What a Difference a Day Makes

Here's another update on Uncle Toy and Aunt Peggy. Like someone's actually reading this. But it makes me feel better anyway.

The original news that they were on their way to Jackson was incorrect. Actually, they were still in their home. The emergency personnel from Batesville, as their last deed before coming home to regroup and recoup, found Toy and Peggy's house using a street address that had been relayed to them.

By this time the floodwater had receded from their home and they assumed the worst was over. They were completely unaware of the massive devastation spread across the remainder of the Gulf Coast region. When the Batesville firefighters were finally able to talk to them early Wednesday morning, they had decided to stay in their home and wait for basic services to be restored, not realizing how long it would actually take.

Later that afternoon they decided to try and travel 10 miles to a friend's home in Diamondhead, where they hoped that living conditions would be somewhat bearable. They "hitched" a ride to Diamondhead (I've yet to get all the details of this) and made it there sometime Wednesday evening.

Their friend's house was in much better condition. It even had electricity and running water supplied by a generator and well, but was uninhabited. Their friend, a Doctor, had evacuated before the storm struck and was safely in Florida. They settled in for the night, hoping for some much needed rest.

All the while, Richard and J.C. were headed to their home in Waveland not knowing they had moved. Eventually Peggy was able to contact her niece and inform her of their location, which was relayed to Richard. The Doctor's home is located in a closed community in Diamondhead, protected by a wall and armed security guards. When Richard and J.C. arrived there about 9:00 last night, they found, to their dismay, that they had driven the length of the state, only to be stopped by a security guard that wasn't about to believe this haggard looking duo was looking for anything but trouble.

After a brief but intense conversation with Martha, Toy's sister and my mother-in-law, the guard relented and helped the pair search door to door until they found the elusive couple. Richard and J.C. took the two home, where they gathered their belongings and began the long return trip north. They finally reached our house this morning, just as I was leaving for work.

I'll try to post more details of their experience after I get a chance to talk with them this evening.