Gulfport hadn’t had as much damage from a hurricane in a hundred years. We’d seen images of what happened to other towns, but somehow didn’t think it would happen here. The city is still recovering—the Casino, the marina, the beach—as are many residents who are still not in their homes or living in unfinished rooms. About a quarter of the city was directly affected.Please join us to hear April Lott, President and CEO of Directions for Living, talk about her experience (she flooded) and the emotional, traumatic effect of this storm on those immediately affected and on first responders, debris collectors, volunteers, friends, and neighbors. I heard her talk at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Resilience Seminar and it was an amazing description of how I felt. I’m sure you will appreciate her insights.
Afterwards, we would like those who were directly affected to partner with someone who was not, to tell your story. We will record all those who are willing, to make an archive for the Gulfport History Museum (sort of like StoryCorps on NPR). This will allow people who weren’t affected to hear directly from someone who was, to gain a better understanding of why so many residents are still suffering.
We will keep all this information at the History Museum and make a presentation to show at a later date so that we have a good record of one of the worst events in Gulfport’s history. Please join us.
For questions or more information, email April Thanos at [email protected].
Event Venue
Gulfport Public Library, 5501 28th Ave S, Gulfport, FL 33707-5555, United States
