Wrecking house

One of the more interesting jobs here is 'interiors'. Much of the damage to housing was caused not by wind, but by the 14-foot storm surge and flodding. So, most of the houses have to be completely gutted--stripped down the to the studs and beams. After that, there are specific steps you have to take to remove and seal the mold. You can see where the water levels have reached in the houses, because below that line is almost always covered in mold.

Here's another picture of the interior of a house, and more of  the demolition.

Walking the dog

As most people already know, a fair amount of media coverage centered around the pets that were left behind or abandoned after the storm.  It was no different in Biloxi when I went to spend the day walking the dogs at the Mississippi Humane Society of South Mississippi.  Originally employing 30+ staff members, their numbers had been reduced to about 10, with many of those remaining having lost their homes as well.  The shelter was heavily damaged during the storm and, as expected, was overcrowded with stray and abandoned dogs.  Remarkably, the animals were in pretty good spirits as we gave them a 15 minute walk on what used to be a golf course near airport.  It was sad, of course, to have to put each of them back behind the cage, but at least they were getting out twice a day.