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Sikeston man sees impact first hand
SIKESTON -- Mike Bohannon of Sikeston has seen firsthand the impact Hurricane Katrina is having in the South.
A few days ago Bohannon traveled with friends staying in Sikeston to retrieve whatever belongings, if any, they had left in their Orleans Parish, La., home.
"The magnitude is hard to comprehend," Bohannon said about his visit to the city. "Just watching it on TV isn't enough. There's a lot more devastation than city flooding, which is a terrible tragedy in its self."
A typical scene throughout the Gulf is of trees, power lines and telephone lines down. There's no electricity, and many do not have water, Bohannon recalled.
"A stench of rotten food and dead animals pervades the whole area," Bohannon said.
Bohannon witnessed people trying to get all they could from their homes before the three-week mandatory evacuation began.
"It's just a really depressing situation. The displacement of it is unreal," Bohannon said. "It's a lot more than the flood and it goes on and on."
Bohannon saw cars that were left prior to the hurricane and following the hurricane, were in water up to their windows. And at places where was gas available, the lines stretched blocks and blocks, he said.
Bohannon said he stood near the 17th Street levee that broke and flooded New Orleans. He even watched as boats full of evacuees motored along Lake Ponchatrain.
"These people have nothing," Bohannon said. "They're just displaced. They have nothing left. Their whole lives have been totally turned upside down."
Since Hurricane Katrina people all over the United States, including the surrounding area, have come together to provide relief for those affected.
In Sikeston, a communitywide effort began Tuesday to gather canned goods, which will be distributed to those most in need.
So far 14 full pallets of canned goods have been collected and will be shipped Monday morning to a Convoy of Hope Warehouse in Springfield. Convoy of Hope is working in conjunction with the federal relief efforts.
Another Sikeston community relief effort is a clothing drive, and residents in East Prairie, Charleston, New Madrid and other towns are conducting similar relief drives.
Missy Marshall, executive director of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce, said things are going very well with the Sikeston community efforts.
"We have had a lot of people make monetary donations or they've offered to the canned food drive or the clothing drive," Marshall said Friday.
The Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce has also been set up as an information center for hurricane victims stranded in the Sikeston area.
"It's been overwhelming, and the support has been unbelievable and continues to be great," Marshall said.
Fuel is one of the most common needs of evacuees, Marshall said. Internet access and medical care are other top needs, she said.
"Evacuees are so grateful. They tear up. They think our community is wonderful," Marshall said.
The community has seen as many as 50 evacuees in a given day to 15 evacuees in a day.
"We have some (evacuees) that were here the first week and then left," Marshall said. "They've either gone on to other family members or gone back to evaluate their situation. They were the ones who got out before all the damage."
Last weekend the area saw a new influx of people, Marshall said. They're the ones who rode out the storm, and have seen what was or was not left. And some are here to regroup and go back, she said.
This is a very transitory event and people may stay 24 hours, a couple of days or weeks, Marshall said.
"We're also in a kind of relocation mode. Some people are setting up a household for six months to a year, and some are planning to be here permanently," Marshall said.
The Chamber does have a screening process in place with the evacuees, and it seems to be working, Marshall said.
"We have a great system and are very proud of our community and citizens because we now know if, God forbid, this would happen again, we have a way to handle it," Marshall said. "And that's a good thing to know."
Marshall noted most of the people who have migrated to the area have been given little choice.
"They're away from home, away from their familiar surroundings and probably only have the clothes on back," Marshall said.
Now these people with no transportation, no income and are trying to figure what they're going to do, Marshall said.
So the need for assistance to those who've been affected by Katrina continues -- and will for a long time, both Marshall and Bohannon pointed out.
Bohannon said: "This thing is far from being over."
For assistance or a list of hurricane relief services available, contact the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce at (573) 471-2498.