Hurricane Camille

[vbhoutex]

The name Camille suits this hurricane very well. It has a certain ring to it. I always thought that but not sure why.

Well one state to the east of Mississippi is the Camellia State (sp?), if I'm correct.

-Andrew92

That has nothing to do with the name of the storm. It was named after John Hope's daughter.

[Andrew92]

The name Camille suits this hurricane very well. It has a certain ring to it. I always thought that but not sure why.

Well one state to the east of Mississippi is the Camellia State (sp?), if I'm correct.

-Andrew92

That has nothing to do with the name of the storm. It was named after John Hope's daughter.

I know that for real.......still, I was just poking fun at the name and the fact that Alabama (I think) goes by that name as one of its nicknames.

It is kinda eerie that the storm John Hope named after his daughter as a graduation gift turned out to be like this, isn't it?!

-Andrew92

[Big_Steve]

Max:

Sorry but I can't help you out on the technical data on Camille because I was only 14 at the time Camille paid my area a visit.
I do believe the day before Camille made landfall was on a Sunday because we went to church that day; there was no nighttime service; everyone was told to go home and asked to pray that everyone would be safe.

If my memory serves me correct Camille came ashore on a Monday I think and on Tuesday with no power in the house my family would climb into our 1965 Ford Galaxy station wagon which was air conditioned; that was the only way we could get out of our house and attempt to cool off during the day; we took many trips in and around town just to stay cool.

Fortunately for my neighborhood our power was restored on Wednesday after the day Camille came crashing in which was quick in comparison to Katrina when my neighbors who stayed in my neighborhood during Katrina said the power was out in the neighborhood for more than a week. My father and I rode out Katrina in a town about 60 miles north of the coast; 60 miles inland wasn't far enough.

I vividly remember my father attempting to get onto the "Beach" road as we locals call it right after Camille; that was on Tuesday I think; my father would have to park the station wagon at the end of a street which ran directly into the "Beach" road; we'd then have to get out of the car and walk down to the "Beach" road because the highway was totally covered with sand; 2 to 3 feet of sand in most places.

I also remember as we walked through the sand covered highway seeing bathtubs; commodes; furniture; and such from area hotels washed up on the highway; it was a mess. The next day the National Guard was in place and access to the "Beach" was denied from that point on unless you owned property on the beach.

About a week later after the eye of Camille made landfall near Henderson Point located near Pass Christian, Mississippi; with my Kodak Instamatic 100 camera in hand we were able to get back down to the beach where I took several rolls of good photos of hurricane damaged properties.

I guess to me why Katrina seemed to be worse than Camille was because this whole area had grown so much since 1969; there was so much more here along the beach that was totally destroyed. It will take a long time to rebuild but this area will rebuild; hopefully stronger and smarter with respect to building codes.

I've lived here all of my life and I just hope that this area doesn't turn into another Destin or Orange Beach where there are rows and rows of high rise condos blocking views of the beach and the gulf but I think that's where development in this area is headed because so many who had beautiful homes on the beach prior to Katrina which are now gone are attempting to sell out and moving away or further inland.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/30/06

[max]

Big_Steve wow i didn't know so many people were leaving Biloxi, Mississippi

I remember taking a drive out there and seeing the new houses being built near the beach that were not there anymore. I could still see the piling from houses that use to be there and kept wondering how are the new houses being built at about the same height going to survive another Katrina. I don't think they will because there not high enough but you can't go much higher. A lot of them look like their two story houses except no first floor. I can't imagine having my house that high.

Then I a house that wasn't raised at all being built. What are they thinking? I don't even know how they can do that now but who knows.

I wonder what the casinos are going to do ?

Like Grand Casino. Those are totally gone I can't believe it. I know some of it was still there after the storm but half of it was basically gone.

I wonder if Grand Casino will ever come back and if it does when ? I wonder if there will be two again or only one?

The Casinos that were in the bay had a little bit of protection but still they got damaged bad like The Palace.

There sorta lucky they were in The Bay because it helped a little with the storm surge not being as powerful but it still was really bad of course there.

How long do you think it will take to rebuild ?

