Katrina And The Forgotten Gulf Coast

August 29, 2005, was the day that Mother Nature decided to once again "slam dunk" the Gulf Coast as she sent Hurricane Katrina careening into basically the same area that Hurricane Camille hit in 1969. This book describes the events as Katrina roared into Diamondhead, Mississippi, a 35-year-old retirement community of 8,000 residents that sits on the top of the Bay of St. Louis, five miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. Diamondhead is located just to the right of where the eye of the storm hit. The book also touches on the devastation of surrounding towns such as the Kiln, Waveland and Bay St. Louis and more. (Title) is a gripping portrait of a small community, convinced that water would never come over Interstate Highway 10 (I-0) and reach its streets. Diamondhead was thrown into chaos as the fury of Katrina sent tornadoes and floodwaters of up to thirty feet of water into its streets and homes. The national media failed to consider this community as hard hit by Katrina although some 500 homes were uninhabitable following the storm. First-hand, personal and bizarre survival stories of real people, many who stayed for the storm, are revealed as they remember that terrifying day. These detailed anecdotes are accompanied by dozens of photos. This is the story of a community that was left to rely on its wits, ingenuity, generosity and neighbors in order to return their lives to normalcy. It is definitely a book for armchair storm chasers.