Katrina Angels

Friday, 12 April
Buccaneer State Park — Waveland, Mississippi
Temps: Lo 48F / Hi 80F (9C / 27C)

She came ashore with a mighty roar; with nothing to compare that went before.
Katrina changed our lives forever with destruction, we’ll never forget.

Fr. Michael Tracey

So reads part of a plaque on the pedestal of the angel statue that stands on the grounds of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  The statue is dedicated to the many volunteers who poured into the area following Katrina to help as they might.

I’m not finished processing photos from today’s walk around Bay St. Louis, which, like so many towns in the region, has made a comeback after being devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.  So, a special post instead.

Katrina was no ordinary hurricane, and I can’t imagine there’s anyone around the world who hasn’t heard of it.  Leaving behind a toll of over 1,800 souls, it was one of the five deadliest hurricanes to strike in the history of the US.

My post is not about the hurricane, but rather about the angels carved from the trees that died as a result of the storm.  I found it especially poignant that living things that had died at the hands of Mother Nature — trees — were brought back to life as art.  At least three of them were carved by Dayle K. Lewis, chainsaw wood sculptor from Indiana.

The angels of DeMontluzin Street.                

One of these “angel trees” is located on Beach Boulevard, near DeMontluzin Street.   In researching it on the web, I came across several accounts that tell the story of three people who managed to survive Katrina by clinging to this old oak tree for several hours; one story mentions that a dog was amongst these survivors.  Another story mentions that the DeMontluzin family saved this tree over 100 years ago when the road was going through Bay St. Louis.  If true — and I see no reason why it wouldn’t be — that makes this Katrina survival story all the more special.

Angel Tree

I found a list of the Katrina Angel trees on the Mississippi Gulf Coast website.  The only one for which a snippet of information was provided is the one featured above.  If anyone knows of any special stories about the other trees, do share.

The next tree is located across the road from Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church on South Beach Boulevard; note the various critters included in this carving.

The final two trees are at the Cedar Rest Cemetery.

The one standing on the ground is in memory of several people, but there was no information to say whether these individuals lost their lives during (or because of) Katrina.

The third photo is the base of the tree that was carved as an angel soaring into the sky.

I have since learned that there are other carvings made from trees that died during the hurricane … specifically in Waveland.  Searching them out is going to have to wait until the next time we’re in the area.  In the meantime, I’ll go back and finish processing photos from today so I can post them before I get too far behind.