Hurricane News from Deep
in Mississippi
Dr. Joan Messer serves on the science
faculty at Jones Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi.
She is also National Director of the American
Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS), which is why
she is well known to high school students across the
United States who win top honors in State science competitions.
The eye of Hurricane Katrina passed directly over Dr.
Messer's town. When she was able, Dr. Messer sent a
status report to members and friends of the AJAS, and
it seemed fitting to include it as a news story in THE
CITIZEN SCIENTIST. Dr. Messer kindly gave permission,
and she updated her report to note that, "Help
from both FEMA and the Red Cross is now pouring in."
Her report follows:
Hi everyone,
All of you might not know that American
Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS) is an organization
that operates under the National Academy of Sciences
(NAAS). AJAS is centered in the director's office (that's
me, Joan Messer) in a small college in south Mississippi.
I live about 90 miles north of Biloxi Mississippi, and
about 10 minutes out of Hattiesburg, MS, in the small
town of Sumrall, Mississippi (population 800 on parade
day!). The eye of the storm went straight over my house.
The hurricane has affected our organization.
Our website is safe, even though it parked on servers
about 100 miles from the coast. We have plenty of time
still to met registration deadlines. Abstract submission
will be starting late next week. Deadlines will be moved
this year from October 15th to October 31st. There is
a strong feeling among the board not to increase registration
fees, so plan on $225 again this year. That is not yet
an official position until a board meeting later on
this month. We will be sending out our newsletter and
details later on next week.
Now, let me tell you personally what
I have been doing for the last two weeks in the storm.
My two older children operate two small town assistant
living homes for the elderly. They had 50 elderly
residents with no power and water for the first week.
Thanks to good planning those residents did not
go one day without air conditioning or hot meals. The
one home without water had more than adequate backup
water supplies. Every nursing care facility, including
the hospitals, in our area lost patients. All was
well with everyone of our residents as the six of us lived
in a small camper onsite, and devoted ourselves 24-7
to get the needed supplies.
After utilities to the assistant living
homes were restored, I moved over to volunteering for
the town of Sumrall to make sure the donations went
to needy families. ALL donations that we have received
(as of this morning) have been private donations, churches,
or people that are from our town or are acquainted with
our town. This "storehouse" has received no
supplies or donations from FEMA or any agency. I know
personally the frustration that is expressed on the
news about the supplies not coming through. During the
gas crises (that is over with now, thank God) I went
30 miles to our county seat to beg FEMA supplies for
our people. The FEMA lady refused to give me anything
without a phone call from our police chief or fire chief.
I replied that I had a letter of support from the mayor
and the phone lines were down, but we were very curtly
dismissed.
From private supplies, myself and a
friend Pam Graves opened a "soup kitchen" that has been
feeding up to 100 rescue and utility workers, and locals
who are limited in resources. Many of these local people
have minimum skilled jobs and have not worked since
the storm. Our local "storehouse" has handed out diapers,
etc. to these people. I don't know of anyone that
has received the assistance spoken of on the news. In
fact, the only assistance my niece Cherry has received
is the diapers I gave her from our town storehouse.
My niece, Cherry, lost everything in
her home on the coast, not from the wind but the 9 feet
of water in her home located 2 miles from the beach. Cherry
has two small children. Her husband is military, so
he is lucky as he still has his job. An instructor in
our building had an elderly mother and disabled brother that
only has a hull of a house left. I just want you
to have names and stories to put with the pictures you
see on TV. Another close elderly relative hung to
the rafters for ten hours in the flood unable to help
the crippled friend who drowned below.
My home has had water the whole time.
Power was restored two days ago. We are just now seeing
the terrible news that all of you had been seeing everyday.
Last night my two sister and my niece were lined up
across my bed surfing the news channels in pure shock.
I wished you could have seen us.
I am thankful for your prayers, emails,
and messages. I will answer as I get time. I will
leave you all with this: I have never had soooooo much FUN
in my life. I have spent the last two weeks helping
my community, beloved elderly residents, relatives,
friends and many strangers. I have seen the much MUCH
of the finest in people and just a little bit of
the worst. At the end of the day, we can all say,
America is a great country.
Joan Messer, Ph.D., Director, American
Junior Academy of Sciences (AJAS)
Forrest M. Mims III 
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