In Case Everyone's Forgotten…

…Mississippi was the state that got the direct hit from Hurricane Katrina, and Alabama didn't get off either. Since both have responsible Republi-canine govenors, they've sorta' dropped off the "help me" radar. Bearin' that in mind, here's an amazin' tale of whitewater raftin' in Mississippi --without the raft.

"Waveland, Mississippi: In shattered town, man and dog survive ride of a lifetime

"Brian Mollere looked Hurricane Katrina right in the eye, thumbed his nose and lived to tell the tale. The 50-year-old marine construction worker was one of several residents of the Mississippi beachfront town of Waveland to ignore evacuation warnings and survive.

"He did it by swimming off the roof of his home as it collapsed in the storm surge. He then rode a torrent of water over the tops of trees 1,000 feet inland before he managed to grab onto a house. And all the while he was holding onto his beloved pet Chihuahua, Rocky.

"The soon-to-be legendary story of Brian Mollere is perhaps the only bright spot for this once picturesque town of 6,737 residents in Hancock County on the Gulf Coast. The tree-lined community of family homes was completely destroyed by Katrina, which sent monstrous waves crashing ashore, obliterating everything from beachfront mansions to City Hall…

"Holding Rocky with one hand, he maneuvered past debris and the tops of trees, losing a shoe and his shorts in the process. "I'd climb in, out and around trees. I was going over power lines and got tangled in some power lines once," he said. "I was really afraid of getting electrocuted."

"The flow took him over the railroad tracks. At one point he heard someone shouting and looked up to see people waving from a rooftop. "I just kind of smiled and waved and pointed to indicate that I was going thisaway," he said. "Finally I came to a big yellow house and grabbed onto the side and pulled myself up the back steps." To his shock, a family opened the door, fed him and clothed him.

"The first thing I said to them was, 'Can I get some water for my dog?' " he said. "Then I just collapsed in their house."

"Mollere's mother, Jane Mollere, 80, died in the hurricane. She had evacuated Waveland and went to stay with relatives in an inland town. But their house was flooded, and she couldn't swim to safety."

posted by Harrison at 7:30 AM