Because of my job at a small daily newspaper at the time of the approaching hurricane, I had access to Associated Press news stories and photographs. As I heard that the hurricane was gaining strength and heading toward Louisiana and Mississippi, I couldn’t help but think about Biloxi. I searched for everything I could find out about how the gulf coast town was faring.
The day before Katrina hit, one Associated Press photograph showed the sign in front of the Beau Rivage, which flashed constantly with colorful messages during our visit.
The famous Beau Rivage sign advertised everything from Club Tiki to the touring Russian dancer show to the Beau's full menu of casino games in July 2004. The day before Hurricane Katrina hit, it had gone black, saying only "Closed due to hurricane." Then, in the days leading up to Aug. 29, 2006, the sign said "8-29-06: A new beginning" with a countdown clock to the Beau's triumphant reopening.It now had a simple black background and yellow letters: “Closed due to hurricane.” Somehow, that made it real. It would be the first time a city in which we had spent time and of which we had personal memories – namely of becoming engaged - was about to change. It would no longer be the way we remembered it.
After the hurricane moved through the area, I searched again for every little news tidbit and picture I could find. I was anxious to see what had withstood Katrina’s wrath and what had succumbed. Would the Beau Rivage still be there? Would the marina, where Thomas proposed to me, withstand the hurricane’s force?
I was relieved to find that the beloved Beau Rivage fared better than most of the resort casinos in the area. The storm surge had flooded the first three floors. An AP photo showed a yawning hole in the back of the Beau where the garage was supposed to be. And the marina – our proposal spot - was gone. The upper floors, however, were intact. The Beau could rebuild.
Other landmarks that we remember did not fare so well. The Treasure Bay casino, the one that looked like a pirate ship, was thrown across Highway 90. The “giddy-up” bridge, which was the Highway 90 bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Miss., was completely destroyed. In all, 90 percent of the buildings along the Biloxi coastline were leveled. You can see the extent of the devastation at this URL:
On Aug. 29, 2006, the one-year anniversary of the hurricane, the Beau Rivage reopened. As of that date, seven of the casinos had managed to reopen in Biloxi, which also included the Treasure Bay Casino. Slowly, the city is rebuilding its economy and its morale. I don’t know if we will ever go back there again, but the city will remain in our hearts – and our memories - for years to come.
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