User:FuriousFreddy/Hardy Jackson


 * For information about the Alabama historian, please see Harvey Jackson III.

Hardy Jackson is a resident of Biloxi, Mississippi who lost his wife of 29 years, Tonette Jackson, during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

His story was widely reported both nationally and internationally after television news stations began broadcasting the short interview with him by Jennifer Mayerle, a local TV reporter for WKRG. Hardy's story elicited an outpouring of emotion and his story was widely recorded in blogs, newspaper articles and TV reports all over the world.

Before the interview with Hardy, Mayerle was coming to the end of her news report from Biloxi, Mississippi. She had been describing the destruction in the town caused by Hurricane Katrina when she encountered Hardy and his family. Hardy described how his whole house split in two during the hurricane. He was holding onto his wife in the raging floodwaters before she said "You can't hold me, take care of the kids," and slipped away.

The first update was on Thurdsay 1st September 2005. In the new report there is news that the body of his wife, Tonette Jackson, has been found and is in Gulfport, Mississippi. Hardy was going to walk but WKRG offered to take him there. Another update was broadcast the following morning. WKRG were going to take Hardy to see the body of his wife at the makeshift morgue in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was then told that it probably wasn't there but more likely to be elsewhere in Biloxi. He found a photograph of her in the remains of what is left of their house. He was shown walking around the ruins repeatedly saying, "I tried, why'd you let go?"

Mayerle showed him some of messages that had been received from people wanting to know about him, his wife and family and how he was coping. "There's still good people in the world. Thank you", he said. Hardy is slowly coming to terms with the loss of his wife. His sister living nearby and a neighbour who helped him on the night the hurricane struck are both still alive. He plans to do as his wife asked when they were last together by looking after the kids.