Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi

After our day trip to New Orleans before Christmas we decided to travel back to Hattiesburg via a secondary highway rather than the Interstate. As we were passing through Bay Saint Louis to travel to Pass Christian suddenly we came to a cement barricade blocking the highway at a large bay. We exited the truck and saw that all that was left were concrete bridge abutments-no road. Being fatigued and as it was late in the day we realized that this was going to make us an hour or two late getting home. We thought, "Why was there no sign, bridge out?" Later we realized the reason, everybody knew, they had other things to look after and there will probably never be a sign and it will be long time before the bridge is repaired.
Standing on the end of the highway looking across the mile-long stretch of missing bridge as the sun sparkled on the gentle waters it was hard to imagine the fury that had lifted these concrete slabs into the water.

We went for a walk with Winston and took pictures of a lonely fully decorated Christmas tree that someone had placed where the road ended. Oh, how pampered we are. We gave a few sighs realizing we had to go back a few miles and then North to the Interstate. As we glanced to our right and left we saw total destruction along the shoreline going several hundred feet inland. And then we knew that we were standing in the epicenter of the 35 foot high surge of water that came on shore.

A jean clad thirties woman, smiling yet sad approached us to welcome us to Mississippi as she had noticed our Ontario license plate. As we talked she relayed to us about the 10 feet of water she had in her inland home and how her trip to work that used to take 12 minutes now takes 35. But she added things will work out. How impatient we are at a one minute traffic light.

Here are some pictures we took that day.
A picture may be worth a 1000 words..... BUT in this case they do not even tell the beginning of the story...

The property owner cleaned up around the "HOUSE"















Note the Jacuzzy tub in the ditch.



















A bridge 'connecting" 2 towns.