Visiting the Gulf Coast
The day after the Mardi Gras Marathon, we drove from New Orleans up I-10 toward Bay St. Louis. We drove into town and saw where the Highway 90 bridge had washed out. A ferry had been brought in to help commuters get to Pass Christian. We drove through wooded areas, and then realized they had previously been residential areas. All that was left were the concrete slabs where the houses once stood. Some properties had small travel trailers. The highway was open, but the bridges were out. There were places along the shore where the pavement had literally been washed away, and all that remained was sand.
As we got closer to Gulfport, we saw devastated commercial buildings and a huge apartment complex that had been stripped of exterior walls. It leaned precariously, waiting for a strong wind to knock it down. It was hard to believe it had been leaning like that for 18 months. Steel framed structures were stripped down to bare metal. After Katrina hit, the damage extended from the coastline to I-10. The restoration is pretty much complete along the freeway, and slowly moving toward the coast. Gambling and tourism are important sources of revenue in the area, so a lot of effort has been put into bringing the casinos back. Several were open, with tour buses lined up in their parking lots.
The difference between the damage in New Orleans and Mississippi is stark. In New Orleans you see what happens when large urban areas are submerged under 8 - 12 feet of water. In Mississippi, the areas that were damaged were suburban or resort areas, and the damage was the result of hurricane force winds and the storm surge. In either case, the result is devastating. I have the greatest admiration and respect for the people who are rebuilding their homes and their lives, whether it is in New Orleans, Mississippi, or a new location.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
[...] 2007 was an incredible year in many aspects. We welcomed the birth of our first grandchild. We traveled to New Orleans, Mississippi, California, Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma. We saw the devastated Gulf Coast region, ran from aliens under the full moon near Area 51, ran with buffalo in Oklahoma and ran with 7,269 people dressed as Santa Claus in Las Vegas. We spent time with friends and family. I ran more in 2007 than I have ever run before, with a total of over 1,600 miles. The consistent running did great things for my endurance and speed, but there were also several injuries, resulting in time off. I set new PRs for the 5K (27:17) and the half marathon (2:14:35). I participated in a ridiculous number of Nike+ challenges, and was invited to Portland to attend the Nike+ super user summit. [...]