Katrina's aftermath brings frontier town atmosphere to Gulfport, Miss.
By Tim Whitmire
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:42 a.m. November 20, 2005
GULFPORT, Miss. – Bonnie McNamara laughs when she talks about the two guys who separately offered to pump gas for her during a recent visit to a self-serve station in this hurricane-ravaged city.
"We may be devastated, but we're not desperate," the 31-year-old said of the surplus of single men who have crammed into this city to help rebuild the Mississippi coast.
Gulfport and its neighboring towns – from Waveland in the west to Pascagoula in the east – were epicenters of destruction when Katrina came ashore Aug. 29. But more than two months later, with the reconstruction in full swing, Gulfport has the feel of a latter-day frontier boomtown.
Traffic clogs the streets around the clock. A visit to the Wal-Mart at the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and Interstate 10 can feel like the final hours before a hurricane, with aisles jammed by shopping carts and 45-minute "express" checkout lines.
More...
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:42 a.m. November 20, 2005
GULFPORT, Miss. – Bonnie McNamara laughs when she talks about the two guys who separately offered to pump gas for her during a recent visit to a self-serve station in this hurricane-ravaged city.
"We may be devastated, but we're not desperate," the 31-year-old said of the surplus of single men who have crammed into this city to help rebuild the Mississippi coast.
Gulfport and its neighboring towns – from Waveland in the west to Pascagoula in the east – were epicenters of destruction when Katrina came ashore Aug. 29. But more than two months later, with the reconstruction in full swing, Gulfport has the feel of a latter-day frontier boomtown.
Traffic clogs the streets around the clock. A visit to the Wal-Mart at the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and Interstate 10 can feel like the final hours before a hurricane, with aisles jammed by shopping carts and 45-minute "express" checkout lines.
More...
posted by Kent at 3:13 AM
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