Local residents among passengers of stranded cruise ship

Currently, the ship, known as Triumph, is being towed back to a port in Mobile at about 8 miles per hour.

The ship's original port was in Galveston, Texas.

Reports from other news sources indicate conditions on the boat are deplorable with backed up sewage systems and flooding.

Enduring the conditions are Margaret Mayo, Elaine Aplin and two other friends who live near Galveston, Texas.

Mayo's husband Buck Mayo said he had a brief conversation with his wife before the fire, and since then has only been able to receive a text letting him know they were OK.

Since the text, Buck Mayo said he has no idea how his wife is doing.

He said Carnival calls daily with an automated message informing family that passengers are safe and the mileage they have left to port.

He said they also have a crisis line that family members can call at any time to speak with someone with Carnival Cruise Lines.

"Other than my tour in Vietnam, this is the longest we've been apart," Buck Mayo said of his wife of 47 years.

Friends, family and members of his church, Hillcrest Baptist Church, have been very supportive of Buck Mayo, during this time.

He said many have spent time with him or taken him out to dinner to ease his thoughts.

"I'm angry and upset by the lack of information," he said. "I'm just reading the horror stories on the Internet."

Buck Mayo said he would feel better if there was a way he could communicate with his wife and know she is OK.

"Not being able to talk to her is my biggest problem," he said.

Buck Mayo said he will travel to Mobile tomorrow to meet the ship, which is scheduled to arrive sometime in the afternoon.

For more on this story, including an interview with Margaret Mayo, see the Feb. 20, edition of The Southeast Sun.