Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina

• Weathering the Crisis in Mississippi

Greg Hardy, Director Mississippi Tort
Claims September 15, 2006
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Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29,
2005, on the Mississippi/Louisiana line, with
maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 105
miles from the center of the storm. Coastal storm
surge flooding of 20 to 30 feet above normal tide
levels, along with large and dangerous battering
waves, occurred near and to the east of where the
center of the storm made landfall. Widespread
damage occurred, including beach erosion and
damage and/or destruction of homes and
infrastructure.
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Katrina Path

• Hattiesburg - 70 miles inland at 100 pm CST
• Maximum winds are down to 90-100 mph, with
  gusts of 110-120 mph
• Jackson - 160 miles inland at 300 pm CST
• Maximum winds are down to 70-75 mph, with gusts
  of 90-100 mph
• Tupelo, MS - 300 miles inland 400 pm CST
• Maximum winds are down to 50 mph, with higher
  gusts
• Eventually all 82 counties were included in the
  declaration for either Individual or Public
  Assistance programs from FEMA

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Katrina

• As the storm abated Monday night, state law
  enforcement officers and several hundred
  Mississippi National Guard troops were led by
  Mississippi Department of Transportation clean-up
  and repair crews who cut their way into Gulfport
  from Hattiesburg to assist with search and
  rescue, security and opening roads
• The immense power and size of the hurricane had
  overwhelmed the critical infrastructure of the
  entire Coast
• The electric power system had been crushed
• The telecommunications system was smashed
• Roads and streets were completely out of service
• There was no running water

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Katrina

• This resulted in no air conditioning, traffic
  signals or water pumping capacity
• To make up for lack of electric power, generators
  were keeping critical facilities open, including
  hospitals and healthcare institutions, emergency
  operation centers, police and fire stations,
  military bases and a myriad of businesses - some
  of them essential suppliers
• Fuel was a critical commodity, but in short
  supply
• Offshore production in the Gulf area and refining
  capacity were curtailed or put out of commission
• As the supply tanks at Collins and other storage
  depots started coming back into operation, more
  electric power was restored
• Federal agencies provided fuel, such as the Coast
  Guard delivering to hospitals across southeast
  Mississippi

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Hurricane Andrew vs. Katrina

• August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into
  South Florida
• 40 Deaths
• 21 billion in insured losses
• 281 million in Individual Assistance
• 1.22 Billion in Public Assistance
• 42.6 million in Hazard Mitigation

• August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into
  Mississippi Gulf Coast
• 231 deaths
• 120 billion in insured losses (estimated)
• 2.7 billion in Individual Assistance
• 1.11 Billion in Public Assistance
• 419.2 million in Hazard Mitigation

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The Damages
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Damages

• More than 68,700 homes destroyed
• 65,200 homes with major damage
• 100,300 homes with minor damage
• Nearly 274,425 individuals and families received
  housing assistance
• Some 17,000 business were lost
• Some 55,000 houses and 20,000 businesses suffered
  flood and wind damage

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Damages

• Public schools in four (4) coastal counties
  suffered 700 million in damage
• 80,000 students were displaced
• Fourteen (14) public schools facilities were
  totally destroyed
• Coastal cities such as Waveland, Pass Christian,
  and Bay St. Louis were as much as 70 percent
  destroyed.

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Damage Assessments for State Owned Facilities
Damages (Millions) Number of Buildings Damaged Replacement Value
Institutions of Higher Learning 107 434 5.5 Billion
Community Junior Colleges 69 289 1.4 Billion
Mental Health 21 140 693 Million
Youth Services, Corrections, Public Safety, Agriculture, DFA 15 106 1.4 Billion
Misc. Institutions Agencies 248 30 404 Million
Wildlife, Fisheries, Parks 60 90 100 Million
Total 520 1,089 9.5 Billion
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Where We Are Today?
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Where We Are Today

• Over 47 million cubic tons or 99.1 of land based
  debris has been removed
• Housing
• Over 60,000 FEMA Trailers were brought into
  Mississippi
• About 101,000 Mississippians are still living in
  them
• Reconstruction plans include the construction of
  60,000 single family dwellings in five (5) years.

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Where We Are Today

• Economic Development
• The State Legislature allowed casinos to rebuild
  800 feet inland
• Four (4) casinos have reopened
• All casinos located on the Coast prior to Katrina
  plan to rebuild and reopen by January 1, 2008
• Education
• Over 90 of the 80,000 displaced school children
  have returned to their home districts

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Where We Are Today

• Congress appropriated 3 billion in grants to
  assist homeowners who lived outside the flood
  zone but sustained flood damage
• Approximately 17,000 homeowners have applied for
  the 150,000 in grants
• Over 600 million in contracts have been awarded
  to reconstruct the bridges over Biloxi Bay and
  the Bay of St. Louis

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(No Transcript)
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Who Says There Were Problems?
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Stafford Act

• By this Act, Congress provides an orderly and
  continuing means of assistance by the Federal
  Government to State and local governments in
  carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate
  the suffering and damage which result from
  disasters

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• Stafford Act required that any public assistance
  funding issued for uninsured property would have
  to be repaid in future years
• Also, if there was a future disaster, there would
  be no public assistance funding on the same
  building
• Prior to Katrina, Mississippi had never insured
  its property except for
• Some universities
• Some flood insurance for buildings located in
  flood zones
• Mississippi would have to purchase property
  insurance for its buildings

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Property Insurance
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Insurance the Legislature

• In January 2006, Willis was chosen as the States
  insurance broker
• The State secured 500 million of coverage
• The premium for this coverage is anticipated to
  cost the State approximately 10 million

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Last years gigantic catastrophe, with all its
destruction, gave birth to a renaissance in
Mississippi that will surely result in rebuilding
our state bigger and better than ever before, but
I believe it will also spread prosperity and
dignity across more of our citizens than ever
before. I ask you to embrace that
vision. -Governor Haley Barbour State of the
State Address January 2006