NATCHEZ &8212; A new Gulfport resident, Carter Burns found shelter from Katrina to be a little more than a cot and some MREs.

His boss, a chief magistrate judge, packed up and moved the operation to Natchez, which for Burns, wasn&8217;t a temporary refuge; it was home.

&8220;I was just really lucky that I did have somewhere to go,&8221; the Trinity graduate said. &8220;I could pick my life up and move it.&8221;

So Burns and Judge John Roper are borrowing space from Natchez-based Judge David Bramlette near the courthouse, indefinitely.

Roper is staying in rental house, and Burns, 25, is living with mom and dad, Diane and Peter Burns Jr.

Burns, a May graduate of Ole Miss Law School, is working on a one-year clerkship with Roper. He&8217;d started his job and moved in to a Gulfport apartment three months before Katrina hit.

&8220;Most of the judges lost their houses,&8221; he said. &8220;The courthouse is damaged. Some (judges and clerks) have gone to Hattiesburg, Jackson, Mobile.

&8220;It was just convenient for me that it worked out this way.&8221;

Roper and staff were able to save all their files and office information and pick up cases pretty much where they left off, Burns said.

As a clerk, his job means doing a lot of research, writing opinions and helping out with any cases. Burns has been working from the Natchez office for about a week, and all of Roper&8217;s staff travels to a Hattiesburg office frequently.

Some estimates have the Gulfport office reopening in February or March.

&8220;I don&8217;t know if we&8217;ll go back at that point and time or if people have anywhere to live,&8221; Burns said. &8220;I really don&8217;t know what we&8217;ll do when that time comes.&8221;

But in the meantime, Burns is going to enjoy Natchez full time for the first time in seven years.

&8220;It was very unexpected (to be home),&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s nice to be back and spend time with friends and family and be around for things like balloon race.&8221;

The roof was ripped off his Gulfport apartment, but all of his belongings were salvageable, he said.

&8220;It&8217;s all pretty much crammed into my (parent&8217;s) living room now,&8221; he said.

Burns passed the bar exam in July. He hasn&8217;t made a decision on the next step after his clerkship is over, but he said he anticipates staying in Mississippi.

&8220;I always though about coming back to Natchez,&8221; he said. &8220;I just didn&8217;t know it would be so soon.&8221;