Biloxi/Gulfport Update, from Biloxi Herald:
Damage widespread
Staff and wire reports
Hurricane Katrina brought catastrophic damage from the Coast to Hattiesburg. Gulfport Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said downtown buildings were "imploding" or collapsing, particularly in the 19th street area.
Coastwide there were reports of homes and buildings knocked off their foundations by storm surges as high as 28 feet.
As of Monday afternoon, no fatalities had been reported in Mississippi, but even emergency communications were sporadic at best. Harrison County Civil Defense's command post lost power and communications early Monday, and emergency operations centers in Hancock and Jackson counties had to be evacuated and moved to higher ground.
There were numerous reports of people stranded in attics or on roofs as the tidal surge and floowaters rose. At times, emergency crews were unable to go out in the heavy winds. Hospitals in the three Coast counties reported damage and problems in operations. Memorial Hospital at Gulfport reported major damage.
The first floor of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport was flooded Monday morning and workers scrambled to move medicine and equipment to higher floors. There were reports of boats blown north of U.S. 90 in Gulfport.
Numerous tornadoes were reported across South Mississippi. Beau Rivage reportedly has water up to its second floor. There was no word from the other casinos.
Gov. Haley Barbour urged people to stay put during heavy winds and flooding, and until emergency officials give the all clear.
"This is not a small storm, we have catastrophic damage on all levels." he said. "Don't go running out into flood zones and getting bitten by snakes or wading through floodwaters that might be covering utility lines. Use good judgement in the aftermath." Barbour said search and rescue operations are the first priority as Katrina subsides. Barbour and other officials had a harsh warning for those thinking of looting. "I've urged the highway patrol and national guard to treat looters ruthlessly," Barbour said, "The rules of engagement will be as ruthless as the law allows."
Three bodies found
Three deaths were confirmed Monday in central Mississippi as the storm pushed northward with blinding rain and winds topping 100 mph, said Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Several roads and highways in south Mississippi were engulfed by water, and trees snapped as far north as Jackson. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippians were left without power, and boil water notices were issued in several counties.
MEMA officials recorded deaths in Hinds, Warren, and Leake counties more than 150 miles inland - although details of those deaths remained sketchy Monday afternoon.
"The state today has suffered a grievous blow," Barbour said in Jackson. "We know some people got trapped and we pray they are OK."
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/special_packages/hurricane_katrina/12507279.htm
Thank you. We are starting to hear the worst of it now.