First Beyond Katrina Assignment ... Edie Greene

Edie Greene
Television Production

When I received my first Beyond Katrina assignment, I decided to make a trip south. I’m not a coast girl, and I needed a site survey to understand the new lay of the land. “Be prepared,” my colleagues told me. I thought I was. After all, I’ve worked in television a long time and covered all sorts of disasters. So many times, I had experienced horror all around me when my camera only had tunnel vision. So many times, I had watched as families lost everything. So many times, I had chronicled grief. As it turns out, I braced for destruction but found something much more powerful.

I rode around the coast with Robert Renfroe, a thoughtful, educated young man who works for the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Services. For several months, Robert ran the Mississippi Volunteer Hotline in Jackson. In January, Robert assumed the duty of coordinating volunteers on the coast. Robert took me to camps where the volunteers sleep in tents and shower outdoors. Robert took me to sites where volunteers were removing debris and rebuilding homes. Robert pointed out how the damage increased as we drove further west.

Then Robert took me to the Hancock County EOC. That’s where he introduced me to Joe Williams. Joe worked in a management position before Katrina claimed both his job and his home. He began volunteering, taking ice and provisions to people. Now he coordinates volunteers and donations for the county. He uses his management skills to analyze both needs and services and in the most positive way, Joe tasks them out every day. As soon as we opened the door, almost before we set foot in Joe’s arena, I could feel his aura. Joe smiles all the time. He empowers everyone around him with his infectious energy.

Later, Robert and I stopped for a quick sandwich. As we ate, we reviewed what I had seen. I was overwhelmed not by the destruction around me but by the humanity, the positive outlook and ever-present smiles. How could these people who had lost so much and were working so hard in such adverse conditions, how were they maintaining this attitude? “Everything down here is amplified right now,” Robert advised. People could work 80 hour weeks, month in and month out, but still could be upbeat because they are helping. In my entire life, I had not been in a situation where the simple human emotions had been so strong, so pervasive, so enduring. I found it a powerful experience

We spoke about Joe. Robert said that some people look at disaster and see despair. Joe looks at disaster and sees opportunity. I suspect that Robert could look in the mirror and say the same thing about himself.

Six Months After Katrina... Andy Williamson

Six Months After Katrina
By Andy Williamson

It’s hard to believe it’s been more six months since hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi gulf coast. It’s been amazing to see how much progress has been made already, but, there is still so much more work we need to do before the coast and it’s people can fully recover.

When Katrina hit, I was here at M. P. B. studios in Jackson helping produce overnight radio. We were trying to help the thousands of evacuees listening across the state about the latest traffic conditions, where to find gas, and how to get to the few hotels in the state that still had vacancies. We took a lot of phone calls and all the while kept tabs on Katrina’s every move. We had 100 mph winds here, and as I looked out the window from time to time, I could only imagine what it must have been like on the coast.

Eight days later, Adam Daniel, Randy Kwan, and I got a chance to see what it was like for ourselves. The damage was shocking. We camped out for three days at the E.O.C in Gulfport along side hundreds of folks from as far away as Alaska and New York who came down to help out. During that time, we shot a great deal of High Definition video and took lots of still pictures from Ocean Springs to Bay Saint Louis. Randy even got to shoot areal footage as he rode along in a Ms. National Guard helicopter, but, as clear and descriptive as those images were, they still could not grasp what it was like to actually be there.



I remember Adam and I shooting video of the huge Grand Casino barge lying on top of Highway 90 on an early Thursday morning. We saw tractor trailers twisted like pretzels, debris everywhere, and waded through thousands of empty Mazzola corn oil containers to get shots of what was left of the houses on 12th street in downtown Gulfport. The whole experience seemed almost surreal in the way that the destruction was so bad that it was difficult to orient yourself because nearly everything you remembered along Highway 90 was simply gone. What once was a beautiful coastline, looked like a bomb had gone off and nothing was recognizable any longer.



We were able to drive down Highway 90 a little way to tape more video, but, that proved to be an adventure in itself. The road was buckled in many places and completely gone in others. Mile after mile all we saw were so countless concrete slabs where houses once stood. What trees were still standing had twisted metal, clothes, and plastic wrapped around them making the whole area look like something out of your worst nightmare. Seeing all this made our thoughts and prayers quickly turn to the people who once called the coast home.



