In recognition of the 9th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this week we feature some images from the Mississippi Heritage Trust Hurricane Katrina page along with images uploaded to the MDAH HRI database. These files relate to the coastal towns in the months immediately following hurricane Katrina. Included in these files were written documents such as letters, engineering assessments, and various agencies’ damage survey forms. In total we will cover over fifty miles–a small portion of Katrina’s wrath–of continuous destruction and heartbreak. These images will give us hope with what heroic efforts have been made towards recovery, remind us of what was senselessly lost, and prepare us with lessons for future preservation disasters.
Today we look back at what Pascagoula and Ocean Springs looked like 9 years ago.
While many structures along Pascagoula’s waterfront survived the storm’s onslaught, they would be demolished during the cleanup efforts. One house that weathered the storm fairly well was the Longfellow House. So well, at first glance it is not obvious these images were taken right after the storm.
Ocean Springs had buildings both big and small with severe damage. 315 Front Beach Boulevard had its front porch collapse and there’s no telling how near total collapse it was after the storm. The owners were lucky enough to have someone able to stabilize the house and begin repairs right away.
A small shotgun house at 918 Calhoun floated off its foundation, displaced approximately 20 degrees to its original location. Some of the piers were still standing but most were knocked over. The floors had been punched through in a few locations by the piers. The structure remained sound and was lifted and placed on a new foundation.
Tomorrow we will take a look at the Hurricane Katrina damage assessment of the Charnley-Norwood House in Ocean Springs.
Categories: Demolition/Abandonment, Disasters, Gulf Coast, Historic Preservation, Hurricane Katrina, Lost Mississippi, Mississippi Heritage Trust, MS Dept. of Archives and History, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Uncategorized
Preservation in Mississippi 
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