Biloxi

February 24, 2008

We attended services at Christus Victor Lutheran Church. There we were able to meet and talk to many locals who had experienced the disaster first hand. Many poignant stories were shared in private conversations. So much hardship has been endured here in the last 30 months. Yet there is acceptance and resolve. The service was upbeat and joyous and even though the work of attending volunteers was mentioned, the storm was not.

I want to share one story. One of the members of the church is a physician (we did not meet him or his family). 3 ½ years ago they were able to purchase a historic stately home on the bay. The family had it renovated then moved in. Katrina hit 3 months later. The first picture indicates what they have today.

After church Barb and I drove the bridge to Biloxi which just opened 2 months ago. The former bridge went down in the storm. They closed schools and conducted community celebrations on its opening. It still is not done but this vital link is so important to this community, traffic flows over it during the final stages of construction. On the advice of a couple of the church members, we parked the car and rode through the beachfront and surrounding neighborhoods. What stands is a stark dichotomy.

The 11 new casino resorts stand tall and resilient. The former ones were on barges and boats and were destroyed in the storm. Mississippi allowed the casinos to build anew on the land and greatly aided in their construction. As one of the poorest states, MS is dependent on the casino revenue and jobs. Reconstruction of this industry was given priority. Traffic was backed up at mid day on Sunday along the strip. The industry appears healthy. Music blared from the Hard Rock Casino and Resort as limos were lined up at the door. In close proximity to the resorts lay empty lots and fields. The lots, at one time, held small businesses. Three years ago there were 11 restaurants along the strip. Today there are 5. The empty fields pre-storm held homes. Antebellum mansions at one time graced this area. 80% were completely destroyed. You can still see broken concrete driveways, foundations and, often, mailboxes. Some have the famous FEMA trailers on them. There is little else, however.

Barb and Marvin greeted each other as we rode by his home on our bikes. Marvin carried on a lengthy conversation with us regarding the last 3 years here. He owned many rental homes (he now lives in one) and is still heavily involved in real estate here. He lived on the 2nd floor of a condo unit that stands empty across from the beach, looking out on the now peaceful bay. Marvin was in Boston when Katrina hit. “Given the information that the locals had, if you had been here in Biloxi, would you have stayed?" I asked. He did not hesitate, “Yes, I probably would have stayed. I have a lot of property and I would worry about looters if I left. Also, I lived on the second floor. But in retrospect, I am glad I was out of town. If anything as big as Katrina shows up again, I don’t think anyone will stay. It was much more damaging than any other storm experience in recent times. We just had no idea.” In talking to other locals, they were aware of the danger but many had grown accustom to riding out the storm to protect their personal belongings.

As we rode our bikes back to the car, we passed another encampment of volunteers near the Biloxi town center. Canvas tents, trailers, and portable living units were arranged in a tight community formation in an area where all structures had been washed away by the storm surge 2 ½ years ago.

2nd picture: neighborhood washed away
3rd: Marvin and Barb near neighbor's FEMA trailer
4th: Katrina Memorial. Storm surge was as high as the wall at this site.