Why this dinghy deserves to be paraded through Biloxi Back Bay every Fourth of July

Editor's note: This story originally published in 2015.

Independence Day is a time for celebrations in backyards across the nation.

This year, former Biloxians Fred and Caroline Dunaway will again play host to a Fourth of July gathering in their old Kensington Drive neighborhood, tucked away in Back Bay.

And though the Dunaways' soiree will feature the traditional hot dogs, beer and potato salad, it is much more than a lively get-together. It's a way for the Dunaways and their neighbors and friends to celebrate life after Hurricane Katrina.

The Dunaways, who now live near Pensacola, Florida, will return today to the empty lot at 1264 Kensington Drive that once held their home, and join the neighborhood in its ongoing efforts to heal 10 years after they survived the deadly storm.

"The neighborhood gets together and we talk about (Katrina), which is good," Fred Dunaway said. "This (year) is a special, 10-year gathering. A lot of people who survived the storm participate in our party. So many people went through this."

Riding the storm out

The Dunaways recall the events of Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005. Katrina reached Category 4 intensity in the Gulf of Mexico about midnight, its sights set on the Mississippi Coast. Like so many other Coastians, the couple decided to batten the hatches and ride out the storm with their neighbors.

"Fred felt like if we stayed, he could fix a leak in the roof if there was a problem," Caroline said. "We had stayed here during Frederic, and my parents lived here during Camille.

"Later in the morning, we realized it was going to be worse than we had anticipated."

Forced to make it through the storm, Caroline said they realized several of their neighbors would need help to survive.

"We all took off in different directions to see who needed what," she said. "Our son, Hunter, was at our house. He lost his house during the storm, as well. I was glad he was with us."

A saving insight

In preparing for the storm, Fred Dunaway had the insight to pull their dinghy from the bay and tie it at the house across the street, which was made of concrete.

"Our home was 14 feet above mean high tide and the house across the street was 18 feet above mean high tide," Caroline said. "It was made of concrete; even the roof was concrete. We thought we would be safe in there even if a tree fell on it. But it didn't pan out that way."

The Dunaways' survival plan changed when the neighbor noticed his home wasn't keeping out the storm surge's onslaught. Fred knew their only chance was to use the dinghy.

"We had four people in it," he said. "We put an elderly couple in it, a man with one leg who could not swim and a Vietnamese lady. We hung on to that for a couple of hours and that's how we survived."

With the doors and windows blown out of the neighbor's house and water rising, Caroline was forced to stand in the rear entrance doorway and cling to the dinghy as water almost covered her head.

"The water was up to my neck before it started to recede," she said. "It was ugly, mucky, black water. The guys were out trying to figure what was the next plan for evacuation, and I held onto that dingy for about 2½ hours. "There were seven of us altogether. The guy whose house we were in had a rolltop desk that kept bouncing into me. I was black and blue all over my body.

"You just have to do what you have to in those situations. Some Mardi Gras beads floated by and I put them on. There was a snake on a board by the dinghy. He was like all of us — trying to survive."

Independence play

The very dinghy that helped save the neighbors' lives has a prominent role in their annual Fourth of July celebration.

"We have a good time," Caroline said. "We still use the dinghy. On the Fourth of July, I take a single white sheet and wrap it around me and I make a crown out of a Budweiser carton and then make a flame torch and I carry the Bible and I stand in the dinghy."

Fred dons his military jacket and drives her in the dinghy around Back Bay. Reed Guice, a fellow resident, sings "God Bless America."

"We ride around the Back Bay and kids salute us and we sing 'God Bless America,'" Caroline said, fighting back tears. "I get emotional talking about it."

Beth Moffett, a close friend, praised the couple for their efforts to help the neighborhood to heal.

"We always look forward to their party," Moffett said. "It's a big deal and Caroline plays Lady Liberty and they have a flag-retirement ceremony where they burn old flags. They are such awesome people. They still come back to town every year to celebrate life and reflect with their neighbors."

Caroline said they plan to rebuild and return to Biloxi. She has written a poem about the dinghy, which she hopes to turn into a children's book one day.

When asked how she feels about things 10 years after Katrina, she replied simply, "We just all had to look out for each other."