Buccaneer State Park November 20, 2019 A surreal drive today from Pascagoula/Gautier (remember is "go-SHAY!") forty miles west along the Gulf on road rightly named Beach Boulevard. The big blue dot shows where I am now (Buccaneer State Park). About ten miles into the trip, I entered Ocean Springs, MS and for the next 30 miles the four-lane US 90 ran alongside the Gulf. And I mean alongside. All that separated the road from the Gulf was a sidewalk and a very white sandy beach of various widths -from 20 yards to 100 yards. That was awesome enough, but what freaked me out was how new everything looked. In Biloxi, Gulfport, MississippiCity (no kidding), Long Beach, Pass Christian (yes, that’s the name of a town), Bay St. Louis (yes, another name of a town), Waveland and Lakeshore (on the Gulf?). the road was new, the buildings, the houses - everything looked new.. There were a number of lots for sale (1 acre in Gulfport, $1.2 million). Ah, Katrina. Katrina took out this entire portion of the Gulf Coast. I learned from a park ranger that what happened in New Orleans was flooding from so much rain. This part of the Gulf (east of New Orleans) got storm surge and 140 mph winds. My trip today was only along the coast - but if this area was like Pascagoula the damage extended for miles inland. It's eerie to look into the Gulf and see random poles sticking out of the water - remnants of piers and docks broken into matchsticks by Katrina. The park ranger said that global warming is having an effect of the Gulf. The water temperatures are trending upward. I heard the same at Acadia last summer. When a hurricane enters the Gulf, the warmer water helps to intensify the hurricane. No wonder so many lots are for sale. Not sure I would rebuild. Those that do rebuild need to have the first livable floor above the storm surge line from Katrina. Look at this house. Those “stilts” must be 30 feet high - I’ve seen some higher.
What have I seen the most of today? Probably casinos and Waffle Houses. And people that look like they are gambling the last dollars they have. Very sad.
I can’t leave you with that image. Sunset. From where I am staying I can’t easily get to a point to see the sunset over the Gulf. But I did find a bayou and got some photos overlooking it.
Do you understand the title of this post? I was thinking of using Dan Hartman’s “Instant Replay,” but the recovery from Katrina is anything but instant. So I chose the Staples Singers‘ tune because the Gulf Coast is doing it again.
Enjoy the soul In this song!
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