This is the story of Hurricane Katrina and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including
pictures of American Legion Post 119 Gulfport Mississippi before and after Katrina.

The Story of Hurricane Katrina
and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
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THE BLUE BACKGROUND INDICATES YOU VIEWING THIS PARTICULAR HURRICANE KATRINA PAGE

THE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA - TEXT

THE TRACK OF KATRINA & RADAR & SATELLITE

DESTRUCTION OF POST 119 BY KATRINA

THE GULFPORT VA CENTER AFTER KATRINA

RESIDENTIAL PICTURES PICTURES AFTER KATRINA

OTHER PICTURES ALONG THE GULF COAST

PICTURES OF BOATS FOLLOWING KATRINA

AERIAL PICTURES OF KATRINA'S DESTRUCTION

DIRECTORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA LINKS


American Legion Post 119's Post
Home Before and After Katrina

     The top picture shows our Post Home before Hurricane Katrina, with large North and South parking lots, and parking on the East side of the building. Attached to the West side of the building was a large Bingo Hall, part of which can be seen through the tree on the right side of the picture. The far left of the picture shows how close our Post Home was to the open Gulf of Mexico water, which ultimately caused the destruction of our Post Home. Post 119 was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in August of 1969,
and again by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005.
Post 119 Before And After Katrina

     The bottom picture shows what is left of Post 119 after Hurricane Katrina. Although the concrete foundation and supporting steel beams remain, both the first and second floors were stripped clean by Katrina's storm surge and wind driven waves nearly 30 feet high, and the very high circulating wind speeds. The upper right of the picture shows what remains of our large and partially collapsed Bingo Hall.  The concrete foundation remains, but the supporting steel beams were twisted resulting in the partial collapse of our Bingo Hall. Everything inside our Post Home and Bingo Hall wound up in the large North side parking lot and further beyond. Even some of the steel beams for our Bingo Hall were deposited to the North of our Post Home.
     Everything looks somewhat "clean" with the exception of some of the debris shown on the bottom left of the picture which was put there some weeks after the storm. As you probably know, 30 feet of fast moving water inland, caused by a Hurricane, always moves and everything in it's path.

More Pictures of Our Post Home

Picture Of The Main Building

Picture Of The First Floor

     The picture on the right is a close-up picture taken from the Southeast corner of the building, showing the first floor, the only remaining stairway to the second floor, and the "sagging" 2nd floor. In the background is shown the twisted steel beams of our Bingo Hall. A few of our "bravest" Post Members climbed up that rickety stairway and removed as many of the Post documents and records that could be found on the second floor. Many of the Post's important papers and records were found, and now their only remaining task was to carefully carry them down the stairway and store them elsewhere.

Picture Of The Bingo Hall

Picture Of The Post And Bingo Hall

     The picture on the left, taken from the Northeast side of our main building, shows the twisted steel beams and partial collapse of our Bingo Hall which was used for many purposes other than Bingo such as, our Membership meetings, and special events and activities at the Post such as our annual New Years Eve Party, Children's Christmas Party, Children's Easter Party, Saint Patrick's Day Party, Thanksgiving Dinners, Mardi Gras' Balls, Awards Nights, Receptions, meetings with National, State,and Local dignitaries, local Military meetings and functions, Red Cross Blood Drives, and for many other purposes too numerous to mention here. The building in the background at the far left side of the picture shows what remains of a Motel, once owned by the Post some years ago.
     The picture on the right is a picture taken from the East side of the building, again showing part of the first and second floor of our main building and the partially collapsed Bingo Hall. The black object in the lower left foreground is the Post's safe. It was moved by the force of the storm surge from the Post's main office located midway on the East side of the first floor. Folks, that's an old Wells Fargo type safe weighing more than a 10 passenger limousine. That's a perfect example, among many others, of the tremendous power of Hurricane Katrina's "Storm Surge" moving inland from the Gulf waters.

