Hurricane Katrina

Ten years ago today I watched on television as Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Several weeks later I was working Katrina insurance claims, from Biloxi to Pass Christian. Much of the debris had been cleared by the time I arrived, but there was still plenty of devastation to see.

The storm surge had approached twenty feet. In many neighborhoods close to the shoreline, only slab foundations remained.

These were common sights.

This family left a message that they were alive.

This was a casino built atop a barge docked by the shore. The storm surge lifted it across the highway and set it on land.

The surge of water lifted the house from the foundation on the right, and set it atop the vehicle.

The surge of water damaged many crypts, sweeping the caskets away to who knows where.

While at a Waffle House one morning for breakfast, I asked the waitress taking my order why half of the seating area was roped off. She replied that the restaurant had limited workers and could not handle all seating. She explained with disgust that several employees were relaxing at home thanks to their government Hurricane Katrina assistance money.