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Katrina - first ham stories
Edward R. Cole wrote:
Collegues,
I am located in Pass Christian, MS, approximately 5 miles north of the
MS coastline. I am the AMSAT Area Coordinator for the Mississippi Gulf
Coast area.
I have significant damage to my home and my life is completely upset,
as are most everyone I know. My ham losses are minimal as I only lost
my HF beam and a couple of pieces of surplus equipment. My satellite antennas
were dismantled several months prior to the storm to replace the
elevation rotor. I still cannot live in my home, but I live for
the day that I can. I would trade all of my ham gear and my license if
it would undo any part of the damage to the Gulf Coast.
A great deal of discussion is ensuing about Eagle and the
symposium, what decisions were made, when they were announced, etc. and
its being copied to all fieldops. At this time, I find some of the comments
somewhat sensitive, considering the extreme devastation that stretches
all
along the Gulf Coast.
Comments like "Where were you when Katrina hit" bring back very
painful memories that I would just as soon forget. I was hunkered down
in a motel room, 250 miles from my home, not knowing if I would have a
house to return to, let alone any radio equipment. I had to mentally write
all of
that off when I left the coast Saturday morning.
Then I had to deal with the unknown while I was trapped there as gasoline
supplies were exhausted, and civil unrest ruled the coast. Gangs were
pulling people out of trucks carrying gas cans and generators. Vigilanties
roamed the neighborhoods shooting at anyone they thought did not
belong there. Rule of law completely collapsed for a week across the labor
day weekend. But you are not going to read about that in the press.
There were very few reporters and they were concentrated in Biloxi or
New Orleans.
Some of my ham and non-ham friends have far more horrific
stories, losing everything or only barely surviving by clinging to a tree
or being trapped in their attic for the 12 long hours that Katrina battered
the coast.
Several people I knew, non-hams, one I worked closely with, died in the
storm. The obituaries ran page after page, and still run in the local
newspaper.
Meanwhile, the toll in misery continues. You cannot understand this unless
you lived here and can see what little remains. While the press has focused
on New Orleans, and horrible it was over there, there are many areas still
on the Gulf Coast that no president visited, no reporter wrote
about, nor any videographer filmed, where there are no houses to restore
electricity to, nor anyplace to live. Entire communities are gone. Bay
St. Louis, Waveland, Pearlington, Pass Christian, Long Beach.
I pass in silence through neighborhoods which, once teaming with life,
are now silent witness, strewn with the wreckage of homes and people's
lives.
Many people have simply left the area, never to return. It is
estimated that up to 1/3rd of the population will be lost to other areas
of the country.
So I apologize if I seem oversensitive, but arguing over Katrina and
what impact it had to what is really just a hobby barely seems worthwhile.
I have limited bandwidth down here, and I don't have the time to wade
through all of this. Please take it off-list and argue among yourselves.
Someday, I anticipate that I will once again have my life restored sufficiently
that I can return to amateur radio with the energy and enthusiasm I had
six weeks ago. I even look forward to the eventual loss of Eagle and perhaps
returning to the Dayton hamvention next year to get caught up on the latest
news in AMSAT.
But for now, Katrina taught me very well what is important in life and
what is not. 73, Terry, W8JE
Terry, What can we say...?
My wife and I live in Alaska but sat glued to the TV
thru that weekend and the following days wondering about her son (KB0MLT)
in Gulfport. There was no phone, cell, or internet, of course.
We also wondered about my wife's home in Pass Christian and all the
friends she had when living down there. The news totally ignored the "ground
zero" of Katrina: Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and Pass Christian. Fortunately
her son was OK and their home suffered slight damage. He was able to call
out by cell-phone in the early hours when circuits slowed enough to get
out. We could not call in. Later he was able to drive over and check the
house
in Pass Christian and it's a miracle but it suffered little damage. We
could not believe it. This was 10-miles inland just north of I-10.
Incidently, we had sold the house and our buyer was enroute by U-haul
to arrive the day after katrina...the sale fell thru, not suprisingly.
But it was just as well as her son had to move from their rented home
the following week...into my wife's home (things sometimes work in a strange
way). My wife's neighbor's house was water damaged and they now live in
Alabama and have no jobs back home (and basically no home).
So we are not impacted quite like you...but it has been a real experience.
I do agree with Amsat's decision to cancel the symposium.. and Rita made
that double.
Hoping you can make your way thru the hard times and recover.
With sincere sympathy,
73's, Ed - KL7UW
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