Katrina: Two years later

Jason Niblett
LAUREL LEADER-CALL (LAUREL, Miss.)

LAUREL, Miss. August 29, 2007 02:03 pm

— Two years ago this morning our lives changed forever. People in Jones County lost loved ones and family homes. Businesses that help make everyday life easier were forced to close for weeks. The next few days back in 2005 meant no air conditioning, long lines at the few service stations open, and lots of meals out of cans and jars. People here didn’t know what was happening on the Mississippi Gulf Coast or in New Orleans because we didn’t have communication with the outside world. Cellphones didn’t work and battery-powered radios and televisions struggled to pick up stray signals from stations still on the air.
But even with our lives turned upside-down, the story of Jones County and Hurricane Katrina reached across the nation. Total strangers came to help us. Churches, towns, and organizations sent thousands of volunteers and there were parades of hundreds of utility workers and debris removal crews. Cities raised money and sent community leaders to help Laurel, Ellisville, and other communities in the area. Gov. Haley Barbour said following the storm that Jones County was the fourth hardest hit county in the state, only behind the three coastal counties. But, people here are strong and determined.
Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack had only been in office two months when Katrina struck. He said he immediately realized his city wasn’t ready for Katrina’s wrath.
“It was something like a bad dream,” Mack said. “We had not prepared the way we should have. I can vividly recall Camille and knew how bad it was. Who do we call to clean up? Everything was shut down. It was so hot and humid with no air. I’m so glad we had so many friends step in to help.”
Tim Waldrup, Ellisville’s mayor, also said he and other leaders were at a loss when it came to helping the public during the first hours after the storm.
“You had a lot of different feelings as things happened and you felt despair,” Waldrup said. “You saw the damage being done in the city, you started finding out what was happening, and you started wondering what are we going to do to combat this situation. It was overwhelming for everyone.”
Alvis Jefcoat, the CEO of Mimi’s Bridal in Laurel, opened his new location at the corner of Hwy. 84 and 16th Avenue during the summer of 2005. He had taken a run-down tire store on one of Laurel’s busiest corners, remodeled the building, and invested in a nice building for one of Laurel’s busiest corridors. He had made a trip to a market in Atlanta and returned home Aug. 28.
“Then came the 29th,” Jefcoat said. “We live out west a little bit and we couldn’t get back in here until two days after because of all the trees down. The police had the road blocked and I told them I owned a business and I need to check on it. He asked what business, I told him, and he said, ‘You sure do. You’ve got some roof damage.’”
When Jefcoat saw his new business location, he was in shock. A billboard had fallen onto the building, taking away much of the roof.
“It brought all of the power lines with it,” he said.
“It all got wet. It went down the tubes,” he said.
But, there was a silver lining. Only unsold merchandise was destroyed. Dresses and other items on layaway or in the alteration shop were dry.
“No weddings were canceled on the count of this. None of the dresses that had been sold were destroyed,” he said.
“You never thought you’d be so glad to see a truckload of ice or a truckload of water coming into town. It’s amazing all the units from other states coming to help,” he said.
Jefcoat and his staff rebuilt the business in only six weeks. He says business is great now, and Mimi’s Bridal has grown into the largest bridal shop in Mississippi and now draws customers from across the state, Alabama, and Louisiana.
“People have been kind to us,” Jefcoat said. “Lord, I hope we never go through another Katrina. That’s scary. God’s been good to us. We still didn’t have it as bad as a lot of people. It was all monetary stuff, stuff that could be replaced. Some of the folks on the coast still have not recovered.”

Jason Niblett writes for the Laurel (Miss.) Leader-Call.