 "Photo: Amber Whittaker")
SABINE PASS - Gigantic mosquitoes buzzed incessantly among the mounds of refuse that used to feather the human nests of this tiny coastal community.
Piles and piles of waterlogged wooden furniture, electronics and even a long-play record half stuck in mud were part of the sidewalks of this small town.
Down the block from a sports complex and next to a pile of rubble that used to be a neighbor's home, one house appeared to have no damage at all. Inside, however, the water had reached a height of 31 inches.
Karen Garrison said the columns of her front porch stopped a wooden roof about 18 feet wide and 20 feet long from crashing through her home.
Some columns were knocked out of place from three to six inches.
"If the columns would've not been there, the roof would've struck the home," Garrison said.
After the water receded, the roof was resting in Garrison's horseshoe driveway amid the plants and the flower bed.
"I wished I would've taken a picture," she said.
Sabine Pass suffered no loss of life, a fact the locals attribute to the evacuation of all but one resident thanks to the impact of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. "Katrina scared everyone," she said.
The Garrisons took in family members who lived about an hour south of New Orleans. After the storm, they accompanied their relatives to the city where they would be living with a son.
On their return, they learned of the approaching Hurricane Rita and hurried home to make preparations for their own evacuation.
They left town the Wednesday before the storm hit.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, Karen Garrison described the community as being cohesive, strong and one big family. She noted the people's bonding helps them to overcome obstacles to reconstruction.
Despite the flooding inside the house and the loss of belongings, Garrison said she is fortunate compared to other people in the community who lost everything.
Garrison and her husband, Sam, live in a trailer provided by FEMA right next to their home.
Outside the door of the trailer, the Garrisons burned candles to prevent mosquitoes from getting inside the trailer.
Sam Garrison said the trailer is well-equipped with a microwave oven, propane stove, small conventional oven, refrigerator and freezer, two bunk beds and two convertible beds, in addition to the trailer's bedroom.
Karen Garrison regrets one loss to the town - her grandparents' 106-year-old house.
"It's a shame to lose landmarks like that," Garrison said.
The Carey-Welch House was built in 1900 and bought by Louis and Fannie Welch, Garrison's grandparents, in 1919. The home, which was demolished Jan. 3, was owned by Florine Welch.
This Christmas was different but special for the Garrisons.
Despite the Garrisons wanting to be back in their home, the holiday turned out to be great because the Garrisons' daughter came for the holiday from Beaufort, S.C.
The family spent Christmas in Port Arthur celebrating with Karen Garrison's father.
"The four of us had a great Christmas," Karen Garrison said. "Being with the family made it special."
Another special moment was when Exxon Mobil through the Chamber of Commerce donated Christmas dinners and $50 gift cards to the community.
"I realized that there are many good people in the world," Sam Garrison said.
The Garrisons look forward to reconstructing their home by the middle of February.
When that special day comes, the Garrisons want to invite Sabine Pass United Methodist Church members and friends to have a blessing of the house followed by a reception.
"Not formal. We are not formal in Sabine Pass," Karen Garrison said.
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