Brett Favre's Story

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31, 2005, 12:13 p.m.
Audio: Favre talks about Katrina and his family
Brett Favre, in a news conference in Green Bay this morning, talked about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family in Mississippi.
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Favre Family Update

August 31, 2005

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre spent most of Monday and Tuesday nervously waiting to hear from family members in his hometown of Kiln, Miss., in the heart of the Gulf Coast area devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

The Packers said Favre finally spoke to his mother, Bonita Favre, late Tuesday afternoon when she was able to reach him with the help of a Houston television station, which was in the area covering hurricane damage.

According to the team, Favre said his mother reported spending Monday night in the family attic, along with his grandmother, after the entire house filled up with water within a matter of 5-10 minutes, much like a tsunami.

On Tuesday, the water receded enough that she was able to leave the family home and go to his brother Jeff's nearby house, which is slightly higher and away from the water.

Bonita Favre told Brett that Hurricane Camille, which the family experienced in 1969, didn't even compare to this one and the damage it has caused.

She indicated the family home is destroyed and probably will have to be bulldozed, but the good news is that everyone in the family appears to be fine.

Bonita, Jeff and another brother, Scott, had decided against evacuating and instead gathered at Favre's childhood home in Hancock County, one of the counties hit hardest by the hurricane. Favre said his grandmother, aunt and other family members also were there.

Favre said earlier Tuesday that he spoke to his wife, Deanna, Monday night and again Tuesday morning. He said she and their two children, 16-year-old Brittany and 6-year-old Breleigh, are safe at Favre's home in Hattiesburg, 60 miles north of Kiln, although their property had extensive damage.

Favre's mother was seven months pregnant with him when Hurricane Camille, which killed 256 people in Louisiana and Mississippi in 1969, struck the area.

"I've seen pictures," Favre said. "The damage was unbelievable."

Favre said the fact his family waited out Camille likely factored into their decision not to evacuate this time. Favre said 50 or so family members and friends drove north to his Hattiesburg home, but his mother and brothers declined.

Kiln "is far enough inland that (you would think) there's no way a tidal surge would ever come that far," Favre said.

Favre admitted he was "kind of going through the motions" in practice Tuesday while waiting to hear from family members and said he plans to go home to Mississippi following Thursday night's preseason finale at Tennessee.

He said he could get permission from coach Mike Sherman to skip the game altogether and fly there immediately, but his wife told him there's no point because the area is unreachable.

The hurricane is the latest in a string of personal tragedies and misfortunes that have hit Favre over the past 20 months.

In December 2003, his father Irvin died of a heart attack. Last October, his brother-in-law was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Favre's property. And a few days after her brother's death, Deanna was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I've found myself over the last 24 hours a couple times saying, 'Why me?' Or, 'Why of all places ..."' Favre admitted. "As quickly as that thought pops in my head - and it probably pops in my head more than I'd like it to - I try to remind myself of the things to be thankful for, which there are a lot."



In his news conference today, Favre described the total devastation in Mississippi.

He talked about how powerless he felt and expressed his anguish over whether to go home immediately or stay in Green Bay. He said he slept for two hours last night. When he did sleep, he had nightmares about what to do.
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Quarterback Brett Favre says his own home is being used as a refuge for about 50 people in Hattiesburg, Miss.

"Deanna said yesterday (Tuesday), 'We have no food. We had a loaf of bread left yesterday.' You think, you have money... people know who you are, at times like this it doesn't matter. You can't go to the store and say, 'I have first dibs on peanut butter n' jelly.' There is no store," Favre said.

Farve said this is the worst damage Hattiesburg has probably ever had.

The Packers star finally spoke to his mother, Bonita, briefly late Tuesday afternoon. She, Favre's grandmother and brothers appear to be fine, but Favre said Wednesday that his mother still hadn't heard from some aunts and cousins who lived nearby.

Favre knew earlier Tuesday that his wife and daughters were fine, but he had not yet been able to get in touch with his mother.

Hurricane Katrina roared through Favre's family's hometown of Kiln, Miss., just eight miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

Favre's mother reported spending Monday night in the family attic, along with his grandmother, after the house filled up with water.

Bonita Favre said that Hurricane Camille, which the family experienced in 1969, didn't even compare to this one. She told Brett that the family home was "destroyed," and will probably have to be bulldozed.

The quarterback said he only slept two hours Tuesday night and had nightmares.

Favre said he would like to go home, but he can't get there.

"I can't get in. I can't fly in. there's no airport. There's no one there to man it. There's no gas," Favre said. "Am I getting in the way? Would I actually be eating one more sandwich the kids could have shared? This sounds crazy. Is it more in the way than it is help?"

"Deanna yesterday (Tuesday) said the kids were starving . There's no food. You can't go to McDonalds. There's no power. When they will get power -- they're saying two months. If you're first in line it may be at the end of the week. If you're last in line, it may be two months, maybe three," Favre said.

Favre said the things people need the most include food, water, ice and generators.

"It's only going to get worse," he said. "Rebuilding is going to take help from everywhere."
Favre pointed out that his celebrity status means nothing in a situation like this. He said he can't go to the store and ask for special treatment because there is no store.

He spoke of all the hardships that his family members are facing, and pointed out that their experiences are just those of one family. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands.

Mainly, Favre told his story in order to urge people to donate what they can to help out.