly 13,000 people according to the 2000 US Census. Exact figures of those left in the area post-hurricane are hard to come by, but driving down the street, it's clear to see that the city is still close. Greetings abound from door to door.
It is easy to see therefore why Bettye and Frenchy Duhon decided to ride out Hurricane Katrina in the two story house across the street - Frenchy grew up with the people there and worked with them all of his life.
Family members convinced the Duhons to leave East Biloxi when the storm approached-but as the Duhons prepared to evacuate, they heard on the news that the roads had become congested. And as the storm warnings grew worse, the roads became impassable.
The couple became trapped in their own community.
Six adults and one child made up the group holed up in the house across the street, but Frenchy said when Camille showed up decades ago, 75 people filled the building.
People had always judged things through Camille, the couple said. "She was nothing compared to this one though..." Frenchy reminisced.
This storm was 80 miles wide- the biggest ever to hit America. While the winds were not as strong as Hurricane Camille, Katrina left a far more devastating legacy.
The water started about 4:15 Monday morning, Bettye described. "We were there watching the storm and watching the water rise, the lights and horns were going off on all of the cars. We saw it rise, the whole street was covered..."
Within a matter of an hour and a half after the storm, the water had receded, leaving only puddles in the street and mounds of destruction surrounding the community.
When they returned to their home along the street, they discovered that they hadn't quite lost everything. Some items that they had stored in the ceilings were still salvageable. And, since they knew their house would flood, they placed important documents and papers on the mattress, up off the floor.
"I was thinking we'd get two inches like Camille – not 7'2" like we got!" Bettye
laughs. Their mattress floated -and their papers and some photos, remained dry.
A group from Kentucky soon arrived and helped to take the furniture and things out of the house, then three men in a truck from Maine came and brought various supplies.
Soon after, then the East Biloxi Coordination Center started, and the Duhons name was given to the Methodist Church and to Hope Force International. More people arrived to gut the house, and Craig Snow introduced himself as the Hope Force Project Coordinator.
Their house, an 80-some-year-old building that cost the original owner $300 to build, is now undergoing a major rehaul to make it more weatherproof. The frame survived the beating, and now renovators are installing a pull-down ladder for the attic, insulated windows, and shingles on the roof instead of tin.
Despite delays, life in a FEMA trailer, and a desire to be 'home' for Christmas,
Bettye says, "We are so blessed to have a place to lay our head at night."
The Duhons also use their trailer as a revolving door of hospitality. A Thanksgiving welcome sign hangs off of the door, and often they prepare lunch for the volunteer teams who are helping to renovate the house.
"So many people from many different walks of out life have come to help us," Bettye explained. "God can always make something good out of bad - we have met so many wonderful people."
"And if it weren't for people like [HFI] this place would still look like the hurricane hit," Frenchy said gratefully. |
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