Beach Boulevard

Almost every group has by now driven along the 4-5 mile stretch of Beach Boulevard in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, fronting on the Gulf. This area saw a 30 foot storm surge and the echoing emptiness remains haunting. What were obviously estate-properties, beachfront homes in every sense, are now empty foundations, though vestiges of the landscaping remain. Some have rebuilt, and a local man on a bike that my group encountered on Wed. evening told us that those houses are both self-funded and self-insured. Too many people here cannot afford insurance on their properties (esp. nearer the beach), and so have been unable to rebuild.

Striking sights on this stretch include a bank branch that was ripped away, all save its fast-rusting vault. Or a bridge/overpass that stands alone, the pier it once led to long vanished.