SOME AMAZING STORIES FROM AREA LAW OFFICERS IN MISSISSIPPI

This morning's Lakeland Ledger continues to follow the crew of 26 Polk County sheriff's deputies, five Lakeland police officers, and two Polk County ALS crews now assisting their counterparts in Waveland, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I remember that Waveland, a small city in Hancock County west of the Biloxi/Gulfport area, was hit especially hard in 1969 when Hurricane Camille ravaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This time, the destruction was even worse.

It's police and fire stations were destroyed; the police chief and other officers riding out the storm in the police station ended up holding on to a tree and each other to survive after swimming out. The Waveland PD's cars are no longer operable, and only one of it's officers still has a place to call home.

The Polk County crew will return home later this week, being replaced with another local group including two police officers from Mulberry.