[MGC]

Imagine only being under hurricane warning about 12 hours before a Cat-5 slamed your area. The people west of Biloxi were not put under hurricane warnings until 9am the day of landfall.....MGC

[max]

Imagine only being under hurricane warning about 12 hours before a Cat-5 slamed your area. The people west of Biloxi were not put under hurricane warnings until 9am the day of landfall.....MGC

Yep reminds me of Charley but Charley changed course big time at the last minute and made landfall really soon because it was so close to Fl already. Thats so dangerous with a major hurricane but it wasn't even a major hurricane intill a few hours after it turned right.

[Jim Cantore]

Very nice work

[Big_Steve]

Max:

To answer your question about how long that I think it will take to rebuild Biloxi; assuming and hoping that we are not threatened by another major cane; conservative estimate I would say; about 10 years; 5 years to begin to see some signs of major redevelopment.

As for the casinos; soon after Katrina hit our state legislature did the smart thing by passing a law legalizing gambling on land; prior to Katrina the casinos were land based but you gambled out over the water on a barge. In the early days; in the late 70's we had these boats called cruise ships to nowhere which gamblers would board; the cruise ships would then travel out to the international water line; once there gambling would commence.

These boats would remain out in international waters for about three hours; after three hours had passed gambling would stop then the boats would return to state chartered waters and head back to shore; Biloxi being the only city at that time offering those "Cruiseships to Nowhere". That's how the phrase got started; "We've come to the coast to go to the boats".

As for the casinos; the Isle Of Capri has reopened; so has the Palace; the Imperial Palace located on the back bay; Boomtown Casino has also reopened; so has Treasure Bay; although it's pirate ship which was destroyed by Katrina has been totally dismantled now with no plans of it being rebuilt; too dangerous.

Harrah's Casinos in Las Vegas sold their Grand Casino property in Gulfport, Mississippi to a group of investors who are setting up a new casino north of the beach inside the Oasis Hotel located across the beach from the old Grand Casino in Gulfport; scheduling opening date for that new casino is sometime in September 2006.

By the way the Grand Casino in Gulfport; the actual casino which was built on a huge barge has since been destroyed; it's totally gone now. Right now there are just a few restaurants that have reopened on the beach but one which has been in Gulfport for many years which is also known for it's 5 star dining called Vrazel's has finally reopened after almost being totally destroyed by Katrina last year.

The restaurant is much bigger and better now but for years it was located directly across the "Beach" road from the Grand Casino in Gulfport which blocked the view of the gulf; now the gulf view has been restored because Harrah's had their Gulfport Grand Casino barge destroyed earlier this year so once again you can dine and look out at the gulf; watch the sailboats go by and take in a sunset while you eat.

The Beau Rivage Casino located in Biloxi; a casino considered to be the largest on the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast prior to Katrina took a real beating from Katrina; the whole lower floor level was totally gutted but with a reconstruction workforce exceeding 2,000 workers; the Beau as the locals call it is about ready to reopen it's doors once again. The reopening date has been set for August 29, 2006; the one year anniversary date of Hurricane Katrina.

As for what Harrah's Casinos plans to do in Biloxi since they sold their Gulfport Grand Casino property; Harrah's has pledged to invest $700,000,000 to rebuild their casino property in Biloxi. They plan to build a new casino on the south side of the "Beach" road to replace the casino that was destroyed by Katrina and they also plan to rebuild as well as also add onto the remainder of their casino development located on the north side of the "Beach" road. The Biloxi Grand; the Isle Of Capri; and others nearby are located in an area of Biloxi nicknamed "Casino Row".

Another casino in that same area; Casino Magic; will not be rebuilding. Their owners have decided to pull out of Biloxi but there are already talks of either the Biloxi Grand or another investor group buying the Magic property because of it's prime location. Our mayor has speculated that within 10 years Biloxi might have as many as 20 casinos in the city.

Another new casino which was set to open the day Katrina came in was the Hard Rock Casino. After several months of haggling between investors and their insurance company Hard Rock has finally decided to rebuild their casino; no date has been set for a reopening date yet.

The only thing that did survive at the Hard Rock Casino was their enourmous guitar sign which was custom built by a company in Louisiana which the company claimed the sign would withstand winds in excess of 150 mph. The sign which was protected by the casino building did receive damage although it did withstand Katrina's winds and managed to not fall over although it will have to be totally rewired.

