Welcome to MSDN Blogs Sign in | Join | Help

Sara Ford's Weblog

My adventures embracing open source on CodePlex and at Microsoft

News

    • Did you know... All author proceeds go directly to sending Hurricane Katrina survivors to college.

      Microsoft Visual Studio Tips book

      Recent Entries

My family made it through the hurricane in Waveland, MS

I just got confirmation tonight that my family in Waveland, MS (my hometown) survived the direct hit from Hurricane Katrina.  My aunt and uncle drove into the Mississippi Gulf Coast somehow from Dallas and were able to get a message back to us.

My mom's house, where 15+ family members and friends had evacuated to, took 6ft of water.  They all piled into the attic and the 2 small upstairs bedrooms, but they all made it.  Now i have to wait to find out about life-long friends still living down there...
 
Waveland / Bay St. Louis is 95% destroyed, like much of the MS Gulf Coast, but all of my family members from Biloxi to New Orleans are alive and accounted for.  My relatives in New Orleans are okay, and are evacuating the city.
 
If you're looking for family or friends on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, check out www.wlox.com  They are taking names of people you're trying to reach and will post updates. 
 
Best of luck to everyone trying to find out about their relatives.

Save Waveland!!

Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 12:37 AM by saraford

Comments

G said:

Hi Sara,
Good to hear this. I hope things will get back to normal very soon.

G
# August 31, 2005 8:15 AM

Sam Gentile said:

Hi Sara,
I had been reading your blog and hoping for the best. I'm glad to hear this.
# August 31, 2005 8:37 AM

Aaron Ballman said:

That's good news! Hopefully all your friends are alright as well.
# August 31, 2005 9:16 AM

Walter Stanley said:

Sara, have been trying to find out about your family in Waveland and through a Google search learned of the good news they are all OK and well. Recall I am a good friend of your Mom and Dad, and Linda and Susan from my days in New Orleans with GE. When things calm down, please tell your Mom to e-mail me or call with more info and let me know how they are doing - we have been very concerned. Give me a call in seattle if you can - 425-391-0847. God bless and our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
# August 31, 2005 10:36 AM

Sheeshers said:

That's good news for sure. Good to know this and hope your other friends are safe too!

Regards
Sheeshers
# August 31, 2005 11:14 AM

Bob Saul said:

Sara - I am so happy that Walter Stanley found your blog, so that I know that your family are OK. Hearing about my brother's damage in Hattiesburg, I was very concerned as I talked to your mother on Sunday, and knew she planned to stay in Waveland. Great relief to hear that they are OK. When you can, do tell her I was concerned, and am greatly relieved because of your blog.

Bob
# August 31, 2005 1:13 PM

Courtney said:

Is all of Waveland underwater?
# August 31, 2005 4:16 PM

saraford said:

No idea what the current water level is. But all of waveland was underwater at some point.
# August 31, 2005 4:21 PM

Courtney said:

If you find out any information on Waveland will you let me know? I have relatives that live down there but they where up here during the hurricane. They wanted to know about it. Any information you know would be useful.
Thanks
# August 31, 2005 4:34 PM

saraford said:

Your best bet right now is to check these sites:
http://www.wlox.com
http://www.sunherald.com

If i here anything back from Waveland, i'll post it here.
# August 31, 2005 4:41 PM

saraford said:

Hey Bob, send me an email at saraf@microsoft.com so i'll have your contact info. As soon as i hear from my parents, i'll let you and Walter know.

I'll make sure to tell them you're thinking about them.
# August 31, 2005 5:40 PM

Dixie said:

I read your blog with great interest. I was getting frantic for some news about Waveland. My husband and I lived in Waveland for a number of years until we relocated in Quincy, IL - my husband's hometown. We had lived in Pascagoula several years earlier.

I'm glad to know your family and loved ones are all OK. I'm heartbroken at the loss of so much of the city - and for all the friends and loved ones we have probably lost.

I found a website where you can see a very lengthy video taken from a news helicopter as it flew over the Waveland-Bay St Louis areas.

It is horrible... I am still in shock at the level of destruction that has befallen those beautiful cities.

I'll warn you, the video is very long and it may take a long time to download unless you have high speed access.

When you open the page, click on the first item shown: Skycopter on the coast: Third Trip

God Bless You, God Bless all those whose lives have been shattered, and God Bless America!

http://www.wlbt.com/
# September 1, 2005 1:04 PM

Ross Johnson said:

I have been told there is one cell phone tower in the Bay-Waveland area that is operational. It is located in Diamondhead, but its coverage reaches to the I-10\603 intersection and also at the foot of the destroyed Bay Bridge. So, if anyone is coming into the area that may be the only way of calling out.



# September 1, 2005 1:26 PM

saraford said:

There is another cell phone tower in Waveland / Bay St. Louis. Go to where OLA and St. Stanislaus used to be and you'll get service.
# September 1, 2005 1:32 PM

Katie said:

Hey im glad that they all made it this is one of the worst things our nation will face and i hope things will get back to normal soon and i hope all your friends will be ok...congratulations...
Lotsa Love
Katie
# September 7, 2005 10:51 PM

Jennifer Kretz said:

Hello my name is Jennifer Kretz I m part of an organization here in Oregon that is trying to help families relocate either temporarily or permanently to our state. We are providing them with all of their necessities, anything they need we are here for them as long as they need it. We are however having trouble getting the word out to families caught in this terrible disaster. I am trying to get into contact with anyone that might be able to provide us with contacts so that we can help all that we can! If you know of any families we are more than happy to help! Please contact me you can reach us at either of these numbers or by email:
(541) 990-7818
(541)-760-0469
Kretzj@usa.net
Thank you so much!!
God Bless you!
Jennifer Kretz
# September 9, 2005 11:51 PM

Mike S. said:

Sarah, I am in Waveland, camped out, deployed by Florida State Emergency Response Team. Town is really wiped out, especially down by the beach. Nothing but slabs left. We are at the Wal-Mart Super Center, in which the building is ok, but the contents are a total loss. They are using skid steer loaders pushing everything out of the back loading docks, and hauling it to the dump. They expect the store to be open in 4 weeks.
Parts of the rail road tracks are washed out down by the beach also.
It's going to take years for this town to come back.
# September 14, 2005 10:24 PM
New Comments to this post are disabled
Page view tracker