Lottie Romain now resides in Pass Christian's 'Tent City,' which Navy Seabees built for those who lost their homes. A Gulf Coast resident for 49 years, Romain said the heated tents are better than the shelter where she lived in North Gulfport, Miss.

Manuel Dedeaux Jr. helps clean up a property on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian. Homes along the waterfront were destroyed down to the foundation. Residents plan to rebuild houses and businesses, but have no idea how long it will take to restore the small city.

Miss Sally James looks out of her library, now in a trailer in a community park. Donated books and Internet access give the people of Pass Christian a place to get away from the devastation outside.

RIGHT: Holley Holmes, 4, looks for her mother, Ginger, as she draws on a chalkboard at the Pass Christian Child Development Center, now run out of a tent in 'Tent City' thanks to donations from Save the Children and other groups.

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A battered boat sits on a parcel in Pass Christian, Miss. Homes along 40 miles of Gulf Coast were destroyed by wind and waves.

Pass Christian, Miss., was largely obliterated by Hurricane Katrina; a new town is rising from the debris

Date published: 12/21/2005

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss.--B.K., or "Before Katrina," this sleepy former fishing port west of Biloxi was known as the Birthplace of Yachting in the South.

Some of the shrimp boats that ply the waters offshore are back, but there's hardly a yacht to be seen anywhere.

Gone are the stately and expensive old houses along the wrecked beach front; so are many of Pass Christian's municipal buildings.

The whitewash gazebo in the city's War Memorial Park that used to mark the spot for Christmas celebrations, jazz concerts and gatherings is no more. All that remains is a flat concrete slab.

But as the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes, Pass Christian--like so many small towns along the Gulf Coast and away from the media spotlight--is making a slow but steady comeback.

The main drag a few blocks up from the beach is a jagged landscape of toppled houses, and endless piles of debris and castoff personal belongings.

But the ball field across from the park, now known as "The Village," is another story. It's a tent city of hope and determination.

The police department tent sits next to one labeled "Municipal Court." Across the street is the library, which serves as both a meeting place, retreat and a place to catch up on the latest news about friends and neighbors.

The tent next door is Happy Ice, a former snow cone shop that has grown by necessity into a small grocery store. It's the only open business in sight and sells hot dogs, soft drinks, snacks, ice and beer.

Nearby is a hut housing the AmeriCorps relief agency. Behind that are row after row of mammoth green tents built by Navy Seabees to house displaced residents.

Two tents in the back are home to a makeshift day-care center.

Before Katrina, about 6,500 people called Pass Christian home. Now many of them are staying with friends and relatives out of the area--while they plan their next step.

Some who evacuated were passing through the library and Happy Ice on a recent afternoon.

Date published: 12/21/2005