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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Janet Shamlian reports from Pass Christian, Miss., where Hurricane Isaac has completely flooded roads and destroyed a marina.
Isaac dumped relentless rain on southern Mississippi as it moved north from the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, flooding low-lying homes and highways, washing away a pier and knocking out power to thousands of residents.
Schools and many businesses closed, and city officials reported flooding and downed trees and power lines. No major injuries were reported in the state.
The scale of destruction was much less severe than during Hurricane Katrina seven years ago almost to the day. Katrina obliterated some coastal towns in Mississippi and left more than 230 people dead in the state.
Isaac, which had been a Category 1 hurricane, weakened to a tropical storm by midday Wednesday and a gradual weakening was forecast over the next 48 hours as it continued to move farther inland.
Follow Isaac's path with our storm tracker
Utility companies said more than 24,000 south Mississippi homes lost power earlier Wednesday, most in areas of the three coastal counties of Jackson, Harrison and Hancock.
Other scattered outages were reported in portions of south Mississippi north of the coast.
Hancock County Supervisor David Yarborough told The Associated Press that Isaac washed away a county pier in Bay St. Louis.
"From all indications it's not going to be a major wind event. It's going to be a water event," Bay St. Louis Mayor Les Fillingame said, according to the Sun Herald.
Rogelio V. Solis / AP
Gulf waters swamp an American Legion fishing pier in Bay St. Louis, Miss., as Isaac's winds and storm surge flood some low-lying neighborhoods on Wednesday.
In Waveland in Hancock County, floodwaters surrounded the building housing WQRZ radio in Shoreline Park. Brice Phillips, leader of the station, told the Sun Herald he called emergency management to come rescue three staff members while he stayed behind to keep the station running.
Brian “Hootie” Adam, Hancock County emergency management director, told NBC News it wasn't immediately clear how bad the flooding was in residential areas because crews were unable to get to the houses. “We’re kind of hunkered down to the point where we’re not doing a whole lot of traveling,” he said.
In eastern Biloxi, water stood 2 or 3 feet deep on parts of U.S. Highway 90, which runs past casinos, The AP reported. The Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered coast casinos to close Tuesday before Isaac pushed ashore in Louisiana.
A downgraded Isaac floods coastal communities and forces new evacuations, but levees still hold.
In Diamondhead, Miss., population 2,000, City Manager Richard Rose said about half the city lost power.
"Everything on the south side of the interstate in Diamondhead is impassible," he told The Sun Herald.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Related:
Evacuations, rescues as Hurricane Isaac tops levee
A resident reports from Mississippi town destroyed by Katrina
Images, updates via Weather Channel
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I am sorry that the people in this area of the country have had to deal with another storm--probably won't be the last. I wish them well with their recovery. But, guess where some of the help will come from? It will come from the big, bad government!
Your concerns are kind and no doubt appreciated, and I mean that. However, as for the "big, bad government", somehow Americans have come to think in extremes, as indicated by your comment. I know many good, intelligent people who believe in limited, efficient government. That should not mean others translate their beliefs as all government intervention is bad. We have to get over that way of thinking. You must understand that those in the region suffered terribly after Katrina. Mississippi, which bore the brunt of it, began to recover far more smoothly and efficiently than did Louisiana largely due to the way state and local government, rather than federal, handled the recovery. Also, faith-based organizations made a long-term commitment to assistance in the region, with many churches still sending volunteers over a year later.
Your point is well made. But, I just wish people would recognize that the government (our taxes) does serve us well on many occasions.
Although we (our family) has never had to live through this type of damaging storm, just reading about it and seeing the pictures is enough to make us realize the destruction caused by the torrent of water, falling trees, crumbled structures, etc.
Those of you that live in the region must be very strong and love it so much when you are willing to remain and even rebuild despite these events. I'm pretty sure that I would hightail it out of there after experiencing even one hurricane after knowing how bad it can get. Stay strong!
I hope THE BEST for these folks!
God Bless them.
They are strong people!
Either you believe in government "handouts" or you don't.
It can't just be when the handouts are for you and those who look like you.
If you want the government to help you in your plight, you should support it when others are helped, too.
Thank goodness the outcomes are not tragic. Help will be arriving shortly to this area. For all our fussing, American citizens do help each other out.
