January 21, 2025, will forever be known as an official Snow Day in Southern Mississippi after a record-breaking winter storm dumped seven inches of snow along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. The icy road conditions and snow accumulation resulted in a three-day shutdown of the VA Gulf Coast Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC) in Biloxi, Mississippi. 

Several BVA members rode out the “once-in-blue-moon storm” with nurses and staff who were identified as part of the emergency ride-out crew normally implemented for hurricanes, not snowstorms! BVA members were able to complete an Orientation and Mobility lesson in the snow, in addition to applying to real life the knowledge and training gained from their Living Skills instruction. Supervised and directed by BRC Chief Debra Gilley, the veterans even cooked up a hot breakfast for themselves and BRC staff!