Threads
By Callimachus | Related entries in Hurricane KatrinaThe New York Times finds common threads among the 220 Mississippi hurricane victims. And “Bush lied, they died” isn’t among them.
Most of the victims were in their 60s or older. Many had the ability to evacuate, and relatives and friends pleaded with them to do so. Instead, they stayed. Some of the older residents just didn’t believe it would be so bad. As it turned out, they were obliterated by a storm surge that reached as high as 30 feet and swept inland for miles.
Of those identified so far, many were retired blue-collar workers who had put in decades of work and were at a stage of their life where they relished companionship and the familiarity of their houses.
The article contains a tragic vignette about a couple named Brugger in their 60s who had moved to Pass Christian “on a whim” and opened a B&B there in an old house.
On the morning of Aug. 29, Brugger was interviewed by telephone by a television news program in Toronto. Asked why he did not leave, Brugger replied: “The house was built in 1860. We’ve got 15 years of sweat in it, restoring it. It was an old hotel, and it’s been through some big storms. It’s the highest spot in town. Our elevation is about 30 feet. So we can usually ride out the storm surge.”
Brugger died that morning when the storm obliterated the inn, which had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nothing was left but the concrete porch.
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