Just rode down Biloxi Beach..

[LaLa]

Well, they have just reopened (almost) all parts of Hwy 90 in Biloxi now. We rode down there for the first time the other day. I had tears in my eyes. I know that everyone has seen the coverage on the news, but seeing it in person just really brings it home.

I have lived here on the coast since I was a little girl and we lived in Biloxi for a while when I was younger, so I know the area very well. I had no idea where I was at times. There are no landmarks or buildings to get your bearings with, other than the fronts of the casinos. And they are about halfway there at that. None of the barges are where they are supposed to be. They are still sitting on the other side of Hwy. 90. You can't get the full scope of just how massive these things are until you ride by them and they just keep going and going. Honestly, as long as a football field. It's so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that WATER threw those things around like popsicle sticks.

We always used to love riding down the beach and looking at all of the old homes lining Hwy. 90. They were all centuries old and just BEAUTIFUL. Those old homes had seen so much over time. Now they are all gone. Nothing even left to know they had once been there. You look to your right and all you see are old oak trees with no leaves, with spaces in between where the homes once stood. It looks like everything was burned.

Nothing has been picked up. There are huge piles of debris everywhere. The smell is still overwhelming. There is still tons of debris in the water off the beach. I have heard they are throwing around the time span of 10-15 YEARS before everything is lovely and beautiful again.

 

[crazee4mickey]

Wow...the utter and complete devestation of the entire area........
I watched with tears in my eyes remembering the beauty and calmness we felt as we travelled through all along the gulf coast last December.
My heart just breaks thinking of all that has been lost.......

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

How sad.

 

[trip]

Amazing footage. We were stationed at Keesler shortly after Camile and I thought that was bad.

Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Zurealsoon]

Thank you so much. Heartbreaking.

Driving that coast was our favorite thing also...it is so bad...unreal.

 

[Desiree]

Oh my. I used to live in Pascagoula and would commute quite often to Biloxi via Highway 90. That footage give me chills.

Question, do you know how Ship Island fared? We usually try to go there once a year.

 

[LaLa]

Question, do you know how Ship Island fared? We usually try to go there once a year.

I know that not too long after the storm, they showed aerial footage of one of the islands, I'm not sure which one, and it was still covered with water. I think I remember hearing that the Ship Island fort is still there, but badly damaged.

 

[AmazingGrace]

I just got the sun herald book a couple of weeks ago, and it's just mindboggling, all the damage. All those beautiful homes. I loved taking 90 over the biloxi bridge to Ocean Springs. It's so sad that it's all gone.

 

[Planogirl]

I saw two before and after photos that really got to me. The first one showed a beautiful, pristine old home and the second one showed a wrecked casino barge where the house used to be. It's mind-boggling.

 

[Tink0374]

I saw two before and after photos that really got to me. The first one showed a beautiful, pristine old home and the second one showed a wrecked casino barge where the house used to be. It's mind-boggling.

That was the Tullis-Toledano Manor. One of the many historic landmarks here in Biloxi that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. That property had very special meaning to my family. The well that was located in front of the "Carriage House" was dedicated to the memory of my father, as he was essential in the restoration of the main house. We were hoping to salvage the plaque that adorned the front of the well, however no such luck. I think I was more devestated by the loss of Tullis than I was by my own losses.

 

[ECU Pirates]

I have been to Gulfport/Biloxi twice since the Hurricane. Both times were with North Carolina Baptist Missions.

The first time was in September right after the Hurricane. We were feeding 12-14,000 meals a day. Since we were part of the "Disaster Relief", we were allowed to ride down parts of US 90 in Gulfport that were passable. It was incredible to look at.

I just got back this past Saturday from a rebuilding trip. US 90 is open all the way from Gulfport to Biloxi now. Most of the homes and businesses look exactly the same as they did in September. It is going to take years and years to get back to anything that resembles normal.

 

[Honeibee]

I watched the before and after video. It's like a punch to the stomach. How incredibly sad.

I went to Northridge, CA six weeks after the big earthquake many years ago. I realized then that watching it on tv and seeing things in real life are no match. Yes, it looked bad on tv, but to actually see the devestation with your own eyes....

I can imagine that's how it must be in Biloxi, and elsewhere effected by the hurricane.

Horrible, just horrible.

 

[AmazingGrace]

The biggest loss that I'm mourning is the Biloxi/Ocean Springs bridge. I used to loved driving over it to get home to ocean Springs. The last time I drove over it was to get to the base the day before Katrina hit. If only I knew it was going to be the very last time.

 

[Pooh Crew]

As a child growing up in southeast Louisiana, we went to Biloxi a lot. When we visited my parents in late July, my dad and I took my four young children to Biloxi for the first time. We played on the beach and went to Marine Life. The kids fed the animals, watched the shows, and shopped the gift store. While Dad and I lamented on how run-down the place seemed, the kids loved every minute of the trip. How sad that all of that is gone now.

 

[LaLa]

Question, do you know how Ship Island fared? We usually try to go there once a year.

Sorry, I didn't realize this when I posted earlier about Ship Island, but click on the link and there is actually a segment on Ship Island there. Scroll down close to the end and you will see one entitled "Steve Phillips reports on Ship Island damage"...there is lots of video of the island after the storm.

 

[Desiree]

Oh my. That is heart wrenching. Thanks for pointing that out. I would have never noticed it.

 

[LaLa]

I was watching Regis and Kelly this morning and the couple that is getting married on their show this Friday is from MS. They were planning on getting married on the beach. The place they were getting married is GONE. Anyway, they showed their background video. Included in that video were the Before and After Videos that I linked in the first post. Just thought that was kinda neat.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

 

[mom23boys]

Wow, that is heartwrenching. Me and my DS12 were just watching the videos and we could not beleive the devistation.

Being from Philly I really have not seen these areas since the Hurricane first hit. We have not gotten much coverage since the first few weeks. This was a real eye opener and a reality check.

My prayers are with everyone affected by this hurricane and all past.

 

[vital]

I just wish the pictures can do the place justice. I also live in Mississippi. I went to the coast at least once a week, as I dated someone from Gulfport. The first time I went after the storm if literally took my breath away. I'm a nurse and have become jaded in things and this really brought tears to my eyes. The neighborhood where I grew up is forever changed. The landscape is altered. When you ride on hwy 90, it's VERY easy to get disoriented b/c all of the landmarks you grew up with are GONE. Very sad.