In Biloxi, many are looking ahead

BY RIDGELY OCHS | STAFF CORRESPONDENT

September 7, 2005

BILOXI, Miss. - More than a week after Hurricane Katrina smacked into this Gulf Coast town, the scene outside the Main Street Baptist Church resembled a surreal street fair.

As many homes in this poor, mostly black neighborhood lay in splinters and electric lines hung in swooping arcs over littered streets, residents gathered to get water, food, supplies and comfort from each other. Many waited patiently Monday and yesterday to get tetanus shots from a mobile medical unit donated by the Manhattan-based Children's Health Fund. Others, who need medication for various ailments but have been without it for days, waited to have their blood pressure checked.

Paul Simon, a major sponsor of the nonprofit organization, which supports pediatric medical units nationwide, was on hand yesterday, wearing a baseball cap and a worried expression. A few people recognized him and posed for pictures, but most residents didn't seem to notice the singer-songwriter. They were still trying to come to grips with the devastation that has swept away life as they have known it.

Many like Don Rankin, 48, have been sleeping outside. Having survived 5 1/2 hours in his almost water-filled attic, Rankin said his home is now covered in mud and he's worried about gas leaks. Despite the destruction, he's determined to stay.

"I was born and raised here," he said. "I didn't get drowned. My mama is living, all my family is living. It's all right."

Others are less certain about whether they will rebuild their lives here or elsewhere. Stevonne Doughty, 43, says she'll probably send her 16-year-old daughter to live with relatives so that she won't lose valuable school time in her junior year. A nurse on disability, she's unclear about where she will live. For the past week, she's been staying in the church, where she, her daughter and son fled along with about 100 other residents before the storm. They spent the next three days with little food or water.

Food and other supplies, including clothes and linens, are now more plentiful, she said. "But what's the point of taking sheets and towels if you don't have a home to take them to?"

The church's pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Haynes, said members are still feeding 500 to 600 people two hot meals a day - down from 1,000 right after the hurricane. He said he is moved by the generosity of churches around the country, who have been sending supplies - everything from toilet articles to infant formula to flashlights - to his church and other churches in the area. He had less kind things to say about the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "FEMA came in the first day and they haven't been back," he said.

Even though the displaced face uncertain futures, many seem to be coping.

"People are basically upbeat," said Aurelia Jones-Taylor, chief executive of the Aaron Henry Community Health Center in Clarksdale, Miss., whose medical mobile unit is partially funded by the Children's Health Fund. "They appear to be supporting each other as a community and helping others."

Rodney Thompson, 40, who helped save seven neighbors, including a 9-month-old he held aloft in roiling waters up to his waist, said he's started rebuilding his house. He's sleeping outside right now but remains undaunted.

He said, "You've got to keep on moving on."