VIDALIA — Vidalia resident Julian Reese understands the possible damage that could occur to his house if the levee in Vidalia was to break.

“I would probably lose everything,” he said.

Even with this knowledge, Reese and his dog Henry remain at their Vidalia residence hoping for the best.

“Every day when I wake up I make sure to remember to say a special prayer,” he said.

While Reese may still be in Vidalia, some residents have already decided to pack up and head out of town, hoping to avoid a disaster.

“I understand wanting to be prepared,” Reese said. “But until the mayor or the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) says evacuation is necessary, I’m staying put.”

Reese said he has full confidence in the Corps and Vidalia’s elected officials, and from the reports he has heard, there has been no reason to leave just yet.

“I know all these rumors going around town are probably making people nervous, but that’s just hearsay,” he said. “If someone tells you the levee has broken and you haven’t heard anything official and there isn’t a wall of water behind you, it’s probably not true.”

Vidalia resident Bonnie Laughlin said she has heard just about every rumor going around town, and she is tired of “backyard gossip” taking over the minds of the city.

“At a certain point you just have to laugh when you hear some of them,” she said.

Like Reese, Laughlin said she is staying put until she knows something bad is going to happen.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have all my important documents and valuables ready to go,” she said. “But I’m not moving half of my stuff out until I am told too.”

Laughlin said she believes the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is what has many people leaving early, and questioning the strength of the levees.

“After Katrina, who wouldn’t worry about levees holding up,” she said. “But you have to realize that just as much as we remember what happened, so did the Corps, and they have been working to improve levees ever since.”

Vidalia resident Frank Webster is also keeping his belongings in Vidalia, and said he knows if there is a disaster he will have plenty of time to get out.

“I mean all you have to do is follow the facts you are getting,” he said. “We don’t have to leave officially until level 4 on the evacuation scale, and we are just on level 2.”

Vidalia’s fast response time protecting the riverfront also has Webster confident that things will work out for the best.

“If the city is out there working that hard trying to protect everything, don’t you think they will know if or when something big is about to happen,” he said. “They are trying to save as much as they can, and they will be here as long as they can without being in danger.”

Webster said he will spend a few minutes each day packing up his important documents, but other than that he will continue to sit on his porch and wait for more news.