Along the Gulf Coast, Post Katrina, Part 2: Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Katrina damaged or destroyed thousands of trees, including in Ocean Springs
Last Friday morning, April 13, I started driving west through Gautier, Mississippi with the planned itinerary of hitting Ocean Springs, then Biloxi, and on into Louisiana and New Orleans as I continued to survey the state of reconstruction along the Gulf Coast after the horrific 2005 hurricane season. After reaching the city limits of Ocean Springs, I found myself slowly meandering south, stopping to take shots along Beachview Drive as I headed toward the nearby Gulf of Mexico, then wandering southwest along Lake Mars Avenue and Seacliff Boulevard, roughly paralleling the coastline as I went. Looking at my watch, it became obvious to me that, if I was going to do justice to New Orleans, which I definitely had to reach this same day, I would not have time to explore Biloxi too, so Biloxi, scene of the hurled-like-toothpicks floating casinos, is on the list for my next trip.
It also became apparent to me, as I drove, that in a lot of these towns and cities along the Gulf Coast, the casual observer or tourist is actually not going to see a lot of the hurricane damage simply because it is hidden from view. The layout of Ocean Springs itself interweaves between the coastline and the bayous, with much of the lingering damage obscured by treelines, swamps and winding roads. So you have to take the time to look, which I did in my own small way in. If I had spent the whole day exploring Ocean Springs and interviewing people, who knows what else I would have come across. Perhaps some of our OpEdNews.com readers who live in this area will have their own stories to tell in the comments section after they look at my brief photos.
So I cordially invite you to take a look at my second photo album in this series under "Mac's Slide Show" (click on)
Below are several more photos from this series:
You start to run into debris all over the place along the backroads
Only the foundation and pillars remain of a house near the Gulf Coast
*****
Part 3 of my series will begin the tour of New Orleans, where it gets really rough, starting with Orleans Street outside the French Quarter. Stay tuned.
http://mosquito-blog.blogspot.com/
Student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and advocate for peace, justice and the unity of humankind, not through force, but through self-realization and mutual respect.
I'll be back in Mississippi late spring or early summer, so if you think I should see something of significance, comment on it and I will add it to my tentative "to see" list, although I can't promise anything at this point.
by
Mac McKinney (41 articles, 56 quicklinks, 127 diaries, 902 comments)
on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 10:30:43 AM
two more for OS., remains of Shearwater Pottery (the other famous coastal potter/painter.
and the Frank Lloyd Wright home, somewhere on the northside of HW90 in OS.
for Biloxi. Mary Mahone's Rest. I'm sure with any of these areas something should be listed in Historic Sites for the State. google, i guess.
Oh and you might try and visit w/Dr. Ben Marble in Bil/GP while you're there, he is regular commentator on opednews. Not sure which hospital in which he works. I'm sure he could give you a native's view of the area off the beaten path, while you're there. a site search would garner his email.
by
k kelly (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 182 comments)
on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 11:56:24 AM
