This book details the journey of one family's survival after one of the most devastating and destructive natural disasters in this country's history. Erin Akey, her three sons aged 13, 9, and 5, and her mother set out to seek safety as Hurricane Katrina approached their home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Erin was a divorced, single mother who had to find a way for her family to survive as they fled the storm, found out that all that was left of their home and possessions was the slab of concrete and nothing else. She had to learn how to navigate the governmental bureaucracies to get help for them to survive, followed by her home insurance company trying any and everything to avoid honoring their commitment to their policyholders, and securing a safe place for them to live during these trying times. The reader is caught up in her trials and tribulations as they journey with her in her efforts to resolve the seemingly insurmountable obstacles she faced. However, this is not just a story of desperation but also of conquest. Despite the misery and heartache, Erin's story has a wonderful and exciting conclusion and the anticipation of a wonderful future filled with happiness and service to those who find themselves in circumstances similar to those she and her family faced. It is a story of courage in the face of adversity, faith, and the willingness to accept the good things God gives us, thank Him, and go forward, in His name, to help others.
After the Rain
By Erin AkeyAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Erin Akey
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-2903-6 Chapter One
Friday August 26, 2005 Gulfport, Mississippi
I remember August 26th as a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was so clear outside. The Port of Gulfport was bustling with activity and I had several ships to visit that day. When I headed to the port, I always made my way down Highway 90, the beach road. I would leave my house and cross over the Bay St. Louis Bridge and head east for about ten miles to the port. I never used the interstate. The scenic drive was so relaxing to me I really enjoyed using that time to collect my thoughts and think about my clients and what I had to do for the day.
For the past three days I had been listening to the radio and watching weather reports about a hurricane forming in the Gulf, but I wasn't overly concerned. It looked as if it would head for New Orleans and it was only a Category 1, so nothing to cause concern. I had briefly mentioned it to my extremely stubborn mother the day before and her response was basically that it wasn't coming towards us and she would never leave again for another storm after the Ivan fiasco. We had evacuated the year before for Hurricane Ivan and had been stuck in traffic for almost twelve hours and it was a complete nightmare. The storm hit about 100 miles away and we were on the west side of the eye wall, so we barely had a limb down in the yard.
On this Friday, there was a ship in port which was captained by a good friend of mine. Captain Petrovic was a very polite and well-spoken Croatian man on the M/V Courtney L. I was glad I was going to get to see Petrovic today. We had children close to the same ages and he always appreciated the little gifts I brought. Today I was bringing him some dolmades from the Greek restaurant. As I made my way towards the port, a report came on the radio that Hurricane Katrina looked as if it were poised to strengthen and they were still saying New Orleans looked like the most likely candidate for a direct hit. I made a phone call to my Grandmother in New Orleans to see if she had a plan to leave if things got crazy. She reminded me of how the storm had brushed the tip of Florida a few days before and all was fine there. I told her I loved her and to please have a plan. I knew my Aunt and Uncle who lived right across the street would definitely take care of her.
When Katrina briefly made landfall in Florida a few days before, it had been a very mild storm. The report also said that the strike cone had narrowed that morning and New Orleans was now in the bull's eye. I got on my two-way radio that was used to communicate with my company's head office in New Orleans, about sixty miles away. I asked the general manager what plans were being made in light of the morning's developments. He told me that they were really in a watch and see mode and to just keep an eye on the weather and leave if I felt it necessary to leave and not to worry about work. He also told me that if I did leave town to take my two-way radio with me, as this would be the only way to keep track of everyone.
Something about his comments unsettled me. I couldn't pinpoint why, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about this storm. Looking back I realize that wasn't just a feeling, it was a feeling from God. The more I listened, the more I began to worry. Every person I ran into seemed to be talking about the changes taking place today with this storm. I realized quickly that a New Orleans landfall would put Bay St. Louis east of the eye. I knew from living all my life on the Gulf coast that east of the eye wall is the absolute worst place to be in terms of damage and high winds.
I arrived at the port and drove up to the security gate still half daydreaming about the weather. At the gate, my guard buddy stopped me to chat.
"How's it going today, Erin?"
"Morning. Got a few to see for a Friday. Sure looks busy today." I scanned the east side of the port and saw that nearly every berth was occupied. "How many ships are in Max?"
"Port's full. And with this hurricane, looks like we will be full for a while. A bunch of these ships were headed for New Orleans and have been diverted here to stay safe from that storm. Also got two today headed for Florida and the east coast and they aint going nowhere near there right now!"
"Gotcha. Well at least that gives me more time to take care of business." I started to drive off. "See ya!" I drove away ready to finish my ships for the day and get back home.
On that day, I saved the Courtney L for last on my list of ships to visit. As I approached and got out, I could see the gangway watchman and waved at him. He was a very young Filipino man who always greeted me with a smile. I think most of the guys knew that when they saw Ms. Erin, the next meal would have fresh produce and that all of the things the cook had been out of were about to be replenished. The stevedores were taking their lunch break and as I walked up the gangway, I could hear them talking. It seemed they were all buzzing about this new hurricane. Once on deck, I headed for the familiar staircase and went up to the second level. I looked out over the water and saw a dolphin moving gracefully through the waves bobbing in and out of the water. I had no idea that this would be the last peaceful memory of the Port of Gulfport that I would have for a long time.
Captain Petrovic was in his office with someone from the port discussing the hurricane. He looked up and greeted me as I walked in. "Erin, so good to see you!" His thick accent and deep voice couldn't hide his incredibly pleasant demeanor. Petrovic always had a smile on his face and was such a pleasure to work with.
"Hi Captain, how are you today?" I extended my hand which was rejected in favor of a hug. I reached in my backpack and handed Petrovic a styrofoam container and saw his eyes light up.
"And what good treat did you bring today?" He opened the lid and smiled even bigger. "Dolmades, wonderful. I will have steward prepare them with my dinner. Thank you so much Erin."
"My pleasure. I hope I am not interrupting a meeting here."
"No, no you are not. We were just talking about plans for halting cargo operations and leaving port earlier than usual."
"Because of the storm?" This concerned me a little.
The port official excused himself and left the office. Petrovic pulled out a chair and asked me to have a seat. This ship was owned by a big fruit company and came in to unload containers of fruit and then reload with other cargo.
"Yes, the hurricane. It seems it has made some turns in the last couple of hours and now the port is evacuating and having all ships pull out this evening. This will give us enough time to head around the storm and not get caught in it." Petrovic had a very concerned look on his face as he spoke.
"Are we in the possible path now?" I had not seen a news report since that morning.
"Actually I am hearing from my weather experts in the home office that it will more likely be Mississippi who gets the brunt of the storm Erin. Is your family in a good strong house?"
"Oh yeah. My house is a 2400 square foot brick house. It made it though Camille back in the sixties with no problem. I am not too worried. Plus it is only a category one. We never leave for those. Now Ivan we left for, and it was a false alarm."
"This one looks a lot bigger and the forecast is for it to be a lot stronger when it...
