Angela in Pearlington MS Part 2

Dear All,

Thank you for your overwhelming response and support to my email of yesterday morning. It is deeply appreciated. I had a lunch meeting yesterday with a Senior Vice President at Methodist Healthcare located in Memphis, TN. About halfway through our discussion, he just turned, looked at me, and said, "I want to see this place. What are your plans for today?" With that, we drove the 3 hours to Pearlington so I could let Chaplain Davis see what I have seen. After visiting only 3 families, he picked-up his cell phone and called the CEO of Methodist Healthcare and made his recommendation: that Methodist send-in their fully equipped mobile medical trailer with a staff of physicians and nurses as soon as they can. I can not overstate my appreciation for the responsiveness of the Methodist denomination to the situation in Pearlington. It is decisive and timely.

The situation in Pearlington yesterday was decidedly different from the day before. There was a quiet, sad, stillness among the people. The piles of debris were still unmoved; the mosquitos and flies were still biting; and the putrid water was still standing - And, noticeably absent were the porta-potties. As one man said to the Chaplain and me, "How can we keep from gettin' sick if we got nowhere to use the bathroom?" His question is not an easy one to answer. As grateful as I am to the Methodist for all they are about to do in Pearlington, there is still a huge, unmet need to restore clean water and sanitation to the area. I fear these things can only be done with the help of a television camera. I found yesterday to be much more painful than the day before. On Monday, the people were fired-up and advocating for their right to basic - if even temporary - sanitation facilities. Yesterday, I saw in their eyes the look of quiet resignation and defeat. I would guess these are feelings with which they are quite familiar. As the man mentioned above posed his question, he broke down and cried. This proud, strong Southern man wept. He and his family almost drowned because first responders did not respond in Pearlington; he has removed the dead bodies of his neighbors from their homes; and, now, the one tiny shred of dignity he had for his family - a porta pottie - is gone. These people are exhausted and losing hope. That is not a good combination.

I have heard reports from various (and many) residents in Pearlington that the land there is bordered by the NASA Stennis Space Center on one side (government land) and International Paper on the other. Some feel that perhaps there is a feeling to drive people from this area so that this prime piece of land (thick with tall pines for timber) may be used for other purposes. I have no idea if this is true or not. I have not had the time or resources to research this issue. What I do know to be true is that state and local officials are not fulfilling their public health - or humanitarian - obligation to these people.

I will return to the area today and will keep trying to instill some hope where there is none. And, I will keep beating the drum for someone to come here with a camera and see what I have seen. I am getting my film developed today before I return to the coast. I will try to start posting the photos on the Kodak Gallery website. I will also send hard copies to my sister in GA so someone besides me has them.

Again, thank you all for your efforts and I will continue to be in touch as I can.