Stricken town gets old cop cars

By Lesley Rogers Barrett
lesley.rogers.barrett@indystar.com
As part of its adoption of hurricane-struck Long Beach, Miss., Carmel has donated eight police cars to the Gulf Coast community.
The department lost eight cars this month when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Long Beach police headquarters and other municipal buildings.
Carmel had eight recently retired cars to send as replacements.
Mike Fogarty, Carmel's police chief, said the eight cars are older, and each has about 90,000 miles on it. The city bought replacements this summer and planned to auction the old cars this fall.

"We're pleased to be in a position to donate them," Fogarty said. "The timing was right. I would rather see them go to this use."

Katrina left about 40 percent of Long Beach's 17,000 residents homeless, and Carmel is partnering resources with city departments, churches and service organizations to help.
The effort to help rebuild Long Beach has gained support from Carmel residents. St. Elizabeth Seaton adopted the Catholic Church in Long Beach, and Carmel's VFW Post No. 10003 sent a $500 donation to the Long Beach VFW Post No. 3937, which lost its roof and one wall in the storm.

Carmel Clay Public Library will send books to its Long Beach counterpart.
To open schools by Monday, Long Beach needs supplies for teachers and students, including paper, pens, pencil, glue, crayons and general cleaning supplies.

Volunteers will accept supplies until Thursday afternoon, when a semitrailer truck will deliver the goods. The truck is parked in front of City Hall, off Range Line Road, and is open for donations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.
Residents also can send tax-deductible donations by check to "City of Long Beach," with "Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund" on the memo line, to: City of Long Beach, Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund, P.O. Box 929, Long Beach, MS 39560.

Long Beach, about 80 miles from New Orleans, took a major hit from the storm. About 30 feet of water covered the city and destroyed most of its business district.
Long Beach Mayor William "Billy" Skellie Jr. thanked Carmel in an e-mail last week.
"Words cannot express the deep appreciation we feel toward those helping us here in Long Beach," Skellie wrote. "To know that individuals are willing to help our suffering citizens is an extremely humbling experience."

For more information about Carmel's efforts and to see photographs of Long Beach, go online to www.carmel.in.gov/ and click on the "Long Beach Katrina Relief" icon.
Call Star reporter Lesley Rogers Barrett at (317) 444-2613.