New Jersey mayor views Pass Christian's hurricane recovery

By LINDSAY KNOWLES — Special to the Sun Herald

PASS CHRISTIAN -- From small seaside town to small beachfront town, Mayor Matt Doherty of Belmar, N.J., flew down Wednesday for a tour of Pass Christian. Mayor Leo "Chipper" McDermott served as tour guide, and offered suggestions on hurricane recovery.

After Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the East Coast in October, McDermott said he and his staff wanted to help out somehow. They began collecting donations. Because of a contact the Pass fire chief had in the town of Belmar, a truckload of supplies from Pass Christian was the first formal communication initiated.

After that, the mayors began emailing back and forth, and McDermott proposed Doherty visit the Gulf Coast and see firsthand how a town about the same size as Belmar had recovered after a disastrous hurricane.

"You can read it in the papers, but actually driving around and seeing it yourself gives you a real feel of what we can expect to see over the coming months and years," Doherty said.

In addition to being on the water, Pass Christian and Belmar have other commonalities. Both have populations of a little more than 5,000, and each community is without large corporations, so they rely heavily on small businesses.

Learning the lingo

McDermott shared with Doherty some of the facts and lingo he wished he had known after Hurricane Katrina slammed through the Pass, as well as some reconstruction advice and things to be on the lookout for.

"I think the main thing that Matt took away from his short visit with us was the terminology he needed to know when it comes to funding and how to secure things correctly," McDermott said.

Another item on the agenda for the men was the effects new flood maps could have on Belmar if they receive them. It isn't known whether that will happen for the New Jersey town, but McDermott offered advice because of the revised maps' effect on rebuilding here after Katrina, which led to stricter building codes.

A tour of the Pass took Doherty through the yacht club, the city's administration buildings and the picturesque shops downtown. He talked with business owners about their recovery since 2005. Then the mayors stopped for lunch at Shaggy's on the Beach for, of course, seafood.

"This being my first time here, I just wish it had been under better circumstances. But it is a beautiful community," Doherty said. "Folks who live here are blessed and I would love to bring my wife and daughters, who are 8 and 5, back to Pass Christian for a vacation.

"While this was more of a fact-finding mission, and a very informative one that I'm glad I came on, I can't wait to come back to visit again."

Read more here:
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/12/29/4380027/new-jersey-mayor-views-pass-christians.html#storylink=cpy

YoYo

For Christmas we were under a severe weather alert. The jet stream dipped low and we were under strong tornado warnings most of the day. Most of those hit north and east of us. We just had rain and strong winds. But it wasn't a pleasant day. Our weather has been warm, cloudy, rain, cold, warm, cloudy..etc. Just like a yoyo.

Quicky

A fast moving storm blew in and blew out about 20 minutes later. It was short but intense, we were lucky we did not get any tornadoes. Mobile, Alabama got most of them.

After the storm blew out the temperature drop was dramatic, this morning it was 32^o and it's going to stay chilly till Christmas when it will warm up and we will get rain here in South Mississippi

Air Balloon 12-19-12

When I lived in Middletown, New York, air balloons were a common site as there was a field nearby where people took off and landed. But in all our years in South Mississippi, this is the first time we saw one. It flew right over our house and landed not far away.

Burned South Mississippi children conscious, improving

HARRISON COUNTY -- Two children who attend Long Beach schools are improving at a burn center in Georgia from injuries in a recent accidental fire at their home near Gulfport.

Katelyn Meyers, 8, and her 12-year-old brother, Tyler, are in pain now that they are no longer in medically induced comas, said their aunt Amber Allen.

Tyler is able to speak, and has said he and his sister were playing around and started a fire.

"Once they started a fire, they got scared they would get in trouble, and my niece grabbed a can and thought she was pouring water on it to put the fire out," Allen said. The 8-year-old didn't realize it was a can of gasoline.

"(Her brother) tried to stop her but it was too late," Allen said.

"She is awake and can move about," Allen said, "but still has the ventilator and feeding tube. She can open her eyes but she can't talk. She is agitated."

Both have second- and third-degree burns. They remain hospitalized at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center of Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

Katelyn, a student at Quarles Elementary, has burns on about 85 percent of her body. Tyler, a student at Long Beach Middle School, has burns on about half his body, including his face.

The children ran into a Gulfport emergency room Nov. 24 after their father drove them to the hospital, Allen said.

They were flown to the burn center.

A Boston laboratory is using some of Katelyn's DNA to create replacement skin for her, Allen said. The lab is able to grow skin fibroblasts, which will be grafted onto her body in a couple of weeks.

Their parents, Shannon and Elisha Meyers, are staying near their children, who will be in the hospital two to four more months.

The parents are grateful for the prayers and Coastians' efforts to raise money to help them while they are unable to work, Allen said.

Several fundraisers are set for this weekend. T-shirts and bracelets are being sold in conjunction with some events.

One will feature visits and pictures with Santa and craft tables from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at the Re/Max real estate office on Pineville Road in Long Beach.

Another is a poker run that will start at Shaggy's restaurant in Pass Christian at noon Sunday and end with entertainment and fun at The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint on Mississippi 53 north of Gulfport.

Starting at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Long Beach police will sponsor a 16-mile Ruck March from the Bay St. Louis Bridge to Jones Park in Biloxi.

Contributions to the Benefit of Tyler & Katelyn Meyers can be made at any branch of Hancock Bank.

Read more here:

http://www.sunherald.com/2012/12/14/4359573/burned-south-mississippi-children.html#storylink=cpy