Remembering Katrina: helping with cleanup, visiting a devastated hometown

UNDATED - He was mayor of Gainesville at the time, but he went to Columbia, Miss., rolled up his sleeves and helped clear the Katrina-ravaged town of fallen trees. She was a former resident of Gulfport, Miss., who went back to Gulfport just days after the storm, taking supplies, and to check on family and friends and help in anyway she could. Both say they are better people for the experiences.

Then-Gainesville Mayor George Wangemann was among a group of about 200 North Georgia Mormans who journeyed to Columbia last September. Their mission: clear downed trees, some of them from rooftops, and install tarp on roofs to help protect any salvageable belongings inside the houses and places of business. The North Georgia group was part of a 3,000-person contingent of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from around the country who descended on the devastated coastal areas in the days and weeks after Katrina roared ashore a week ago today.

Wangemann says though it was not the first time he had helped with disaster relief through his church, adding "I get more out of it than those affected."

He described as an "emotional thing. I don't get too emotional most of the time but I couldn't help but feel for those who were affected by this storm."

But the real reward, Wangemann said, was the impact his group had on the people of Columbia and, he said, they were not shy about showing their appreciation. "With tears in their eyes, they (would throw) their arms around you and profusely thank you."

GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI

Lisa Fletcher of Buford found she "could" go home again - what was left of it. The Gulfport, Miss., she saw about three weeks after Katrina hit was not the Gulfport she knew when she lived there.

"There are really no words to describe it. When I went over the tracks and saw the destruction there, I didn't recognize a lot of the places. "

Fletcher says while she did not lose any family members to Katrina, the loss of life there did, nevertheless, hit home. "We did have some loss of life of some friends and some people that we knew."

And, even as they still struggled without some of the basics of life, and many appeared still in a state of shock, Fletcher says she was impressed with the can-do attitude she found among the people of Gulfport. "I was proud at that moment to be from there."

She says the visit made coming home all the more special.

"It made the come home with a great appreciation of what I do have."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/8/105304