Picking up, moving on in Mississippi

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. --Signs of life grow stronger each day in this small resort town, two years and four months after one of the deadliest and costliest storms in U.S. history almost completely destroyed it.A new bar, Shaggy's, has become the hub of the town's nightlife.A Chevron gas station will be the area's first along the coast when it opens in a few weeks.People are fishing. Workers building. Emergency volunteers leaving. Tourists arriving.Slowly, and often painfully, Pass Christian residents are picking themselves up from the wreckage and reassembling their lives."You start over," resident Blaine Ashley says. "It's just that simple."But simple isn't always easy.Katrina took almost everything -- all of the town's public buildings and businesses and about 80 percent of the homes in a town with a pre-hurricane population of 6,500. Even its gas, water and sewer lines were lost.Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the hurricane claimed the lives of more than 230 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.But from those depths of despair came a courageous spirit among residents, many who were bolstered by their faith in God and from the kindness of volunteers. More Coverage Stories Naperville group gets a big thank you [12/20/07] Towns throughout the nation, including Naperville and Buffalo Grove, partnered with Pass Christian, donated funds and resources to help rebuild. Buffalo Grove firefighters, for instance, have collected funds to buy fire engines.A group called Naperville Responds has raised about $1 million since the fall of 2005 to build 20 new homes.The group visited in August 2006 to see three families move into their houses. This past weekend, six members returned to the area to be honored for their efforts at a ceremony in Biloxi.While there, they stopped by Pass Christian to check on its progress.Rebuilding modeSince Naperville Responds' last visit, there has been no miracle makeover.Many people still are tussling with insurance companies or waiting on government checks.Hundreds still are displaced. City hall, the police department and library still operate out of trailers.The first year after the storm was pure "survival mode," Mayor Leo "Chipper" McDermott says.Now it's rebuilding mode.Aldermen have issued more than 1,700 building permits, most in the past year. People are coming back; despite that, the town is only half its former size, with about 3,500 people.Rebuilding of the city's infrastructure is about two-thirds complete.Though there's a way to go, the progress is palpable."It's beautiful," Naperville Mayor George Pradel says.Pass Christian, like the rest of the hurricane-ravaged coast, is a study in contrasts -- brand new homes intertwined with shredded framework and weed-ridden concrete slabs. Everywhere, buildings are in various stages of construction.New businesses are opening. A Mexican restaurant. A bank. An insurance firm.The new Adolph Bourdin perhaps typifies the effort. The tiny, but tidy, building serves as what its owners hope will be a temporary headquarters for their family-owned heating and air-conditioning business."It's not as fast as we'd like," McDermott says. "But we are making progress."On their last trip, Naperville visitors handed Roseta Daniels the keys to her new home. On this trip, the group stopped by for a quick visit.Daniels lives in her new -- and elevated -- home with her children Halle, 11, and Alex, 13. A Christmas tree stands in front of the house."It's been great," the single mom says of the now-furnished home. "I thank God every day for it."Halle's room is adorned in pink, the kind of "princess-like" room Daniels says she dreamed for as a girl.Many of these houses were built for necessity, not luxury, Pradel says, but the family has made it warm and cozy."To know that one family is secure and snug in their home is just very rewarding," he says.Water in, water outThe town's growth has been slowed by many challenges. Funding. Bureaucracy. Zoning and code issues.Attracting retail has been tough with no anchor -- such as the Wal-Mart that used to be here -- to draw smaller shops in. Few merchants can afford the higher insurance rates that followed the storm.Residents and city leaders argue about the appearance and character of the new town. Some think the riverfront space should be preserved as is; others, including the mayor, say developing it is crucial to sparking redevelopment.McDermott's main goal, he says, is to get businesses open and housing built along the coast -- even if they're condos, which many residents oppose. At this point, anything to get people in, he says."The water put us in this mess, and the water is what's going to get us out."Finding homeAfter living through Katrina, Ann Kelly knows no matter what else happens in her life, she'll deal with it.Last summer, the artist was living in a trailer on the beach with her three teenage children. She had just fallen in love with a neighbor, Tom.Much has changed since then. Tom, who had "kept her laughing" in the storm's aftermath, died of cancer in May. The same month, she settled with her insurance company for damages.With that money, she bought a new home, now decorated with art pieces and colorful patterns. "It has a good feeling to it," she says. "I feel like I'm home."Her girls sometimes even miss trailer life -- mostly the beach parties they'd host."It wasn't totally negative," she says. "They did a lot of bonding in that small space."Heart of the townAfter 5 p.m., it's nearly impossible to find a seat at Shaggy's Harbor Bar Grill.A former bait shop, the casual eatery opened in August and has become the hottest spot along the coast, fans say.On a warm afternoon last week, a sign at the entrance reads, "Welcome Naperville."The group was treated to seafood appetizers as they caught up with town leaders.The seafood often is caught only hours earlier, says chef and co-owner Thomas Genin."It's as real as it gets," he says.Another reality is that owners couldn't get insurance for their restaurant, which admittedly makes them nervous. But they knew this was needed -- for morale if nothing else."We were willing to roll the dice," Genin says.And he's optimistic about the future. The city yacht club will be built in six months. The Bay Bridge, linking two counties, has opened.So far, his gamble has paid off. The place has seen as many as 2,500 guests a week, and owners are well ahead of projections.Profit aside, Genin knows what his bar means to the town."This place gives it a heartbeat," he says.'This is home'Blaine Ashley sits along the coast, fishing for the first time in two years. That's how long it took to rebuild the wharf.The beachfront looks different now. He misses the gorgeous antebellum mansions that once lined the coast, as well as other things."It's the small stuff you overlook," he says. "You don't pay attention to that tree with the pretty sign on it. One day, it's not there. And you're like, 'Man, I miss that tree.' So you gotta find another pit tree."That's his philosophy. Pick up. Move on. Life, after all, goes on.Many older people, especially, are having a hard time, he says. They don't know where to start. It's easier to ask questions -- why did this happen to me? What does it mean?It doesn't mean anything, he says. "It's a natural disaster. You can't be mad at nature."Blaine, who lost his 70-year-old home just after he finished a $100,000 remodel, has family on both coasts and in Europe who beg him to come live near them.But then he thinks about the town he's grown up in, the site of countless beach bonfires and fishing lessons with Dad.And he tells them he can't leave."No," he says. "This is home." 512392Pass Christian Mayor Leo "Chipper" McDermott chats with Naperville Responds member Stephanie Penick during a thank-you ceremony held in Biloxi to honor the group's relief effortsPaul Michna | Staff Photographer 512294Roseta Daniels' home was one of the first built with funds raised by Naperville Responds. The family moved into their elevated house in August 2006.Paul Michna | Staff Photographer