We've returned from the Gulf.
The devastation can't be fully described without being there.
We knew we were getting closer when we say a sea of blue FEMA tarped roofs
that started 150 miles inland

We were permitted access to the restricted areas and rode along Route 90;
for miles and miles we saw nothing but destruction.
We witnessed:
armed guards at points of entry and barbed wire along the railroad tracks
footprints of former homes, concrete pads and cinder block columns, now just
markers.
cars and trucks tossed, crushed, and flipped upside down
eerie MSDS-like codes, spray painted on houses to mark where bodies lay.
fallen trees that cut in half the buildings that got between the trees and
the ground.
a Wal-Mart with no walls
a McDonalds golden arch sign standing but no McDonald's to be found
a concrete bank vault standing alone, the bank itself blown away
signs of the times
- insurance adjusters promising to fight for "wind damage" claims
- home made signs attempting to lift the spirits of those who've
survived
homes spray painted with requests such as: "don't bulldoze me"
volunteers from all other parts of the country bringing help and supplies
a place near Biloxi called God's Kitchen, where anyone may eat, for free or
donation
travel trailer communities courtesy of FEMA, reminiscent of Grapes of Wrath
scenes
a house that "floated" over another house and came to rest as if
professionally moved
truck parades of mobile homes and pre-fabbed buildings on all major highways
a lone sailboat way out in the Gulf; and nothing but trash and menacing
debris along the coastline
nature trying to reclaim the land as government workers and contractors
fight back with machines

We entered an elementary school in Long Beach, MS, and saw
mold, mold, and more mold
bulletin boards set up in August, under sea water for days, but promised
that this year would be "a great year!"
a water mark on the walls that was well over my head
a floor that looked like the bottom of the ocean had been there
power wires that had been cut off forever
steel beams bent by the force of huge falling trees
a playground that looked like a scene from Hiroshima
a large propane tank that had traveled a mile to rest in the school yard

and so much more
Scout