with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Tag Archives: hurricane damage

Two Months After Hurricane Katrina – Into New Orleans

Not knowing the intimate details of the damage left behind from Hurricane Katrina, I assumed I’d seen the worst of it in Ocean Springs. Everyone talks about how bad New Orleans is, but from the little television and Internet coverage I saw before making this journey, buildings were still standing in New Orleans, so this […]

Two Months After Hurricane Katrina – Pascagoula to Ocean Springs Mississippi

It’s been two months since Hurricane Katrina brought her wrath and forces to the Gulf Coast of the United States. In Israel, after a terrorist bombing of a restaurant, cafe, or night club, it is the general policy of the people to do everything possible to make sure the bombed site is open for business […]

Two Months After Hurricane Katrina – Gulf Coast Shores

I’m in New Orleans and access to the Internet is very complicated and difficult. I will write more about my experiences here, but here are some photos taken on the drive over along Highway 90 through the Gulf Shore area of Mississippi. I want you to remember that this area is almost 100 miles from […]

Lorelle’s Hurricane Soap Box

Living in the hurricane ravaged dart board for the past year, I have become a cynic when it comes to disaster relief and disaster victims. And I’m not happy about what I’m hearing about the problems with Hurricane Wilma. So forgive my momentary soap box. Hurricane Katrina was not expected to suddenly turn so ugly, […]

Ain’t Hurricane Season Over YET?

After Hurricane Alpha was blown away by Hurricane Wilma, I thought maybe we would have a reprieve. NOT. A Public Advisory from NOAA on Tropical Storm Beta states that this new storm should turn into a hurricane by this evening. Computer models from Weather Underground show Beta moving into Nicaragua and bringing 10-20 inches of […]

Off and On and Off and On and Off and On

Years ago, a co-worker of Brent’s awoke in the night to a terrible cackling sound. He got up to find the lights turning on and off and on and off. The cackling happened between the lights going on and off. Puzzled, but suspiciously aware of the source of the sound, he stepped outside of his […]

Rebuild Hurricane and Flooding Zone Homes with Houses that Swim

You don’t have to look far to see the cleverness and ingenuity of man. The problem is that the information of one group’s cleverness never seems to reach the ones who need the same clever thinking. In Amsterdam, US journalists are exploring how the Netherlands dealt with their flooding problems over the centuries. A little […]

You Don’t Know What It’s Like

You don’t know what it’s like. You can’t imagine what it’s like. You would never believe it. You don’t know how hard it is. You don’t have a clue. Well, guess what? I do. I know what it’s like. I have an imagination. Having traveled a lot of the planet, I can believe just about […]

Tax Relief for Hurricane and Disaster Victims

The US government and federally funded programs are available to help hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake and other disasters, and there is also tax benefits and relief for victims. You can find more information on tax benefits and relief from the IRS Tax Relief in Disaster Situations. As one of the millions of victims of Hurricane […]

One Month After Hurricane Katrina

I finally got a full hour of exercise this morning. It was amazing. I sweated and hated every moment of it, and feel much better for it. I finally pulled my little potted garden set into place after a month tied to trees behind the trailer, and caught up on my hand washing and cleaning […]

Something’s Rotting in Here

When we are in the middle of stress, sometimes it helps to write, other times, like recently, I sit down at the computer and start to write and tears come and then sobs, and then the dry heaves. So I procrastinate, hoping that time will help me deal with the emotions with more perspective, allowing […]

Your Life is So Easy

I drag my laptop with me every night to the campground office, and set it up. My intentions are to get some work done during the moments between panics, since I hardly find time during the daylight hours. Sometimes I can get as much as 30 minutes of quiet time, other times, I’m lucky to […]

The Creeping Rot of Depression

I can feel it, creeping in from behind my eyes and ears, and curving up around my body. It pushes my shoulders up and head down. My back bows under the weight. Thoughts come in black clouds instead of bright shiny ideas and incentive. I feel it pressing in all around me, coming from all […]

Surviving Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita

We escaped the rage of Hurricane Katrina by evacuating to Atlanta, only to return to Mobile, Alabama, and be threatened by Hurricane Rita. Luckily for us, and unluckily for others, Rita moved to the west, so we’ve missed the full impact, but not the brush by. The damage around us from Hurricane Katrina would be […]

Visual Impact of Hurricane Katrina – Starting to Head Back

Some of you may know that we are also among the millions of refugees/evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. We’ve been in Atlanta for over a week now, waiting for the electricity and water to be turned on and the roads to be cleaned up back in Mobile, Alabama. Where we are staying, we have had no […]