The football game in Bay St. Louis, Miss., that was supposed to take place Friday night had to be postponed until Monday because of the powerful storm, which was then passing by in the Gulf of Mexico.
Many Bay St. Louis residents evacuated as Mississippi was put under a state of emergency Friday, and the governor called for a voluntary evacuation.
Rita ended up coming ashore along the Texas-Louisiana state line early Saturday, quickly dropping from Category 3 to Category 1 status and causing less damage than feared.
Moore County has adopted Bay St. Louis. A group of local leaders called Moore Friends for Mississippi has taken on several tasks to help the town rebuild and the residents get back to their lives in the wake of the earlier hurricane Katrina.
One of the first things that Moore Friends wanted to do was help the local public school hold its season opener in football.
High school football is big in Mississippi and Hancock County, where the Bay, as locals call it, is located. It boasts the home-grown talent such as Brett Farve, a future National Football League Hall of Famer member and Green Bay Packers quarterback.
Moore Friends was able to obtain uniforms and some other equipment in time for the Bay High School football game had it been played Friday night.
A delegation from Moore County that was to include Kelly Miller, president and CEO of Pine Needles and Mid Pines resorts; David Woronoff, publisher of The Pilot; and James Dodson, The Pilot’s writer-in-residence, had planned on flying down to the Bay to attend the game.
“We still plan on going on Monday,” Woronoff said.
Though many evacuated, Council-man Jeff Reed was optimistic on Friday as the storm passed by. He said the town was experiencing rain and wind.
“I think it’s going to be all right,” he said. “Just keep us in your prayers.”
One person who did evacuate was Mike Cuevas, cultural director for Bay St. Louis.
She left at 3:30 a.m. Friday and said that many of the residents spent Thursday waiting in lines to get gas. She said she couldn’t stand the thought of being anywhere near another hurricane after Katrina came through and destroyed much of the town.
“After spending four hours in my attic [last time], I left,” she said. “This town does not need a cultural director. It needs workers, police and fire.”
She was able to book a hotel room in Pensacola, Fla., that would take her and her dog in. She knew that back in the Bay, everyone would be scrambling to find shelter while all of the spots that would have been used, such as the school gym or train depot, were either damaged or filled to capacity.
“We don’t have a lot of places like that right now,” Cuevas said.
She joked that she was having “ever so much fun,” but then called herself a “coward” after saying that Mayor Eddie Farve and most of the other town leaders were staying.
“I spent enough time in the attic,” she said. “I’m too gun-shy. I promised my children I would leave if there was another hurricane nearby. I’m not going to make them be worried about me.”
She said her children lived in Bay St. Louis before Katrina struck but have moved and are not coming back.
“I lost them to the storm,” she said.
One of the prevailing feelings in the area on Friday was sorrow for what the residents of coastal Texas towns might be facing.
“In talking with a lot of people, we almost wished it would hit us again,” Cuevas said. “We don’t have a whole lot left to lose.
“I don’t ever want to see anybody go through that. When I lived through Ca-mille (in 1969) I never thought I’d have to go through something like that again for the rest of my life. I certainly didn’t expect it to happen again.”
One of the saddest things about Bay St. Louis is that some lifetime residents have had to leave and aren’t returning, Cuevas said.
“Some of the older people can’t do it again,” she said. “We’re saying goodbye to friends.”
Cuevas said that each day has brought successes in rebuilding after Katrina.
“Getting one street cleared was a reason to have a block party,” she said.
Although Rita threatened to undo some of the emotional healing for residents people who decided to stay were determined and resilient, Cuevas said.
“I bet you in six months you won’t recognize the place,” she said.
Matthew Moriarty may be reached at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com.