I have lived on the Gulf Coast for over 40 years. I know this is hurricane alley. Hey I moved from Tornado alley. We know we are going to get a hurricane every few years. We should be prepared and not surprised. I have lived through 9 hurricanes maybe more. I have lost trees and part of my house. That is the price you pay for living here. I get so tired of people waiting for a government handout for it. If it is too much for you....move.
Do you include State,Parish and City governments in your description of "big,bad government" > Big bad government is the one who makes you,against your wish, buy insurance.Big,bad government is one that forces small businesses to close because of cronyism.Big,bad governemnt is one that puts illegal aliens wishs and political expedenicies over the wishes of the legal poulation.Big,bad governemnt is a government who give large slices of our money away to near bankrupt companies because of payoff rather than need and still files for bamkruptcy.Big,bad governemnt is one that sells guns to gang members in Mexico and those guns are used to kill American and Mexican citizens.Big,bad covernments is one that spends 5 trillion dollars on absolutely nothing except an attempt to bankrupt this wonderful country in an effort to purposely destroy it.Are these the things that define to you as big bad government? Probably not! You are happy because you get your welfare and subsidy checks every month.All you want is all you need!
"Real Americans" understand this already. This is partly why we pay taxes.
Best part of the storm so far is that no one has lost there life. CNN has been doing an excellent job of continues video reporting through channel 4 WWL and NBC in my opinion hasn't done much and with this being such a huge story I'm quite surprised by NBC's lack of good reporting with all the facts. This story by NBC is so lacking in info its not even funny.
Hopefully this storm goes as far north as possible to give some much needed rain to those regions, I know the Mississippi river could use it big time.
Where the Mississippi River is low is 00 miles north.I seriously doubt that the storm will last that long.The river is fine at New Orleans>
When are they going to start requiring that homes and other buildings in hurricane and flood prone areas be built off the ground to mitigate flood damage?
That makes too much sense to be implemented. Many of these areas have little or no zoning as it is, so such a change could be a hard sell.
ITS A 3RD WORLD STATE DOWN THERE ! And lack of common sense !
Excellent point, but you need to take into account the soil composition and surge expectations before you do it. Driving pilings into soil with a high sand content will be an exercise in futility. You're always going to have the issue of washout followed by collapse. The trickier issue is surge heights. You're talking about land that is very low lying. If you combine it with a substantial continental shelf and high tide, you're going to have surge that is significantly magnified, of longer duration, and covering a wider inland area. And if you're talking about a storm which is geographically large, you're talking about a broader coastal area being impacted. The pilings would have to be made of material that's not only strong enough to survive being hit by surge debris, but would have enough give to it so the connections don't rip away in the wind.
Using a mid-range cat 3 hurricane as an example, if you require homes to be elevated above maximum, by the book, cat 3 surge and you throw in the exact series of conditions I outlined, you're still going to come up a full category and change short. Katrina was a high cat 3 and her surge topped Camille's by a good 3 to 4 feet. Isaac is a long duration storm that barely reached cat 1, but is pushing in surge consistent with higher category storms. You're not going to be able to go by the book when you get into elevating structures above particular surge heights.
They do since Katrina.
I live on the coast and let me tell you nothing bothers me more than someone who makes assumptions about an area they know nothing about. After Katrina the homes and businesses built along the coastline and in flood areas are required to be built up about the ground to avoid flooding.
SteveO and Tetropoda: This area is NOT a 3rd world country and the people here are NOT stupid.
There is really no need to write nasty comments about people who are enduring an extreme weather event.
Just one more thought; the people here continue to live here and return here after storms because even though there are occasional hardships the area is beautiful. We have amazing weather and the folks here are so nice and treat people who visit the area with the utmost respect. This is something people from other regions can learn from us down here.
@ Stevo 14. Its ignorant Yanks like you that make us hate the Yankee nation. We were the richest state in the union before the civil war and after it we were the poorest and still are the poorest. No thanks to Yanks. We are not stupid and us country boys we know how to deal with this @!$%#. If you lived down here you would be the first mother @!$%#er screaming for FEMA. FEMA is considered the new F word down here after Katrina.
Some places are. I have a House on the bay and it is on stilts.
Hey James Stribling, Your state had over 150 years to get over the civil war, and the only reason it was the richest was because of the cheap labor. And if the yanks beat ya in the civil war I guess they weren't too ignorant.
They do that in some states on the beaches.
I know some good people down there in Pearl River Mississippi. Hope everthing went well for them. Does anyone know much about that area?
