I had promised last week that we would have a free access to our Library at the beginning of this week. I am taking some days off this week and have to cancel the free access. A lot of people have written asking about the Library access. After you read the following I think you will understand why I am taking a few days off.
Several of you know that I am from the Mississippi Gulf Coast . I was there for two family unions in July. I am from Biloxi/Ocean Springs area and my husband is from Gulfport. Both of us have very large extended families there. They live from Slidell, Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama. I have five siblings and my Mom, my husband have two siblings living on the Gulf Coast. Several of our family members have lost their homes, jobs, and businesses to the Hurricane. My husband's sister in Colorado Springs, my sister in Tampa, and I have been frantically trying to locate our families. Monday morning was the last we heard from those family members that didn't evacuate. Now they don't have phone are internet access. Even the ones who left on the Coast, their cell phones are not working because their area code is for the Gulf Coast. My husband's brother and sister, their spouses, and six children were in the same home, in North Gulfport. They were at the brother's home. The last time we spoke was Monday at 11:00 AM. Their electricity was out and we were talking by cell 15 mins. before the worse part of the hurricane. They didn't know the hurricane eye was heading for them until we called. The sister's home, (my husband's family home since 1920) was about five blocks from the beach in Gulfport. We don't know if the family home is still there, but from photos on TV, we don't have much hope. The home is near where you are seeing the news film where the Dole banana trailers for semi-trucks, Grand Casino, and downtown Gulfport. My Aunt lived two streets from the beach in the same area of Gulfport and we are sure her home is gone... my aunt did evacuate. We don't know where another eldery aunt My mother evacuated to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to my 4th brother house. We talked with them on the phone giving them updates on the hurricane until 15 minutes before the eye of the hurricane hit. Today my sister got in touch with him. He could only talk for a couple of minutes. They took some damage to their house but can live in it. He is a fireman and went to the city, but had to use a chainsaw to cut down trees on the road to get to the city. He did see some TV footage at the firehouse. My mother doesn't know how bad the Gulf Coast is and that she probably doesn't have a house anymore. Her house was near the Beau Riverage casino and the Lighthouse on the beach in Biloxi... near the apt. complex that 30 people died in. Mom worked for my business and my 3rd brother. The apts. that I mentioned was on a street between Mom's house and my brother's business. We don't think he has a business or home anymore. We heard from brother #3 today. He evacuated to Pensacola. He lived in a condo on the beach in Pass Christian. That area took the eye of the hurricane and it is so bad there that very few reporters can get there. Brother #2 is working off the coast of Africa for the past month. He lives in Gautier, MS. His entire family (children and grandchildren) evacuated to Northern Louisiana. We have not idea how their house faired. My brother is due to come in from Africa Wed. or Thurs. night. We don't even know where he is coming into... we can't get threw to his families' cell phone. Ironically he is the boss over several oil rigs in Africa. My 1st brother primary home and businesses in Mobile, Alabama faired well. We just heard from heard from this brother tonight. He has generators and is bringing one to my 4th brother's home in Hattiesburg. We believe my 1st brother lost his new vacation home on Dauphin Island, Alabama. We haven't heard from my 2nd second and her daughter's family. They rode the storm out in northern Ocean Springs. This sister has MS and we are very worried about her. Because of the MS is can't take the 95 degree coastal weather without a/c. Her husband works on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. We don't know if he made it inland before the hurricane hit or not. Normally they come in the mouth of the Mississippi River which was hit first by the hurricane. My niece and her husband worked at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, and are now unemployed. The hurricane pushed this casino across the highway. My husband's family in Pearl River and Slidell, Louisiana have lost their homes to the floods. They had evacuated to northern Louisiana. We have heard from them. For our subscribers, you saw my photos in the Library of the huge historic antebellum homes on the beach in Pass Christian. I took those photos in July, ironically again during a tropical storm. I just saw news footage of that area and all those home are gone. Some of those homes had been there since the 1830s. Another irony, this town is named after one of my husband's great-grandfathers who discovered the pass between the islands and the Gulf Coast. His name was Christian Ladnier and was one of the founding families of the area between New Orleans and Mobile. That's why we have so many family members in this area. My husband has so many cousins in this area and we just don't know where they are now. It is so heartbreaking to see an area that we grew up into adulthood so torn apart. We don't know what our family members are going to do for homes or income. All the businesses have been destroyed. We are just some of the thousands who are trying to find our families on the Gulf Coast. If you want to help, send money to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Write in the memo section Hurricane Katrina and the organizations promised to use the monies for that cause. These charities are sending in teams to feed the Coastal residents. Please keep all the Gulf Coastal residents and their families in your prayers. I am sorry if there are spelling or grammar errors in this message. I just don't have the heart to read over what I just wrote. I have cried so much, my head hurts. Penny E. Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery, www.costumegallery.com Costume Classroom, www.costumeclassroom.com Costume Research Library, www.costumelibrary.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
