http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/gallery/0000t1qw.xml http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/gallery/0000t1qw http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ere06.xml This is pretty much Ground Zero. The tidel surge went approximately 38 feet above this area, with waves topping out at 44. This was a very affluent area before the hurricane hit. By the way, these pictures were all taken *three months* after the hurricane hit. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ere06.xml d3a3803a1c6d291ca486300225e9e3a3 image/jpeg 712 534 236968 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ere06 Some of the disaster humor that you would see in places. Very little clean up has taken place for several reasons: there isn't the infrastructure to get heavy equipment into the area; owners of all of the property are either dead or have abandoned their land; and there are still bodies under the rubble making it dificult to do a mass debris clean-up. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000es5h6.xml e5a435dbc97f1599291fb5a62a78b019 image/jpeg 712 534 188634 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000es5h6 The old "Bay Bridge". It was a total loss. It used to be a major connection across the Bay. There are a lot of used-to-bes in the area. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000et717.xml 55be92881fe226b2b0a2879024e8a602 image/jpeg 712 534 142964 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000et717 Everyone is pretty aggrivated at the media because New Orleans is getting all of the attention. New Orleans was well away from the epicenter of the damage; all they got was flooding. Sure, it was a disaster for them, but they at least have foundations and roads and a basis on which to rebuild. South Mississippi has nothing. It was a complete loss. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ew2aq.xml 557015857c6213ced7f5957a5802cd9a image/jpeg 712 534 133825 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ew2aq Someone was lucky and didn't have their entire house swept away. Most peoples' foundations were gone. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000eyp55.xml dd417e3dcaf25725e49dc3d2f958fc8f image/jpeg 712 534 147530 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000eyp55 Walking amongst the destruction, you see things that remind you of how this all used to be a normal, "Average American" neighborhood. This was someone's penny collection. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ex28q.xml c47485f8a704e72c07dce6acf95933f8 image/jpeg 712 534 140684 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ex28q And their tea set. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ez87h.xml 2454227a780a0990834a26108c94a7e1 image/jpeg 712 534 115840 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000ez87h And a spoon. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f05cz.xml 5affbae50258df81dd7dba6ee52190b9 image/jpeg 705 940 192685 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f05cz This is a common sight: stairs to nowhere. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f1g1r.xml 09fc4b3e6a2b7b020cdd6378d1f7880d image/jpeg 712 534 224426 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f1g1r Another lucky household was salvaging their brick. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f222y.xml 35306637b8a6f8d78970a57e59c55100 image/jpeg 712 534 261903 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f222y This is downtown Bay St. Louis. This town was kept in the style of the Old South: art and antique stores, little coffee shops and cafes, mom-and-pop drug stores, etc. This here is the town's theater. Or what remains of it. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f36b3.xml eac8f57e2ab3b60e6dc508adb7b090f6 image/jpeg 712 534 128713 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f36b3 This is what is left of Hwy. 90. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f436q.xml fcb20114df776cc30a5be6432921391b image/jpeg 705 940 229152 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f436q The historical society of Bay St. Louis had at one time a brick sale to memorialize and honor war vetarans and to build a monument to De Bienville, the explorer who claimed Bay St. Louis for France. They were out this day trying to find bricks under all of the mess. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f57fx.xml c0a2e1570d0053bcd58c738ac4b57a5b image/jpeg 712 534 144455 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f57fx People were trying to take bricks as souvinirs. Guilt was the only tool to thwart the thieves. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f6bha.xml 7ae962854069f8ae80ef2214ce592cdd image/jpeg 712 534 157723 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f6bha The old Hancock Bank. It survived Camille. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f7585.xml 192860099f5ea713eee496f4a9b69122 image/jpeg 712 534 119028 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f7585 Beachfront property for sale... at a bargain price. Believe it or not, this property was already sold. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f8r0e.xml 3df8810d3b24f4e31f24f30da03fda89 image/jpeg 712 534 177845 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f8r0e I sat and talked to this guy for a long time. This was his old hangout. Everything he owns is gone, but he figured he would make the best of things. He put a 2x4 between these two poles, found the bar's sign, and went right back to partying. He thinks the owner is dead, so on the right pole is a little memorial to him. This guy was a cool character. He made sure I was a native before he would allow me to take a picture of him. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f92k3.xml dc8ef00b9f537847596ad77252fdcd80 image/jpeg 712 534 152674 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000f92k3 This is in Biloxi, about 20 miles away from the center. Houses were still standing here, the damage being exponentially less than at the center. New Orleans, by comparison, is about 70-80 miles away (if not more). Yet that town gets all of the sob stories on the news. Mississippians know how to silently suffer: the strong silent types. It's called class. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000faka9.xml bafda8811e04fe3ba34a46a315b35234 image/jpeg 712 534 201511 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000faka9 Even the cemetaries didn't make it through without damage. This grave did pretty well... http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fbwrw.xml e92d2ddac9d1adb45edd0aa5de2a7da9 image/jpeg 712 534 243378 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fbwrw But the grave next door didn't have as much luck. Even after three months, there were still coffins poking out of the ground and former mosoleums now a pile of brick. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fcf9p.xml 39a50f5edc3c401ad6e0aa9048764bfa image/jpeg 712 534 220863 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fcf9p Just another headstone. It was so sad, because many of these graves are 100+ years old. They have no family members to come and restore their graves. Many of them will forever go unmarked, the identity of the deceased lost forever due to the records building also being destroyed. http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fdyq2.xml 9a64219733223b680b68e55185c6c580 image/jpeg 534 712 177032 http://pics.livejournal.com/jp_land/pic/000fdyq2