The Monthly Newsletter for Web Professionals

Volume 7 Issue 09 - September 2005

A Survivor's Story

Jason Hebert is a WOW member. He and his wife survived Hurricane Katrina, but all his clients are gone. He is looking for Web development work. His story, which also can be found in the WOW Forum, http://www.webprofessionals.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=220&PN=1, is presented here in his own words:

Hurricane Katrina came through this area with a fury no one has seen before. The pictures you see on the news don't tell the whole story. It's only when you can step into the area and see first-hand the amount and type of destruction that occurred can you understand the impact to the area.

Myself and my family weathered the storm at my wife Sadie’s sisters house with the rest of our family that stayed in the area. This was the scariest event I've ever experienced. I saw the house we stayed in do things houses shouldn't be able to do. When it was all over, the house we stayed in suffered minor damage and we counted ourselves extremely lucky to be alive.

The day after the storm we made the attempt to gain entry to our own property and house. Upon reaching the entrance to our street, we realized that the flood waters had reached a level we hadn't seen before, leaving us unable to immediately gain entry to our property. We returned the next day and canoed down our street to our property. Our house, on stilts, luckily received no damage from flood waters; however, the wind and debris had ravaged the structure. Upon inspection of the house we cataloged damage to the roof, structure, broken windows, water damage from leaks, and mold and mildew was now everywhere. We were lucky that the house was still upright. It will be a very long road to repair, if at all possible, but we are lucky in that my family is safe and surviving.

We are still unsure about major surgery Sadie needs to have a tumor removed. We've gotten in touch with her doctor but the hospitals are not yet equipped to handle surgical needs outside of dire emergencies. Only time will tell how this will turn out. We are living at Sadie's sisters house at the moment and will remain there until we can find alternative housing or wear out our welcome.

Sadie has started back to work at the college where she runs the Web Development Technology program. Her program, as well as the entire student enrollment, has suffered as the result of the disaster. As far as my work is concerned, there is none. I work for myself as a Web Developer / IT Consultant. All of my clients are / were on the MS gulf coast in Gulfport, Long Beach, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland. All of their businesses were completely destroyed and 4 jobs that were in the planning stages have been cancelled. It will be a long time before the economy rebounds from this event.

My professional background is varied. I worked for Northrop Grumman Corporation Ship Systems Sector as a Senior Systems Analyst for two years before deciding to go into business for myself in March 2005. I now do Web development, software development, network administration and IT consulting in the Mississippi gulf coast area. I hold a number of Web design certifications, and work with Prosoft Learning to help certify others. I recently won the Gold medal in Web Design at the National SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City, Missouri.

Contact information
Jason P. Hebert
PO Box 636
22375 Riverline Road
Saucier, MS 39574
Temp – 228-539-3472
Home – 228-539-3012
Cell – 228-324-6955
Email – hebertj@irnerd.com