In 2005, I deployed to the Gulf Coast as a FEMA volunteer in response to Hurricane Katrina.  

 

I recently returned home from a return visit to the Mississippi Gulf coast to meet with some of those living there who I worked with for six weeks after Katrina hit. It was my opportunity to see the progress being made and renew friendships. 

 

While on my return trip to Biloxi, I stayed at the Imperial Palace where I was billeted while working during the Katrina recovery efforts. In fact, this stay was on the exact same floor. But this time around, the room, instead of being sparse, was elegant and unlike after Katrina, there was hot water. As a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE), I was deployed just days after the storm hit to work in FEMA’s Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts. Nothing I had seen on TV or in the newspapers prepared me for the devastation and heartache I experienced when I arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi.

 

The storm’s fury and power first became evident as we crossed from Alabama into Mississippi on our drive from FEMA’s staging center in Atlanta. An I-10, four-lane bridge had been reduced to one lane in each direction due to storm damage. As we made our way into Biloxi, the size of the disaster became even more evident as we saw houses that had been destroyed by the storm surge, piles of debris, abandoned cars that had been flooded and numerous wind damaged roofs covered with blue tarpaulins.  

 

On this return trip I didn't know what to expect. After all, it has been five and a half years since Katrina, and in my opinion ample time to rebuild. I was disappointed.  

 

Although the casinos and hotels are up and running, it is not the same for the small businesses or residential areas. Because the casino barges were pushed inland by the storm surge and sustained so much damage, Mississippi's legislature changed the rules and allowed those casinos (built before the storm) to rebuild on dry land, as opposed to on the water.

 

And they built magnificent structures and are providing employment for the locals. Even the local woman I worked with during the recovery efforts now works at a casino. So, I'll give Mississippi credit where credit is due. The infrastructure has been repaired. The route 90 bridges from Biloxi to Ocean Springs and from Pass Christian to Bay St. Louis (that were destroyed) have been replaced by much larger and what appear to be superior structures. And Beach Blvd. itself is clear, completely repaired and open. 

 

Driving through the communities along the coast there was ample evidence of the personal cost of the storm. There are still many blue roofs on homes. And where those gorgeous antebellum mansions once stood along Beach Boulevard (route 90), there are now empty lots with ‘for sale’ signs. My co-worker says that a lot of people never returned after evacuating the area prior to the storm. And those that chose to return and rebuild are still working at it. Even at the ‘under construction’ homes, there are trailers on the property serving as the living quarters. I guess that the lack of insurance coverage has added considerable time to these efforts. Many of the churches damaged in the storm have moved inland and are now located north of interstate 10. The Biloxi synagogue, which sustained heavy damage, has relocated to Gulfport, also north of 10. The administrator says a third of the members have not returned to the area.

 

Further west in Bay St. Louis, the small businesses that make that community so unique are still trying to get back on their feet; still a lot of construction going on. An art studio owner who we helped after Katrina mentioned how good the progress had been, and by January 2010 the community felt it had turned the corner. Then came the BP oil spill and the spring and summer vacationers never arrived. She states that some businesses didn't survive. Luckily, The Mockingbird, the local coffee shop and restaurant which serves as the community meeting room, is up and running.

 

I was glad I made the trip. So much has been accomplished but it opened my eyes to how much more needs to be done.      

 

Carl