Small Town North of Biloxi

St. Martin sits on the north side of Biloxi's Back Bay. It's a small town of not more than 2,000. Hurricane Katrina has virtually wiped it from the earth. One of my bosses lived there in a subdivision called Langley Point. Not one single house survived. When my boss was building his house about 5 or 6 years ago, he incorporated measures to help it survive hurricanes. He went beyond the recommended construction codes. Today was the first time I went there.

Thy name is irony.

Palace Casino on Biloxi's Point Cadet as viewed from Langley Point, about two miles from where I was standing.

My boss's house from the back.

My boss's house from the side.

St. Martin Middle school. It was severely damaged by a combination of the storm surge and a possible tornado. It is two miles from the bay.

You probably can't even find St Martin on many maps. When I was driving through, there were about 5 or 6 families that were camped out at where their homes used to stand. They were using everything from Army tents to pup tents. I know you hear a lot about people who are abusing the generous outpouring by Americans. But in St Martin, the money you donated to the Red Cross is being used to provide food to those families. It is being used for financial assistance to those families who had nothing more than the shirts on the backs after Katrina hit. While others may abuse your wonderful gifts, in St Martin and elsewhere in Mississippi and Louisiana, it is being used for basic necessities. Please don't let those few who are constantly in the news tarnish the nobleness of your generosity and the nobleness of those who are just trying to survive and rebuild.