Page 194 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015
P. 194
KATRINA ANNIVERSARY undaunted spirit PASCAGOULA
Shining Bright
From darkness to light — Pascagoula has emerged a shining example of recovery
story and photos courtesy of City of Pascagoula
Although it’s Mississippi’s easternmost coastal
city, Pascagoula was
not immune to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. The storm surge flooded 95 percent of the city, with
the deepest point at 20 feet above sea level. With thousands
of homes and businesses damaged, if not lost altogether, and thousands of cubic feet of debris, Pascagoula’s residents knew the path toward revitalization would be a long journey filled with challenges.
However, Pascagoula
had already taken
proactive steps toward
recovery. It was the
only South Mississippi
city to have a disaster
contract in place when
Katrina hit, and had
320 employees who
remained on the job despite their
own losses. Having a solid plan and recovery team in place helped pave the way for speedy progress.
Pascagoula residents and leaders showed incredible resilience in
the aftermath of the storm. Former Mayor Matthew Avara commented
on national news, “Pascagoula is not ‘rebuilding.’ Pascagoula is building . . . building a better community, city and life for our citizens and businesses.”
the many accomplishments was the construction of the current Pascagoula Senior Center, which was once the
site of Carver Village, a low-income apartment complex. It had been sitting vacant for a number of years prior to Hurricane Katrina and had become damaged and dangerous. The city
acquired the complex and demolished it to construct a new, state- of-the-art facility for the Pascagoula Senior Center, which opened in 2010. It offers patrons a free fitness facility, numerous classes, organized activities — even group travel.
“This facility has been a dream come true for Pascagoula seniors,” said Parks and Recreation Director Darcie Crew. “We had outgrown the place where we
were and are now able to offer more than we ever could. We aim to offer programming that will go a long way in enhancing quality of life.”
194 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2015
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A SHINING EXAMPLE OF RECOVERY Pascagoula’s experience of the storm is depicted by public art at the Beach Park. The 10-ton sculpture is made of three waves.
Out of the damage, Pascagoula has managed to complete a variety of projects which have helped grow it into a thriving community. One of