There's a good reason why we are seeing nothing from Mississippi on TV or in the papers. It has a competent Republican governor who is taking charge and refusing to blame the President. And his people are suffering unnecessarily as a result; I'm afraid a lot of Americans simply assume that the situation isn't that bad in Mississippi because they aren't seeing it on TV and so are not responding with supplies and help.
I have two close friends in Gulfport who are still unaccounted for and I have no clue of how to even look for them or find out if their neighborhoods are still there. And I'm not getting jack squat from the national media because it's 24/7 about the animals in New Orleans and President Bush being a failure.
I hope and pray that your friends are found safe.