Disaster and Recovery of the Missippi Gulf Coast

A resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast gives her thoughts on the destruction of Katrina. Nature and government at their worst...people at their best.

(PRWEB) November 5, 2005 -- Can the Mississippi Gulf Coast Recover from Hurricane Katrina?

For weeks the world was captivated by photos of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The levee breaks following Katrina cause the media to concentrate on that city as the primary example of the hurricane’s damage.

Although the situation in New Orleans was indeed critical, few realized that the worst damage from Hurricane Katrina actually occurred along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Entire towns were totally destroyed. The Eastern eyewall, the most devastating area of any hurricane, raged onto the Mississippi Coast. The Barrier Islands just offshore did
not have any weakening effect on Katrina’s winds. Instead, they were quickly submerged by the 28+ foot storm surge.

In just a few hours, one third of the homes in the three Coastal Counties of Mississippi were reduced to rubble and filled with water. Many of these homes were not listed as being in any form of flood plain.

Evacuated residents did not realize the extent of this disaster until they returned to their homes. Many found their homes simply no longer existed – all that was left was a slab.

In the weeks following Katrina, the total extent of the devastation of the Mississippi Gulf Coast became more and more evident. In one day, 50,000 jobs were lost. It will be years before some of the major businesses are rebuilt.

Eight weeks following Katrina, families are still living in tents and waiting for FEMA trailers. Available jobs are minimum wage and often filled with immigrant workers who have flocked to the area.

On www.1disaster-recovery.com , you will have an insider’s view of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as well as links to photos taken inside hurricanes by the Hurricane Hunters.

The webmaster of the Hurricane Hunters and has lived on the Coast for 12 years. Her articles are based on the experiences of Mississippi citizens whose lives were interrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

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