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The devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused last week when it ripped into the Gulf Coast has been seen on TV by millions of people. But one Fallon woman saw it firsthand as she traveled into the heart of the chaos Sunday to evacuate two people from the wreckage - her mother and her sister.
Sandy Shanks, a 49-year-old Fallon Police Services Assistant, arrived back in Fallon Wednesday after she made the trek to Biloxi, Miss., to take her mother and sister to another sister's home in Fort Worth, Texas.
Shanks' mother, 73-year-old Virginia Crosby, who used to live in Fallon, had been staying at the house of one of Shanks' sisters, Jenny Wiltz, during the aftermath of the hurricane.
With snapped power lines, millions of mosquito larvae swimming in standing water and raw sewage spread out across the Biloxi landscape, Shanks said the coastal Mississippi city that she once called "paradise" is now "one big mess that will take years to fix."
"The destruction is just so widespread," Shanks said. "To me personally, I believe that the physical destruction of Biloxi is way worse than what's in New Orleans. New Orleans got flooded, but the structures are still standing. The structures in Biloxi are gone. They're completely gone or annihilated. Everywhere you look. It would be like Fallon covered in fallen trees."
Sandy Shanks, a 49-year-old Fallon Police Services Assistant, arrived back in Fallon Wednesday after she made the trek to Biloxi, Miss., to take her mother and sister to another sister's home in Fort Worth, Texas.
Shanks' mother, 73-year-old Virginia Crosby, who used to live in Fallon, had been staying at the house of one of Shanks' sisters, Jenny Wiltz, during the aftermath of the hurricane.
With snapped power lines, millions of mosquito larvae swimming in standing water and raw sewage spread out across the Biloxi landscape, Shanks said the coastal Mississippi city that she once called "paradise" is now "one big mess that will take years to fix."
"The destruction is just so widespread," Shanks said. "To me personally, I believe that the physical destruction of Biloxi is way worse than what's in New Orleans. New Orleans got flooded, but the structures are still standing. The structures in Biloxi are gone. They're completely gone or annihilated. Everywhere you look. It would be like Fallon covered in fallen trees."
Shanks flew Saturday into Fort Worth, Texas, to join another sister, Sharon Bates. She and her sister then loaded a truck and van with supplies to give to people in the Gulf Coast with next to no resources. These included 50 gallons of gasoline, diapers, water, money and various goods. The sisters made the 12-hour drive from Fort Worth to Biloxi and then drove back to Fort Worth, where Sandy's mother and sisters are now staying.
Hundreds more hurricane victims from the Gulf Coast are also expected in Northern Nevada in a matter of days. The Northern Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross has already cared for close to 20 families seeking refuge.
Caroline Punches, the executive director of the region's Red Cross chapter, said an estimated 300 more evacuees are expected to arrive in Reno early next week.
Once in Reno, Punches said the Red Cross is giving one debit card to each evacuated family to be used for emergency food, shelter and housing. The maximum dollar amount on the card is $1,500, and that figure is reserved for families of five. Dollar amounts are determined by how many children are in a family.
The Red Cross has also been referring these families to local agencies like social services, shelters and health services.
Punches said a good number of these families flocking to Nevada for a home chose to come to the state because they have family members already living here.
Hundreds more hurricane victims from the Gulf Coast are also expected in Northern Nevada in a matter of days. The Northern Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross has already cared for close to 20 families seeking refuge.
Caroline Punches, the executive director of the region's Red Cross chapter, said an estimated 300 more evacuees are expected to arrive in Reno early next week.
Once in Reno, Punches said the Red Cross is giving one debit card to each evacuated family to be used for emergency food, shelter and housing. The maximum dollar amount on the card is $1,500, and that figure is reserved for families of five. Dollar amounts are determined by how many children are in a family.
The Red Cross has also been referring these families to local agencies like social services, shelters and health services.
Punches said a good number of these families flocking to Nevada for a home chose to come to the state because they have family members already living here.
Although Shanks' mother and sister who had lived in Biloxi are not with her in Nevada, she's obviously relieved that they are in Fort Worth.
But both she and her family would still like to live in Biloxi some day.
"They're ready to pick up the pieces and move forward," Shanks said. "I love it there. I want to move to Biloxi eventually. It's beautiful there.
"But their whole economy and way of life is down for awhile."
Shanks said multiple bridges are splintered into decimation, roads are filled with fallen trees and power lines and the vast majority of gas pumps are closed in Biloxi. The gas stations that are open are guarded by police. A huge part of the city's economy -gambling - has been essentially gutted as casino buildings have been reduced to rubble.
As for Shanks' mother, her house's roof was broken by a fallen tree and her yard is covered with debris. Electrical services are down in most parts of Biloxi as well.
But both she and her family would still like to live in Biloxi some day.
"They're ready to pick up the pieces and move forward," Shanks said. "I love it there. I want to move to Biloxi eventually. It's beautiful there.
"But their whole economy and way of life is down for awhile."
Shanks said multiple bridges are splintered into decimation, roads are filled with fallen trees and power lines and the vast majority of gas pumps are closed in Biloxi. The gas stations that are open are guarded by police. A huge part of the city's economy -gambling - has been essentially gutted as casino buildings have been reduced to rubble.
As for Shanks' mother, her house's roof was broken by a fallen tree and her yard is covered with debris. Electrical services are down in most parts of Biloxi as well.
Shanks said her mother and sister both told her that a local agency delivered water and MREs (meals ready to eat) Saturday to people trapped in their homes and that if there was any concern about a lack of relief in Biloxi, she did not see or hear any complaints.
But her brother, Jeff Shanks, who was deployed with a SWAT team to help with the relief effort in New Orleans, was not so lucky.
"He was handing out peaches and pudding and stuff to people in New Orleans and he got shot at," Shanks said. "They shot the tire out of his vehicle. It's just crazy."
Despite the chaos in the aftermath of the hurricane in the Gulf Coast, Shanks said she believes most people she encountered simply had one goal in mind - survival.
"People are trying to function from day to day," Shanks said. "They're trying to get to a place with cover. They're trying to get water. They're trying to get food. They're trying to get diapers. They're trying to realize what happened to them. It's like all these people are in shock and kind of wandering around. They're taking one moment at a time like you do when a tragedy hits."
Burke Wasson can be contacted at bwasson@lahontanvalleynews.com
But her brother, Jeff Shanks, who was deployed with a SWAT team to help with the relief effort in New Orleans, was not so lucky.
"He was handing out peaches and pudding and stuff to people in New Orleans and he got shot at," Shanks said. "They shot the tire out of his vehicle. It's just crazy."
Despite the chaos in the aftermath of the hurricane in the Gulf Coast, Shanks said she believes most people she encountered simply had one goal in mind - survival.
"People are trying to function from day to day," Shanks said. "They're trying to get to a place with cover. They're trying to get water. They're trying to get food. They're trying to get diapers. They're trying to realize what happened to them. It's like all these people are in shock and kind of wandering around. They're taking one moment at a time like you do when a tragedy hits."
Burke Wasson can be contacted at bwasson@lahontanvalleynews.com
