http://sports.myway.com/news/08302005/v8869.html
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre spent most of the last two days 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, late Tuesday afternoon when she was able to reach him with the help of a Houston television station 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 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 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, decided against evacuating and instead gathered at Favre's childhood home in Hancock County, one of the areas 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.