Occasionally there are times when we are reminded of what good news really is. Last week was one of those times for the Miss-Lou.

A week ago today, Hurricane Gustav blew through the Miss-Lou with hurricane force winds and torrential rains.

Trees toppled into houses and onto roads creating chaos for all of Southwest Mississippi.

As the sun set Sept. 1, it didn’t take long for Gustav to plunge the entire area into complete darkness.

With the five main transmission power lines feeding the county cut, residents scrambled for flashlights, chain saws and gas cans.

Good news was far from the thoughts of most residents.

Then something happened.

The sounds of chainsaws echoed through neighborhood streets as residents helped their neighbors rescue what they could from damaged homes.

Others started cooking meals, passing out water and ice and offered a helping hand to those in need.

Armed with the lessons from Hurricane Katrina, first responders kept city and county leaders well informed and prepared.

Power company crews covered the entire area, bringing back electricity one neighborhood at a time

Before, during and after the storm the residents of the Miss-Lou reached out to help each other in a moment of crisis.

In a week when little was normal, let us remember everyone who offered whatever they could to bring back a sense of normalcy to our daily lives.

That is the good news of last week and of the weeks to come.