This is part of the Mississippi Governor's message addressing a special session today. It has some interesting information. Just over four weeks ago, Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in American history, struck our Gulf Coast and South Mississippi a grievous blow. Our state* our citizens, bore the brunt of a hurricane more devastating than Camille, and the miles upon miles of utter destruction is unimaginable, except to those who have witnessed it with their own eyes, on the ground. In her wake, Katrina left literally tens of thousands of uninhabitable, often obliterated homes; thousands of small businesses in shambles; dozens of schools and public buildings ruined and unusable; highways and ports and railroads; water and sewer systems, all destroyed. Whole communities, such as Waveland, were essentially wiped off the Coast by a storm surge in excess of 35 feet*not only from the Gulf but, as those in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian know, from the bay side as well. The winds and waves slammed Long Beach, Guflport and Biloxi but also D'Iberville, across the Biloxi Bay. Its destruction went to Ocean Springs, Gautier, Moss Point. Even Pascagoula, 75 miles from the eye of the storm, was crushed by a storm surge 15-20 feet high. I never thought there could be a storm worse than Camille, but this hurricane was far, far worse*spreading decimation not only across the entire Coast but extending its wrath more than 150 miles inland. Katrina is not just a calamity on the Coast, it is a major disaster for so much of South Mississippi. Tuesday morning, the day after the storm, I was astounded by what I saw on the Coast. All of you who've been there must remember the gut-wrenching sights and the heart-rending experience. But in the last month I've learned that an awful disaster, with its myriad of tragedies for individuals and families, also brings out the best in most people. And that has surely been the case in our state. What a debt we owe those first responders who risked all to save lives that Monday evening. The local firemen and policemen, EMTs - many of whom lost their own homes that day in the storm - were that night rescuing their neighbors. The column of state law enforcement officer - highway patrolmen, narcotics agents, investigators - who, with several hundred National Guardsmen, left Hattiesburg Monday afternoon led by MDOT crews who cut a lane open on Highway 49*7 1/2 hours to go 60 miles, but that night they joined local police and firemen in search and rescue, and to crack down on looting. The stories of ordinary people displaying extraordinary courage and uncommon selflessness are, well, extremely common. The conservation officers in their boats searching the trees and roofs and rescuing people from the flood waters Monday; the Waveland police, whose plan was to ride out the storm in their headquarters, who got up on the roof when the building flooded and swam off into the raging sea when the building collapsed*clung to trees or debris to save their own lives*and that very night, their own homes destroyed, were on duty, saving their neighbors; or the Coast Guard helicopter crews from Mobile, who flew in Monday to conduct search and rescue operations on the Coast . . . fearless young men, who hung from helicopters, on ropes, dangling through air, in the dark that first night, pulling people from roofs and trees. By the first Friday these Coast Guard daredevils had lifted 1700 Mississippians to safety by hoisting them into helicopters. Some of the men and women who performed these heroic deeds are with us today. To them, and the literally hundreds and thousands of genuine heroes whom they represent, your state and a grateful people thank you. Because of heroes like these the death toll from Katrina, while too high and still not final, is remarkably low compared to the immense destruction. The local officials, who ordered mandatory evacuations, saved lives. And the thousands of inland families who took in friends and families, before Katrina struck, made it possible for their friends and loved ones to be safe. Before I discuss the agenda for this extraordinary session, I am obliged, honored and pleased to thank our sister states, the federal government and the American people. Katrina is the biggest disaster ever, and the outpouring of support and generosity from our fellow citizens is also the largest in history. Here, today I want our fellow Americans to know all your efforts and your contributions have helped tremendously, and we are tremendously grateful. The State of Florida's elite search and rescue team was on the ground the first night, joining our local and state people, saving lives. For weeks there were 600 Florida law enforcement officers, helping protect lives and property on the Coast. Sheriff Steve Garber of Hancock County says they were indispensable. Indeed, Governor Bush and Florida have set the curve, but so many other states have done so much. North Carolina's Med-One portable hospital; Georgia's investigators and Ohio's search and rescue teams; National Guard units from nearly 20 states had boots on the ground . . . Alabama sent two MP units while Mobile was still flooded. As Governor, I'm personally moved by it all. When President Bush was here the third time we toured a faith-based feeding station; where hundreds of displaced people were eating a hot meal. I met a fellow from Vermont, a truck driver. He and 16 other truck drivers had driven down from Vermont, a small state, very far away, to deliver 17 trailers of food to Gulfport. I couldn't believe it . . . 17 tractor-trailers all the way from Vermont. Then, he told me it was his third trip. Yes, the American people are being very generous, and I want them to know we need the help to get through this disaster, and we genuinely appreciate it. We appreciate, too, the efforts by the federal government. From those young Coast Guardsmen that first night to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which provided all the fuel for all our emergency operations and responders from the end of week one to the Seabees, who've just been spectacular in helping get us on the road to recovery. During the relief and recovery stages the federal government has pumped resources in to help us. Their efforts have been enormous. Those efforts haven't been perfect, but our efforts haven't been perfect either. I expect every mayor or supervisor will tell you local governments haven't been perfect either. But I'll tell you this: Those local officials are trying; they're serving their people; they're leading in the midst of a carnage they never expected to confront. They make me proud. And the people they represent make me even prouder. From Pascagoula to Pass Christian, from Waveland to Waynesboro, from Meridian to Moss Point, from Pearlington to Petal, Mississippians consistently display resilience and self-reliance. Our people aren't whining or moping around, they're not into victimhood. From the very beginning Mississippians have been helping themselves, and God bless them, helping their neighbors. The unselfish, even selfless attitude of people who've lost everything is awe-inspiring to me. Katrina did not discriminate. It leveled rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods. It knocked down the mighty as hard as it clobbered the lowly. Black or white, Vietnamese or Hispanics*Katrina leveled them all. And it seems they all came through the devastation with a commitment to their neighbors as well as to their home communities. One consistent theme I hear from those who volunteer a lot in the disaster area is how unselfish the affected people are, and how they are concerned for others. The first person who put me on to this was Marsha. Marsha went to Gulfport to help on Monday night, the night of the hurricane. She's been back to the affected areas 23 of the 28 days since. First delivering water or ice, then baby food and diapers, helping with logistics and recovery efforts. I'm so proud of her, and she's my barometer. She kept telling me how unselfish people are, people who've lost everything. She told me about the family with eight kids, whose house trailer was destroyed. She and some state law enforcement officers took them a bunch of supplies. The people took a part, and told Marsha they didn't want to take everything*.that they wanted to leave enough for others to have. They told her there was a widow lady, a shut-in who lived down the road that would need help, and they told her to be careful not to miss a little road just down the way*that it was easy to miss, but four or five families lived down that road and would need their help, too. These are poor people, who had virtually nothing before the storm, and lost what little they had, and their concern is for others to get help. For their neighbors, for their communities. This Mississippi spirit makes me proud, and it makes me strong in my determination to make sure we help these great people recover and rebuild and renew South Mississippi and the Coast to heights that are equal to that spirit.
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