Update on Hardy Jackson and his wife Tonette out of MS from tragic video!

peacebaby3

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Wed Aug-31-05 08:31 PM
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Update on Hardy Jackson and his wife Tonette out of MS from tragic video!

Edited on Wed Aug-31-05 08:42 PM by peacebaby3

The reporter that talked to Hardy Jackson right after his wife was swept away by Katrina just did a report on the news here. Apparently she was from one of our stations here in Mobile, AL. Hardy and his family lived in Biloxi, MS not far from us.

The reporter's name is Jennifer Mayerlee and she said she had received tons of phone calls and e-mails from all around the world. She said that she had heard from Hardy's family in Atlanta, GA and Miami, FL. One couple from Minnesota called to say that Hardy and his children could come live and work on their horse ranch.

The reporter went back to try to find Hardy. He had just walked up and they had no idea where he lived so they went back to the neighborhood and found someone that knew him. They were led to what used to be his house. Nothing left now, but they found papers on the ground with his name and a left over reward card from a casino in a destroyed minivan in the yard with his name on it. They then found his sister and she said he had been there, but had left to try to walk to the designated morgue in Gulfport to find his wife's body, but couldn't make it because of his leg injury from several years earlier. His sister said he had gone to the local police who told him he would have to contact the designated morgue. He had heard they had found Tonette's body the next morning in their front yard.
They also interviewed one of his neighbors a couple of houses down who had survived. He said that Tonette had died. They had also lost Mr. Lacey an older man who lived next door, and a 23-year-old guy named Jason. He said Jason's body was still laying out there because there was nobody to come and pick it up. He said that a Vietnamese family that lived right across were missing as well. He didn't know how many others they had lost in the neighborhood. All of those were just on his block. He said he had spoken with Hardy that morning and they had given him a shirt, a pair of shoes, a cigarette and a blanket. They said it was all they had to give him because they had lost everything also. His neighbor said he was really disoriented and not doing too well. He told him he was trying to get to Gulfport to identify his wife's body. He talked about Tonette as well. Said she was a good person and a hard worker. She worked at a local plant and walked to work everyday.

The reporter left her number with Hardy's sister and ask him to get in touch with her if he possibly could. She said she had just talked to him 30 mins. earlier and he seemed to be just as distraught, but thankful for the outreach. They are supposed to go meet him tomorrow and take him to Gulfport and figure out a way to get him things he needs.

I hope they will post a video of the entire report on their website later.

I apologize if I have left anything out. I am just reporting this from memory of the newscast. The interview with the neighbor, Ronnie, was absolutely heartbreaking as well.

Here is their site in case they post more info:

<http://www.wkrg.com>

Edit: for stupid typos