Katrina update: elderly are forgotten

May 24, 2007

In the almost 21 months sinceKatrina, south Mississippi has gone from being a retirement mecca to acommunity that’s struggling to meet the needs of its seniors. The threecoastal counties lost hundreds of affordable places for seniors tolive. And more will close in the coming months. Thoseclosings rattled a few nerves inside the Lyman Senior Center on CountyFarm Road. That’s where a tired and sometimes overwhelmed BeverlyTroth cut squares for a new quilt. “It’s been an adjustment,”the 65-year-old said, referring to the lifestyle change she’s enduredsince Hurricane Katrina came ashore. “There’s a lot of depressiontrying to start over when you have nothing to start over with.” Justwhen Troth thought she could enjoy the golden years of her life,Hurricane Katrina cut apart her Orange Grove home. Since then, she’sseriously thought about leaving the community. “Yes I have,”she admitted. “And you know I thought I can’t go through this anymore.Somebody should be looking after me instead of me trying to get my lifestarted, because I’m at the age now where I should be kicked back inretirement really enjoying myself and life.” Katrina dealt a terrible blow to so many people on fixed incomes. Ginny Bair is 61-years-old. “Wejust don’t have anything anymore. We don’t have us anymore,” Bairthought. “I’ve lost my freedom. I’ve lost my independence. My abilityto just be me. And so many of my friends have, too.”

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