Pascagoula, Mississippi Mayor Matthew Avara marked the two-year anniversary of the events of Aug. 29, 2005 last week by thanking Pascagoulans for their resilience and noting that without help from sister cities like Los Gatos and several faith-based organizations, rebuilding Pascagoula would not have progressed as quickly.
An article by Brad Crocker in The Mississippi Press quoted the Los Gatos Observer's coverage of Pascagoula Day in Los Gatos, including Mayor Joe Pirzynski's comments about our adopted sister city.
"Hurricane Katrina devastated south Pascagoula and flooded nearly 95% of the city," according to Crocker. "There were 2,000 homes lost citywide and 6,000 others damaged. 30 businesses were lost and 1,000 damaged. The storm killed 1,600 people, 200 of them in Mississippi."
Frank Corder, chairman of several city commissions and volunteer boards, says that "help is still coming from the four corners of the globe," and one example is Los Gatos, "one of the first cities to adopt Pascagoula."
Pascagoula lost many street banners to the hurricane, and last month, 50 banners from around the country began flying on Main Street, including a Los Gatos street banner and banners from other cities such as Shelbyville, KY and Detroit, MI. More banners are on the way. Rebecca Davis, Pascagoula's Main Street Manager, told The Mississippi Press that "Los Gatos was one of the first cities to assist us after the storm. People from Los Gatos sill inquire if they can help in some way."
Support for Pascagoula was one of the reasons Los Gatos was recognized last December with the California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence.
Pascagoula is a town of 26,200 people (2000 census) at the eastern end of the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula metropolitan area. Unlike Los Gatos, it is an industrial city, containing one of the largest Chevron refineries in the country as well as Ingalls Shipbuilding, which is owned by Northrup-Grumman. The Navy and the Coast Guard have bases there, as well. The per capita income before Katrina was $16,891, with 20% of the population below the poverty line. Los Gatos per capita income was $56,094 for the same reporting period, with 4.3% below the poverty line.
St. Mary's Church has created an "ongoing faith relationship" with the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Pascagoula. Contact Terri Trotter at 354-4061 for more information.
Related Sites
Los Gatos Town-to-Town Katrina Consortium
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