Katrina Lessons Learned Help with Gustav

Gulfport, Mississippi -- August 29, 2008, marked the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina came ashore in Hancock County on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and not in New Orleans.

The impact of Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was devastating.

The Counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson are the three southern coastal counties in Mississippi that were hardest hit by Katrina three years ago. The Mississippi coast is still recovering and there are still thousands of people who have not been able to restore their lives as they existed before Katrina. My own home in Gulfport, Mississippi was flooded with over six feet of water during Katrina and had to be completely gutted and restored. I was lucky because I had flood insurance and never had to get involved in the wind versus water battle that so many unfortunate residents have had to endure in their battle with insurance companies. My office lost part of the roof but fortunately I was able to replace that in three weeks. The economy of Gulfport is still struggling to reach levels that existed before after Katrina.

Almost three years to the day that Katrina struck, Hurricane Gustav threatened the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts. The preparations for the storm by city, county, and state agencies were much more organized as a result of the Katrina experience.

Gustav did not hit Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast directly but we still experienced Hurricane force winds and nine to twelve foot tidal surges and flooding. The mandatory evacuations were declared much earlier and the exodus of the Gulf Coast residents was much smoother because of the lessons learned in Katrina.

My home did not get any water and in fact we never lost electricity. The office did suffer a power outage for a few hours but three was no other damage. The beach highway was covered in Harrison County from the storm surge and still is closed to traffic while crews clean up. Most residents have returned now 48 hours after the storm made landfall. Flooding was still an issue in low lying areas and some homes suffered flood damage.

Hancock County sustained more damage since it is on the western edge of the Mississippi - Louisiana State line and was closer to the hurricane landfall in Louisiana.

Tropical Storm Ike is forecast to possibly move into the Gulf next week as a hurricane and we may again be threatened in Gulfport, Mississippi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The good news is the lessons have not been forgotten since Katrina and the preparations will certainly help save lives and property if we are unfortunate enough to take a hit from Ike.