When we reached Bay Saint Louis and stood next to what was left of the Highway 90 bridge. We and walked through it’s once beautiful downtown, and the affect of it all was enough to literally take your breath away. I found myself at a loss for words when I tried to describe what we had seen to Gene Edwards during a live radio interview later that morning.



A lot has changed since then. During those six months, I have been producing gardening stories for the Beyond Katrina program with Felder Rushing and Dr. Dirt from M .P. B.’s Gestalt Gardener radio show. Each time we shoot a story on the coast, we always try to look for positive. The people and the environment took quite a hit, but, both are a lot more resilient than you might expect, and some times the things you get to see can inspire us all. The sight of sunflowers blooming among the ruined beachfront houses in Biloxi was a perfect example. (See the video of this here) It taught us that no matter how bad things may have gotten, nature, and the good folks on the Mississippi gulf coast will find a way to come back and thrive again.

Blue Tarps... Adam Daniel

Adam Daniel
Producer/Director
Blue Tarps/Gotcha Covered

When I was given the opportunity to produce this story I was initially under the impression that tarps were falling apart everywhere and that FEMA had dropped the ball. It wasn’t until we went down South of Hattiesburg did I start to realize that most of the complaints were blown out of proportion. Walking along the streets of Wiggins and Biloxi the videographer Jeremy Burson and I noticed that every home that had the reinforced plastic tarps on them were visibly in perfect form. In fact, we had to look quite hard to find a FEMA labeled tarp that was falling apart. We eventually found one that spelled FEMA and was not reinforced.

Everyone we talked with were quite supportive of the condition of their roofs. It seemed like people were making the best of it.

To me the houses that did have tarps that were tattered and in rough condition were not the same color as the FEMA tarps. In fact, most looked like the tarps that you buy at the hardware store. I’ve used those before for various other things, and I know from experience that they do not strand well in the weather.

While talking with Colonel Anthony Vesay of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we were shown some interesting information about the extent of the Blue Tarp Initiative. The farther North and East you went along the coast the more houses required their assistance. He stated that that was because those houses didn’t have to face the full power of the hurricane and were left standing with at least 50% of their roof to cover.

He also showed us the form that each homeowner was required to sign to show that the job had been completed on their roof. He then showed us a line in the form that clearly states that these tarps are for temporary solutions and that they do not stand behind it after 30 days from installation. He also showed the number of redo or call-back jobs that they had to fix. To me this was the final bit of information that debunked my original perceptions.

Later, I also had a telephone interview with All American Poly (www. allampoly.com) the manufacturers of FEMA’s blue tarps that was not included in my segment. They said that they supply three different types or weights of tarps ranging from lightweight unreinforced, to one that a 200 lb. man could walk across when stretched out. They rated their products to last 2 years under optimal conditions. Since we don’t live in optimal conditions here in Mississippi, I suggest everyone to go get their roof fixed.

My Impressions... Rick Klein

Rick Klein
Executive Producer
Beyond Katrina

The Mississippi Gulf Coast has always been a playground for me. The beach, the islands, the resort hotels have been a wonderland of enjoyment for both me and my family. Whenever relatives would visit from Kentucky, I would always include a trip to the Coast to entertain and amuse them. Even when I had work assignments on or near the coast, the recreational value of the area made my job easier if not downright fun. So it is with great remorse that I now realize my playground is gone.

When I was assigned the Beyond Katrina television show, I wasn’t sure how I would approach the project. Even though the heart of the damage was only three hours away, I felt comfortably removed from the pain and suffering felt every day by the coastal residents. A battery of producers and cameramen from Mississippi Public Broadcasting would be the ones to witness, first hand, the human condition on the coast, keeping me safely informed through video news stories of the rescue, relief and rebuilding efforts. I would stay in my Jackson office, compiling the reports and assembling the program, viewing the finished product much like a home audience would. However, I knew at some point I would need to force myself to visit the coast and experience the emotions and impressions others had reported.

My first visit was in early November. The weather was cool and pleasant, the day sunny and bright. The ocean breeze charged the air with anticipation. Braced by the closeness of my traveling companions, I thought I was ready to see the damage. I was mistaken.

I have never been in a hurricane nor witnessed the destruction caused by a monster storm. I was totally unprepared for the vast amount of devastation I saw on my brief visit to Jackson and Harrison counties. I know it is almost cliche to say, but it’s gone. My playground was gone.

