Decade after Katrina: Behind bright facade, Mississippi coast still battles demons
US News
Decade after Katrina: Behind bright facade, Mississippi coast still battles demons
Ten years ago this week, the eye of Hurricane Katrina ripped through small Mississippi towns like Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis, which face each other across a small bay 60 miles (97 km) east of New Orleans. The storm, the costliest disaster of its kind in U.S. history, caused some of the worst damage in the region here, leaving few buildings standing, killing dozens and forcing thousands to flee. The appearance now is one of impressive regeneration, thanks in part to government grants that helped these towns and others nearby recover more quickly than some urban areas of New Orleans. Schools, churches and city buildings have been rebuilt and many residents have returned. Some areas are better than before the storm, locals say.
Getting back to normalcy can be challenging. Things can be tight, but we are very much on schedule.
Bay St. Louis Mayor Les Fillingame.
But behind the fresh white paint of the city buildings and the growing optimism, there are signs of persistent difficulties for these picturesque towns, which can no longer rely on government grants. Deterred by insurance fees, businesses that once lined the Mississippi coast have moved inland. Summer weekend tourism is yet to fully recover, local officials said, and this has cost coastal towns much-needed revenue. While populations have swollen in the last 10 years, thousands of residents who left before the storm never came back. The whole region is littered with memories of what happened 10 years ago, and the possessions and the people that were lost.
The challenges will remain for the rest of our lives. It will never be easy street again
Leo McDermott, mayor of Pass Christian.
