South Mississippi Town-by-town roundup
Bay St. Louis: Major flooding all around.
Biloxi: The Biloxi River is flowing over the bridge on Interstate 10. . . Water on first two floors of Beau Rivage. . . Extensive flooding in East Biloxi. . .
Gulfport: 3 of 4 walls have collapsed at Harrison Central 9th Grade School in North Gulfport. . . At least three firehouses have taken significant damage . . .
Harrison County: Damage to virtually all shelters, including broken windows, leaky windows and no power, but no injuries. Lyman Elementary lost two buildings. People were moved to another building on campus safely. Woolmarket Elementary, lost its roof. West Wortham Elementary has signficant roof damage.
Poplarville: A tornado was spotted nearby at 10:20 a.m.
D'Iberville: 5.5 feet of water at Suburban Lodge on Automall Parkway.
Pascagoula: The Jackson County Emergency Management Agency had to relocate to the courthouse after the roof came off their building downtown. . . The roof also came off the gym at St. Martin High School. . . Reports of flooding in the Chipley area.
Porteaux Bay: four people were trapped on a roof, wearing lifejackets. They couldn't get through to 911, but got on WLOX, asking for help.
Wiggins: 100 mph wind gusts (11 a.m.)
Despair in the 9th Ward
New Orleans, 9th Ward, 2:30 p.m.
Times-Picayune photographer Ted Jackson waded into the Lower 9th Ward Monday afternoon and reported a scene of utter destruction. The wind still howled, floodwaters covered vehicles in the street and people were clinging to porches and waiting in attics for rescuers who had yet to arrive.
In one home on Claiborne Avenue near the Industrial Canal bridge, Jackson saw a man peering from a window in his attic. The man said rising water in his house had forced him, his wife and two children into the attic.
Jackson estimated the water's depth at 12 feet.
"He was very calm,'' Jackson said of the man in the attic window.
Jackson said he couldn't get across the street. The water was too deep and the current was too fast.
Nearby, three children and three adults were clinging to a porch, trying to stay above the water, which they insisted was continuing to rise.
"They were really scared. They said they had been clinging to that porch since 8 a.m.''
WDSU reports that Harrison County and Gulfport experienced "unprecedented" storm surge.