Gone were the familiar landmarks that guided me around the beachfront boulevards. Gone were the piers, the boardwalk, the beach vendors. Gone were the familiar seafood restaurants, the quick stops and souvenir shops. All that remained were piles of debris, pushed aside by first responders, watched over by shell-shocked oak trees.

The more I traveled along the coast the more humbled I became. A growing emptiness was forming in the pit of my stomach. I was ready to leave as soon as I could, but my tour continued for several hours. At one point, my companions and I got out of the car and walked among the destruction. I wanted to make it right. I wanted to put it all back together as it had been just a few months ago, but the scope of the devastation was overwhelming. Street after street of shattered homes and businesses stretched in front of us. I slumped in the back seat of the car and my mind went blank. I tried making conversation, but everything I said seemed hollow and vague. It wasn’t until I was far north of the coast that I began to comprehend what I had just seen. I knew then how I would approach the Beyond Katrina program.

The story of the people, places and events of the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a tale that will need to be told again and again. The hurt and loss endured by these residents can never be forgotten, not for one moment. The resiliency and resolve of these proud people is a story unto itself. My job, my direction will be to keep fresh in the minds of all Mississippians the monumental struggle that lies ahead for those affected by the storm. Through interviews, stories, vignettes, and music the plight of our coastal neighbors will be brought to life every month when the Beyond Katrina program is broadcast to a statewide audience. It will be my duty and honor to follow the rebuilding process and to inform a concerned public of the progress made every day as we all look, beyond Katrina.

The Church Volunteers

Key Ivy
Sr. Producer/Director
Church Volunteers

I just spent two days in South Mississippi along with videographer Jeremy Burson shooting a story about volunteers from churches helping to rebuild the coast.

We met Elijah Mitchell who was a Methodist minister who lost both of his churches during the storm. He was appointed as the Regional Disaster Response Coordinator by the Bishop of the Methodist Church and he is operating out of Gateway United Methodist Church in Gulfport. He is a tireless worker who has been putting in 12 to 20 hour days for the past six months to try and help the people of the coast. His main job is organizing and dispatching volunteer crews from across the country to help needy people on the coast. These groups will come in for usually a week at a time and do everything from removing wet sheet rock to replacing roofs and floors to plumbing and electricity.

The volunteers we followed were from Indiana and Pennsylvania.
Some were college students on Spring Break and others were some older folks who came down in an RV. They all pay their own expenses for travel and food and a lot of them buy the materials that the people need to repair their houses.

They are usually housed in a local church where they sleep on the floor or on couches and there are only two showers for up to 120 people.

The volunteers kept saying that they just couldn’t stay at home and do nothing. They had to come down here and help. For some it was their third trip to the coast and they believed they were getting more out of this than the people they were assisting.

If it weren’t for these tireless volunteers, many people would not be able to return to their homes because of lack of money or man power to do these jobs that these people are doing for free.

As Elijah Mitchell told me, “It’s God’s strength that keeps me running, there’s no other way to explain it.”

A message from Executive Producer Diane Hartman

Diane Hartman
Executive Producer
BEYOND KATRINA

Producing BEYOND KATRINA each month has been a true inspiration for me. When Co-Executive Producer Rick Klein and I were assigned this monthly series, we had not yet had a chance to visit the coast since the hurricane. People who had been there told us that we should make the trip before launching into the series. The thing that sticks in my mind most is the numbers of times I would ask people “What happened to McElroys?” or some other favorite restaurant or landmark along the coast and they would say “It’s gone!” For some reason, I had convinced myself that that meant that these places were severely damaged, or flooded, or simply out of business. I hadn’t prepared myself for the fact that almost every place I remembered so fondly along the Mississippi Coast was completely GONE, in the strictest sense of the word. I always drove along Highway 90 and knew exactly where I was by all the landmarks along the way. On my first visit back after the hurricane, we drove from Gulfport to Biloxi and I had no idea where I was. The distance markers on my journey were all gone. It struck me that the people who travel that stretch of road every day must be completely numb by now.

Telling the stories of Mississippians fighting their way back from such a terrible ordeal is truly an honor. We hope you’ll be inspired by their spirit as we continue to bring you new episodes of BEYOND KATRINA.