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The Long Wait The Spirit
Any retrospective of the past 100 days would have to include people in line waiting for water, ice, gas or to fill out an application to ge nus shot or to use a phone. We have been patient, frustrated and stressed out. Lines do that to you.
Show me a muscle and I will show you the Spirit of the Coast. I have loved this photo from the moment I first saw Carmen Stepane and her spunky show of muscle and spirit. This is the face of a people who will not be defeated and who can smile through the unbelievable loss of so much.
Trailer Park
In some ways, the photo of a Rolls Royce parked beside a trailer in Bay St. I^ouis seemed jarring. But on reflection, it told the story of how this storm affected people of all conditions along the Coast. Where in New Orleans, Katrina’s impact was greater on the poor, in Mississippi people of every economic condition were devastated. And how could we illustrate these first 100 days without a FEMA trailer?
New faces on the Coast
The Mississippi Coast has long been a melting pot for people of diverse origin, but Latinos have not represented a large part of our population. Until now. As soon as the rebuilding got under way, latino workers began pouring in. Today, an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 of them, primarily Mexicans, are at the very heart, of the new labor corps that is helping get the big jobs accomplished. Almost without exception you hear one adjective to describe these newest citizens — “hardworking.” We are told many of them will stay — adding to the richness of the Coast.
Democracy in action
We care. People on the Coast care very much about h their communities will be rebuilt, and the democracy i decisions about the future is impressive. There are co meetings to discuss the recovery, and people turn out large numbers to voice their opinion on all things. Th( meetings have something of the feeling of a New Eng' town, only with a Southern accent.
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Getting to Know You
One thing that Katrina did was to draw us closer to each other. Neighbo: perhaps weren’t so close became very close. Our common pain brought great alignment on many fronts. We came to really care for each other as before. Cartoonist Chip Bok captured the new reality with neighbors wh knew each other were suddenly sitting together on front porches in theii wear and enjoying a brew after Katrina.
Jobs, jobs, jobs
The “Hiring” sign become ubiquitou signs are quite sir everywhere as the rebuilding and ret engine is running redline-speed. So jobs, so few peopl take them. Wages jumped up, and st are no takers for r them. To me the ‘ signs translate to word “progress.”


Pearlington Katrina Document (093)
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