|
|
On Monday, September 5th, Labor Day, Tommy Simpson, Kimmons
Gray and I traveled to Waveland, MS. We were delivering a
trailer filled with food, clothes, water, ammunition and
other supplies for the Waveland Police Department which had
been completely decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Ken Magee,
Senior Vice President of MS PBA and Central MS Chapter
President led a drive to get supplies from the Jackson/Metro
area. Tommy Simpson, Director of Organizational Services,
Western Division and Kimmons Gray, Staff Representative of
PBA led the effort in North MS. The response was
overwhelming and the only problem was finding a trailer
large enough to carry everything.
We were greeted at the Waveland PD by Mike Prendergast,
Chapter President of the Gulf Coast Chapter and Assistant
Chief of Police for Waveland, PD. It’s really hard to
describe the area that was once Waveland. The Police
Department basically lost everything they had. Their
vehicles were submerged and moved by the flooding of the
storm surge. The department headquarters, along with all
communication equipment were completely destroyed. The homes
of nearly every officer were completely destroyed leaving
them with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing
when Katrina hit.
What’s really astonishing is the fact they are alive.
Fourteen officers had remained at headquarters to respond
once the storm passed. As their headquarters began to flood,
they had to flee the building to seek higher ground. Once
outside, the current of the rising water was too swift and
they could not reach higher ground. These officers clung to
a large bush in front of their department for several hours
while the unprecedented storm surge took its toll on
everything around them. I am still in awe of their bravery
to risk their lives and stay behind to help others.
From our observations, the City of Waveland is completely
devastated. It is difficult to find the words to describe
it. Homes and neighborhoods that were there are no longer
there. The roads are littered with abandoned washed out
cars, lumber piles that were once houses, electrical wires
dangling from poles and debris scattered everywhere. There
were boats in the median of Hwy. 90 and lodged up in trees
along Hwy. 603. Every coastal city and town in Mississippi
was devastated. The clean up alone may take years.
The law enforcement agencies in coastal Mississippi have
received tremendous help and aide from law enforcement
agencies in many other states, for which we are very
grateful. There is no doubt that many more lives would have
been lost in the aftermath without their help.
The law enforcement community of MS is strained and
struggling at the moment. Many of our dedicated law
enforcement officers in the state have lost their homes,
most if not all their possessions and are separated from
their families, yet they continue to serve their community.
We need to pull together and help those who need the help.
These officers and their families need to be in out thoughts
and prayers in the coming months. They will be picking up
the pieces and rebuilding both their lives and their homes.
Many will need help in the process of doing s and PBA will
be there to help these officers and their families in any
way we can.
Please help if you can, by contacting the Southern States
PBA office at 1-800-233-3506 or by going to the web site at
www.sspba.org
and making a donation to the Officers Relief Fund. |