He said some of his people have stopped by with everything they have left loaded in the car trunk to say goodbye.

"We won't be a ward. We'll be a branch," he said. His ward members are leaving daily.

Some will eventually return, he believes.

Bishop Jay Taylor of Pascagoula, Miss., said the ocean surge washed over substantial, well-built homes, leaving them standing with an appearance of solidity, but with buckled walls. Whole neighborhoods will be have to be rebuilt, and residents are leaving.

"We lost several families — they are all relocating," he said, as he helped neighbors with commodities that were stacked up in his meetinghouse. Three families stopped by in one afternoon to say farewell forever, he said.

In their wake, however, others who were non-participants for many years are returning.

While those who lived close to the ocean are leaving, those who lived farther inland beyond the ocean's surge are already cleaning up. Life for them is gradually returning to normal.

"The majority will stay," said Bishop David Collins of the Covington LDS Ward, which took heavy winds that toppled thousands of trees but which lies beyond the reach of the ocean.

Whether the out-migration is permanent remains to be seen. The 80-foot pines and broad, mossy oaks that spread an enchanting canopy over this region, the spell of Cajun culture and sultry winters may draw others to replace those who have left or are leaving.

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E-mail: jhart@desnews.com