Desperate in Biloxi, Mississippi
“Nothing comes quite close to the smell of death.”
Photos, TC Kida, Sep. 30, 2005
“Nothing comes quite close to the smell of death.”
By TC Kida
I’ve been down here in Biloxi, MS, with an organization called Hands On USA.
We mostly clean trees out of cops’ yards, a worthy endeavor no doubt, but also, in my mind, a little off the mark as to where the need really is.
So I’ve been going out with two nurses into the community east of the air force base, which is the hardest hit and also economically the worst off. We’re giving medical help where needed and handing out ice, food, water, cleaning supplies, etc., where needed. And it is so so needed.
A lot of the areas we’re working are slated for indescriminate bulldozing in a little bit, ostensibly to clear room for the barge-based casinoes that dominate the waterfront, so that they may move inland, preserving the oh-so-important cash influx therefrom; some of the tenants have received 5-day eviction notices. After living through Katrina, and sitting in the middle of this shithole for a month, waiting for word on what’s to happen. The water is still unsafe to drink, and most of them still don’t have electricity. There’s a strange rash people are getting from exposure to the mud that was left, and the flies are getting real bad now. Every other street you walk down, you get a waft of death. Nothing comes quite close to the smell of death. Third world conditions in the midst of this ridiculously opulent extravagance.
And the media is all on New fucking Orleans.
Media is saying that this entire area is sealed off, and that there is nobody down here, that all is good.
Nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of these people are psychologically stuck, unable to move from the place that’s been in there family for generations. Many don’t realize the health hazard. But they all know what’s up, politically. Or at least suspect.
This is a population that is marginalized to begin with, and Hurricane Katrina presents the perfect opportunity for those in power to wipe it all clean, in the words of one city councilmember, “consolidate our losses down there.”
They are being starved out of house and home. Most don’t have the means to go anywhere else. Most don’t have anywhere else to go.
Disgusting.
And in the midst of this, Red Cross has done shit-all. FEMA, even less.
They’re nowhere to be seen.
For the first week we were doing this, we were the only people down in that area. Three weeks after the storm.
Our country continues to amaze me.
We’ve finally gotten people’s attention down there, and they’re starting to branch out a bit. We’ve received countless requests from doctors, nurses, etc. to act as sort of a guide to show them around, since we know the area and the people in need better than any other relief agency here. FEMA’s actually started moving trailers in, but it’s still a long, protracted process, and only available to those who own their own property. Renters are still pretty much screwed.
Please visit Hands On USA for information about donating.
TC Kida graduated from Yale in May ‘05 and has been working in Mississippi since the second week in September. He used to be the graphic designer for The Hippolytic, a Campus Progress supported publication.
Mass Shootings on the Rise, Even As Violent Crime Falls
With No Clear Trend in Youth Vote, A Challenge Awaits Progressives
How This North Carolina Bill Will Restrict Health Care for Minors