Picture Of The Post's Safe

Picture Of An Historical Marker

     The picture on the left, is a close-up picture of the Post's "Wells Fargo" type safe lying on it's back. An Electrical Contractor, the son of one of our Post Members, volunteered to use his big Bucket Truck to return the safe to an upright position so it could be opened. The safe was locked, and the doors on the safe were rusted shut. After 5 hours of using the all of the hydraulic power of his bucket truck, the best Ronnie could do with his Father's help, was to raise it only thirty degrees off the ground. Concrete blocks were then placed underneath the top of the safe to kept it from lying flat on the ground. Other Post members have now volunteered to use every means at their disposal to upright the safe, and transport it to another location where it can be safely opened and it's contents removed. This is truly a "Historical Artifact". It has been with the Post almost since it's founding back in the 1920's, and everything possible must be done to return the safe to as close to it's original condition as possible.
     Post 119 was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in August of 1969. To see what happened to our Post Home as a result of Hurricane Camille, go to Hurricane Camille And The American Legion The picture on the right is a Historical Marker celebration the opening of our new Post Home building. It's a Bronze Plaque, mounted on reinforced concrete, attached by steel bars to a concrete foundation underneath. The Electrical Contractor had to fully extend the arm of his Bucket Truck to reach it's location. With the arm fully extended, the limit of the lifting power wasn't quite enough to raise the Historical Marker completely off the ground. But it was enough to move the marker back and forth and loosen it enough to see if there was anything else holding it in the ground. There wasn't anything else. Again, other Post members have now volunteered to use every means at their disposal to lift the marker, and transport it to another location. This is another "Historical Artifact" that must be kept at a safe location, where it can be seen by anyone.
     In all of these pictures you will notice a bright orange netting. It is wrapped completely around our main building as a "Do not cross this netting and do not remove anything behind this netting." It is the way used to protect damaged homes, property, and buildings caused by anything including Hurricanes. This netting has now been extended to protect both the Safe and the Historical Marker.
End of the Pictures of Our Post Home

     This ends the pictures of our Post Home at least for now. As time passes, additional pictures may be added since we have a lot more pictures of the Post. But we think the time it takes to view all the pictures shown here takes too long.
Reconstruction of Our Post Home

     Building Inspectors and Construction Engineers have now determined that the entire building and all the concrete foundation will have to be removed and replaced before our Post can rebuild at the same location. Because our Post Home has been destroyed twice, by Hurricane Camille in August of 1969 and by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, the Construction and Insurance costs would be prohibitive. At this time, Post 119 is sharing a second building owned by the Gulfport Elks whose own main building in Gulfport was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Post 119's membership has already voted to purchased a 3 acre site about 15 miles North of the Gulf of Mexico on which to construct a new Post Home. This site is located nearby the Elks Second Building. Nothing yet has been decided about when or if the work on constructing of our new Post Home will begin. This will take much more time to reach a such a decision.

Before & After Pictures of Post 77 Waveland

Post 77 Before Hurricane Katrina

Post 77 After Hurricane Katrina

     Formed in 1974, the Post Home of American Legion Post 77 on Coleman Avenue in Waveland
no longer exists, and is now operating out of a tent. The Executive Board and approximately 350
Members have not yet made a decision to rebuild. The new "After Katrina" codes require that the
foundation be raised several feet before rebuilding of the Post Home can proceed. Therefore the cost,
as will be for many others on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including Post 119, may be prohibitive.


THE BLUE BACKGROUND INDICATES YOU VIEWING THIS PARTICULAR HURRICANE KATRINA PAGE

THE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA - TEXT

THE TRACK OF KATRINA & RADAR & SATELLITE

DESTRUCTION OF POST 119 BY KATRINA

THE GULFPORT VA CENTER AFTER KATRINA

RESIDENTIAL PICTURES PICTURES AFTER KATRINA

OTHER PICTURES ALONG THE GULF COAST

PICTURES OF BOATS FOLLOWING KATRINA

AERIAL PICTURES OF KATRINA'S DESTRUCTION

DIRECTORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA LINKS


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