What's in desperate need right now in our area is affordable housing for the thousands of workers who want to come to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to help us rebuild; the housing shortage is critical. It will take many years to rebuild the housing that was destroyed all along our Mississippi Gulf Coast.

A typical 3 bedroom house with 2 full baths in my neighborhood which happens to be located less than 3 miles from the beach is renting for $1,500.00 a month now with a $1,500.00 security deposit; prior to Katrina that same house rented for $1,000.00 a month with a $1,000.00 security deposit.

As for still more new development; right next to our Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and Convention Center here in Biloxi once stood a 268 room Holiday Inn hotel for more than 27 years; that hotel was destroyed by Katrina when a casino barge from another casino; the President Casino; got loose from it's mooring from that casino property and was washed ashore by Katrina's strong storm surge and winds where it finally ended up resting inside that Holiday Inn hotel.

The Holiday Inn hotel which is now totally destroyed with all of it's structural debris having now been hauled away has been cleared for new development. A company based in Florida called the Sterling Company plans to develop that old hotel property. Sterling plans to build a huge condominium project; one of three such projects along our coast. The projected cost for all three Sterling Company condo projects is about
$400,000,000.

The structure they plan to build on the old Holiday Inn hotel property; here in Biloxi will be sixteen stories tall with a construction completion date set for late 2009. I definitely think there will be a drastic change in the physical appearance of development along our Mississippi Gulf Coastline. Some of our smaller cities to the west of Biloxi and Gulfport are still fighting to keep casinos and large condo projects out.

It's just a matter of time before those other smaller cities like Long Beach and Pass Christian or "The Pass" as the locals call it will have to decide whether or not to allow casinos or condo developments into their quiet communities because right now those smaller cities have no substantial property tax revenue coming in with basically everything they have being destroyed last year. Yes I do think that this Mississippi Gulf Coastline which I have grown to love for 51 years will drastically change within the next 10 years and hopefully change for the better.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/31/06

[max]

Big_Steve wow great information! Sad to see how much its going to change because I been to Biloxi, Mississippi many times for the shows and such.

Like for example The Beau Rivage Casino for David Copperfield. I can still remember it and seeing how bad Katrina damaged it was pretty surprising.

Wasn't The Beau Rivage Casino built to withstand a Cat. 5 hurricane ? I wonder if it will beable to take another Katrina and will keeping it in the same spot hurt more than help ?

I am really going to miss the casinos that are totally gone because even though The Beau Rivage Casino was damaged it will still basically look the same, be in the same spot, and such.

Where Casino Magic, Grand Casino, etc will all be totally different and feel so out of place in a way.

It will feel so much different though maybe its for the better like your saying it will just get use to seeing it like that because of all the pictures you have in your head with the way it use to look like.

[Big_Steve]

Max:

Something else I left out of my last post. If you don't already know; our Mississippi Gulf Coast lost two major bridges thanks to Katrina. One located on the far west end of our coastline; a bridge connecting the city of Pass Christian; crossing St. Louis Bay to the cities of Bay St. Louis and Waveland; both of those small cities suffered major destruction as well as high storm surge.

The other 4 lane bridge which is located at the east end of our coastline which was also destroyed by Katrina last year was a bridge connecting the city of Biloxi to the city of Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs is a very nice place; a community which has many gift shops and antique shops and lots of large old oak trees; Ocean Springs is very protective of their beautiful oak trees; moreso than Biloxi.

The mayor of Ocean Springs who happens to be a lady; I have nothing against lady mayors but the mayor of Ocean Springs wants to keep Ocean Springs like it was prior to Katrina; a nice; quiet little town with gift shops and other small antique shops and she is against the proposed new bridge that MDOT wants to build connecting her city to the city of Biloxi.

MDOT has proposed a new 6 lane bridge which will be built high enough not to require a draw span although a custom yacht building company located in Gulfport has asked MDOT to include a draw span in the new bridge plan claiming some of their new yachts might possibly exceed the new bridge height clearance limit presently proposed by MDOT.

