On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:50:48 -0500, Dave LaCourse
wrote:
On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 06:56:19 -0600, wrote:
If they moved them even a few blocks, that might have done it. People
don't realize, even those who have lived here all their lives, just how
much variation there is in elevation. For example, over in Hancock
county (Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, etc.), the water was as
high as 32 feet at the shoreline, but there are a fair number of houses
within 1-2 miles that got no water. If you walk out of my mother's
front door, you can see in one direction a house that had water _in the
attic_, in another direction a house where two people drowned _in the
attic_, and in another, one that didn't even have wet floors.
How very true. It was amazing to see homes within 3/4 mile from the
shore with NO water damage, yet homes just across the street totally
destroyed. The Rt 603 underpass at I-10, EIGHT miles from the shore
had a surge of water 30 feet high.
And that location is another example of things people don't realize
about the area. While I10-603 is about 8 miles from the shore of the MS
Sound, it is like many other areas down here - surrounded by back bays,
bayous, rivers, etc., all connected at some point to the Sound. For
those that don't know, the body of water directly offshore of the MS
coast is not actually the "Gulf of Mexico" per se, it is the
"Mississippi Sound," and it is _very_ shallow (channels have to be
regularly dredged to allow even shrimp boat traffic) for several miles
out to the barrier islands, where the actual Gulf really begins.
As to 603, it is basically on the Jourdan River (Louie - if you remember
the area, the bridge right near the 603 exit is over the Jourdan). Even
further up-river, several hundred modern, well-built houses on 10-12 ft.
pilings were wiped out (by both wind and water).
Frank, if you had gone just a few more miles west on I-10 to the
Waveland area, you would see how much damage they suffered.
If anyone is interested, do a Google Images search on "downtown waveland
katrina" and "downtown bay st. louis katrina" for all sorts of pics, and
look for before and after pics for some idea of just how bad Hancock
County got it.
Three friends are heading back down on Monday to Waveland to continue
rebuilding.
Thank them please, and if they need anything, let them know to feel free
to contact me - if you need my number, drop me an email.
TC,
R