Thanks to all of you who sent me PMs wishing me luck on my trip to Gulfport yesterday. We accomplished our mission of getting some supplies and equipment to our friends there. Their home and many others are just gone and things are very chaotic. Just to get there you have to drive thru a "log tunnel" for miles where hundreds of pine trees were blown across the road and crews just cut them off at the edge of ech side of the road. They are still trying to account for people but cell phones aren't working. On of the things we took were satellite phones. The death toll is going to go way up when the accounting is done. Right now they are going house to house, helping the live ones as they can and putting a yellow mark on the ones where there are dead people. So sad. One positive thing is it puts things in perspective. Right now, football isn't someething high on my priority list like it was this time last week. My friends in Gulfport arte huge bama fans and have a son in school at bama now. I tried to inject a little humor in the situation by noting it was an Auburn guy coming to help them. We at least had a few laughs.
PT, I am about to attempt to drive home to Diamondhead, which is about 10 miles past Gulfport, any advice. Can you take I-10 all the way in?
I didn't get on I-10 at all but it is open thru Gulfport. I went into Gulfport on highway 49. Yoou can drive around a lot of Gulfport but things are barricade avbout two blocks inlan of where highway 90 normally was. It is covered with sand now. One thing to check is the access into Diamonhead even if you can get close on I-10. Highway 49 was open because it is a main route into Gulport right now for rescue people and all sorts of other help which is pouring in. Your biggest problem could be getting into Diamondhead.
Thanks for the info PT, and for everything else you've done. I will be making my way shortly. I'll check back later.
It is good to see the fans of the SEC sticking together. I for one will look forward to the day when our biggest concern can be a football game. Right now our biggest concern is supporting and helping each other get through this. Thanks to all the fans of other teams showing their support. It means alot.
My wife and I along with others have got an 18 wheeler leaving Huntsville at 5pm today headed for Gulfport. We bought 4 washers and dryers at our friends request so people can wash their clothes. I wouldn't have thought of that. They have generator power now. We are loading the truck with everything we can think of that they need to sustain a lot of people. The satellite phones we took down Wednesday have been a Godsend since they can now stsay in touch with the outside world. I haven't heard from my relatives in NO and don't know how to contact them or if they are even still there. I suspect one cousin and his wife stayed because they are both on the police force. Let's just hope and pray things will start to get better now that more help is going in.
