Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 10:17:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Drew Bittner <drewbitt at yahoo.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: thank you all
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Word from the Sun-Herald (sunherald.com) was that
Keesler sustained considerable damage in their housing
and administrative areas but are not "out of
commission." No reports of extreme damage to date.

--- Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com> wrote:

> This is nothing compared to Drew's mother, but I am
> wondering about the
> status of Keesler AFB in Biloxi.  Anyone heard
> anything?
>
> At 01:11 PM 8/31/2005, you wrote:
> >--- "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com> wrote:
> >
> > > At 07:59 AM 8/31/05 -0700, Drew Bittner wrote:
> > > >Thanks to everyone who's expressed concern for
> and
> > > >sympathy about my mom in Gulfport.
> > > >As Mike pointed out earlier, it'll be a very
> long
> > > time
> > > >(measured in weeks, hopefully, not months)
> before
> > > some
> > > >of the basic infrastructure is together enough
> to
> > > get
> > > >word out. My brother intends to head for
> > > Mississippi
> > > >tomorrow if we don't have word by then, but I
> don't
> > > >know how far he'll get; I'm assuming the
> National
> > > >Guard has the ingresses blocked off.
> > >
> > > According to a report I heard yesterday about
> > > Biloxi, there's only one road
> > > into the area that's been cleared enough to get
> > > through, and they are
> > > restricting that to rescue workers and other
> > > necessary folks.  I suspect
> > > the only way he'll get in in the near future is
> to
> > > volunteer with the Red
> > > Cross or join the National Guard.
> >
> >** Hwy 49, the north-south axis from Jackson to
> >Gulfport, is likely clear but liable to be blocked
> by
> >National Guard. I don't know if going there is a
> >feasible plan but I can't talk him out of it.
> There'd
> >be no way to get there from due east because all
> the
> >bridges are out and parts of Rt 10 are impassible;
> Rt
> >90, along the beach, is out of commission for a
> long
> >time to come as well.
> >
> > > As one reporter in N.O. this morning said, there
> is
> > > *nothing* there to
> > > support anyone...it all has to be brought
> in...food,
> > > water, gas, medical
> > > supplies.  The reporter was sleeping in his car,
> and
> > > drove in from Florida
> > > with everything needed to survive there.
> >
> >** It's true, there's nothing. Oddly, though, my
> mom
> >got a cell signal awhile ago and called my sister
> to
> >say she was all right. You never know when a
> miracle
> >will happen.
> >
> > > >New Orleans will never be the same, even if
> they do
> > > >rebuild. Portions of the city may have to be
> > > declared
> > > >uninhabitable for many years to come, while
> others
> > > >will be redlined and uninsurable for flood or
> other
> > > >disasters. In any event, we may be seeing the
> death
> > > of
> > > >a major city playing out in real time.
> > >
> > > I don't know the geography there well enough,
> but is
> > > there some place not
> > > too far away where they could relocate?  It's
> still
> > > a major port for
> > > transshipping from the Mississippi to oceangoing
> > > vessels and that will be
> > > needed somewhere in that area.  Perhaps a little
> > > farther upstream?
> > >
> > > There are reasons New Orleans is located where
> it
> > > is, and some of them
> > > still apply...though power craft have changed
> things
> > > somewhat in the last
> > > few hundred years.
> > >
> > > -- Mike B.
> > > --
> > > I'm not tense, just terribly, terribly alert.
> >
> >New Orleans is a vitally important shipping center,
> >and I'm sure it will continue in that way, but the
> >actual city around it may be reduced or relocated.
> >
> >Drew
> >
>
>____________________________________________________
> >
>
> Candy
> (301)345-6635
>

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