BILOXI, Miss. -
But for the members and employees of the Gulf Coast's credit unions, as with all residents, the suffering, destruction and ongoing frustration of dealing with Katrina remain very much a part of their lives. "Normal as we knew it will never return; normal ceased to exist," said Charles Elliott, president of the Mississippi Credit Union Association.
The effects of tragedy on the human psyche fail to fit into tidy packages; they vary from person to person and echo long into the future. Many become understandably depressed; they withdraw from life and give up. Others grit their teeth and start to put their lives back together. This is one account of a young mother who followed the latter course with courage and determination. Elizabeth Kommersmith, her husband Mike, and two small children lost everything to Katrina - their best friend, home, possessions and a cat. It is also a story of the triumph of the human spirit in spite of unending losses and heartache.
Scriming To Save, Then Fleeing
Elizabeth and Mike moved from Akron, Ohio to Biloxi, Mississippi in 1997. Mike took a job with CableOne Advertising and Elizabeth started working as a teller with Keesler Federal Credit Union, the state's largest CU. After about 18 months, she was promoted to auditor and worked in that position for the next five years. In 2005, she started working in the information technology department at the credit union.
The Kommersmiths scrimped to buy a house on what they had been told was high ground outside a flood zone. As a result, they carried no flood insurance. As Katrina approached the coast, they abandoned plans to flee the storm as traffic jams formed and gas stations reported running out of fuel. With Kommersmith family, including a new baby, was forced to ride out the storm at Elizabeth's mother's house, a block from their own. From there, they could watch as the storm brought a muddy stew of debris floating down the street, with the water coming to the doorstep of her mother's home.
Their own home fare as well. The Kommersmiths were not alone. Of the of 350 employees of Keesler FCU, 100 lost their homes or their dwellings soon became inhabitable. In the 18 months that have followed, Gulf Coast residents such as the Kommersmiths have had to deal with the disaster after the disaster, wading out of the mud and into government red tape, insurance company run-arounds, emotional distress and even watching their own homes being looted by neighbors.
For a look at what life has been like and the challenges that have been faced after the storm and over the past 18 months by CU employees such as Elizabeth Kommersmith, who is deeply grateful to the credit union community for its support, visit www.cujournal.com.