The new bridge will also include an emergency pull over lane on each side as well as a bike route lane on each side; that's 10 lanes total. MDOT has attempted to award a contract twice to build the new 10 lane bridge but the mayor of Ocean Springs has put up a legal challenge claiming that a new 10 lane bridge isn't necessary so awarding a new contract has been put on hold thanks to the Ocean Springs mayor.

MDOT claims they're building a bridge for the future; for 25 to 35 years out; the mayor in Ocean Springs has called MDOT's new proposed bridge a "MEGA" bridge. MDOT is now ready to go forward; the mayor of Biloxi also likes the new bridge proposal; our county board of supervisors on each end of the proposed new bridge have also endorsed the new bridge design but the mayor of Ocean Springs is the only one who has refused to support the new bridge design.

I'll have to admit; it will take some engineering to build a 10 lane bridge and have it be able to enter a city on the east end where at the present only 4 lanes of traffic exist; that's the same on the Biloxi end as well. I'm no engineer but I'm certainly glad that MDOT has them because I'll be curious to see how MDOT figures this one out.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/31/06

[max]

Wow bike lanes on the bridge!

I like the way Mississippi thinks. Louisiana would never do that.

[Big_Steve]

Max:

So you're from the great state of Louisiana? If so; which part? Were you affected by either Katrina or Rita last year where you're presently located? I'm glad you thought my posts about conditions here post Katrina were informative.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/31/06

[all_we_know_is_FALLING]

Wait.. MS now legalizes gambling on land? I live in Tunica. I guess that means new casinoes here don't have to be built on the MS River anymore then. Cool.

[stormspotter]

Camille flooded our neighborhood 3 ft deep here in Mobile, Al. It was wild.

[Big_Steve]

Tunica City:

Soon after Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast last year our State Legislature working closely with our State Gaming Commission rewrote the gaming law which allowed the casinos to move their gambling operations from being over or on the water to being fully land based instead.

The land where the casino planned to move to had to first already be zoned to allow casino use and second the part of the casino where the actual gambling would take place could be located no more than 800 feet from the water's edge.

It was just a matter of time before the law was changed because several members of our state legislature were already working on getting the old law changed. Katrina's visit to our area last year just moved things up a considerable bit; not to mention also forced our state leaders to take the necessary action which would assist the casino industry in helping jump start their own economy because they like so many others here along our coast took a very big hit last year due to Katrina.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/31/06

[Aslkahuna]

The record for longevity for a storm of extreme intensity is STY Joan which peaked at 160kt and remained high Cat4 to Cat5 intensity (130kt or greater) for 96 consecutive hours.


Steve

[Pearl River]

Max wrote

Wow bike lanes on the bridge!

I like the way Mississippi thinks. Louisiana would never do that.

It wouldn't be done here in LA, only for the safety of the bikers. People around here can't drive worth a darn. The accident rate here in St Tammany has gone up dramatically due to the influx of people from across the lake.

[seaswing]

Max:

If my memory serves me correct Camille came ashore on a Monday I think and on Tuesday with no power in the house my family would climb into our 1965 Ford Galaxy station wagon which was air conditioned; that was the only way we could get out of our house and attempt to cool off during the day; we took many trips in and around town just to stay cool.


Big Steve
Biloxi, Mississippi
07/30/06

I did that after Hurricane Frances and Jeanne! I got just about everything I needed. Some a/c and radio news to let me know where I could pick up ice. Intermittent cell phone signal so I made calls when I could. There was only one radio station on the air after Frances. No comparison to Camille but hurricanes no matter how big or small tend to make us do 'whatever works' doesn't it?

[max]

Southeast Louisiana and we did have flooding but it was 2 feet instead of 9 feet like our friend had. Still it was bad but I sorta feel lucky. It could of been so much worst.

[max]

Max wrote

Wow bike lanes on the bridge!

I like the way Mississippi thinks. Louisiana would never do that.

It wouldn't be done here in LA, only for the safety of the bikers. People around here can't drive worth a darn. The accident rate here in St Tammany has gone up dramatically due to the influx of people from across the lake.

Yeah driving around there is crazy now!

Even if your driving a Hummer you still need to watch out with these crazy drivers. No I don't have a Hummer lol.