Gulf Coast Pictures

Well I finally got the pictures back from when I went to visit Noah last month in Biloxi, MS. It was wonderful to be able to see him and spend time with him. We got the opportunity to drive around and look at the horrible destruction caused by hurricane Katrina 6 months ago. It was a humbling experience to see what little these people have left and to see what really happened there. You hear about it on the news but seeing it first hand was something else.
The top left hand two pictures are both of apartment complexes that have basically nothing left. The top of the two however still has people living in it and trying to survive on what little is left. In the bottom one we saw a TV that was sitting on a shelf built into the wall but there was no floor or ceiling. The bottom left hand picture is just one of the many resturants along the coast that was completely taken out by the flooding and wind. All that was left of this IHOP was the sign. A rather haunting memory of what used to be. The two right hand pictures are of two homes that were devestated by the hurricanes. The first one was I am sure at one time a beautiful Antebellum home, but now its completely missing the inside of it. There was a grandfather clock and a mirror sitting on what little floor was left with no ceiling or walls surrounding it. The bottom one was rather sombering with the American flag flying half mast out front. A reminder that unforseen battles are being fought in our home land. The picture on the bottom right is of a Casino that used to be over the ocean. It was a hotel/casino that looked like a pirate ship. The water and winds carried it 1/4th of a mile inland and it had to be moved back to the beach.
These are just a few examples of what they are struggling with on the coast. Noah said when he first got there that there was just a certain smell in the area. When I got there I noticed the same smell, it was almost like death and the ocean combined. Its going to take a long time to get the area cleaned up and put back together. I imagine that at one time it was a truely beautiful place to visit. Amazingly the base Noah is one, which is only like a mile from the beach was not harmed to badly and has been put back together rather well. Being on the base you would not know what the city outside its gates held.