Just make the worlds largest landfill project, and raise New Orleans (Norlans) to above sea leval, then let the people who want to relocate there do so without government funding. Don't matter if your are Republican or Democrat, land below the sea will get flooded. I'm tired of the government rebuilding them each time a storm comes along. You can build them at 50', at the cost of more for the foundation than the house, why should we pay for their stupidity. Have to shoot a hole in the roof to get out. That way of life is insane. The government better pay me for my roof.
Most of New Orleans is above sea level. When the French first settled it they built it on a hill. During Katrina , most of the places in the french Quarter didn't even close. The French apparently were smarter than the later resident's. I have family there from before America acquired Louisiana. they knew enough to get out and came back when the water subsided.
I am sure that the majority in MS - who hate the President and the federal government - will soon be crying for both to come to their assistance.
I am from Jackson Mississippi and live in Starkville Mississippi now and we don't hate Obama or the federal government. We are the poorest state in the country and we need all the assistance we can get.
Ronald Kirchem:
Just a bit much of a generalization as indicated by James Stribling's statements. Any idea how many people in MS that did vote for the President? You do hope "they" are helped; yes?
Don't hold your breath on that Ronald. You couldn't be more wrong!
who told you that, Ronald?
I felt badly for everyone the 1st time...! but ya know..now I don't...! THERE IS A REASON YOU DONT LIVE BELOW SEA LEVEL...BILLIONS $$$'S ON A MAN MADE CONSTRUCTED LEVY VS MOTHER NATURE ?
COMMON SENSE LACKS HERE....SORRY THAT HOW I FEEL. LOTS OF PLACES TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRYTHAT ARE SAFER !
This story, is about Mississippi. So, what is your point?
Third world state, "land mass"? Stevo people like your pompous ass make me sick.
If you have NO idea about the people who live in the South, you need not speak.
The homes that WERE elevated like mine were inundated with 32 feet of water.
Not only that, but we are "inundated" with people who have moved from up North and everywhere else in the US
just to be able to live here.
As Isaac blows through New orleans, AC returns to the birthplace of his crusader rabbit persona " keeping them honest", which with his posing one tough question he launched his stumble-tongued career.
To bad for the loss of property. However, property is replacable. Just get out and work and start over. Don't cry for help, help yourselves. Yes, I've had to start over with nothing before and did without government intervention. I believe that is called ethics which seems as though few people have anymore.
Thank you butterfly. I agree 100%. You made a choice to live there, you lost your house, so it is YOUR responsibility to rebuild. Now you should have insurance. If not, that doesn't make it my problem. I am raising my son to take responsibility for his choices in life and accept the consequences of those choices. That might mean, NOT living in an area subject to catastrophic weather. Perhaps move inland 60 miles like my parents did who live down there.
There are builing codes that went into effect after Katrina...this clip is from a harbor..idiot
What? Mississippi was spared the wrath of Katrina?? This author missed something. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi was devastated with the greatest amount of deaths and the greatest amount of dollar damage. Homes and businesses along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi took the direct hit from Katrina. They were completely obliterated from one end to the other of the MS Gulf Coast. The Tidal Surge was over 39 feet high and went for a mile inland. Extreme damage was done to homes and businesses over 100 miles inland from the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans escaped the Wrath of Katrina. If Katrina had went into New Orleans like Isaac then there would be no New Orleans. New Orleans would be History. Flooding was New Orleans problem. That an incompetent Mayor Nagin and equally incompetent Gov Kathleen Blanco.
New Orleans is ALWAYS the "star darling" of the media.
Mainly for reasons I will not need to mention.
The MS Gulf Coast from Waveland to Biloxi was all but leveled in Katrina.
And we are not doing much better with this storm.
I know because I live at ground zero for Katrina, Pass Christian, MS.
We re-built and you did not hear us whine TOO much until we found out the coverage "poor New Orleans" was receiving.
"retired Hurricane Hunter",, MS.
I agree with many that people hate government until they need it. Ask Michelle Bachman about requesting federal aid, only to turn around and bad mouth everything from Obama to Social Security. These are the types of politicians that make me sick. They are such hypocrites and so are the people that vote for them. You can't have it both ways. If these Republicans want to make a point, start feeling some of the pain like most of us and refuse the money. If some Americans can't see what hateful and greedy people are in the Tea Party, then you deserve nothing. The problem is these people you hold so high aren't just taking their credibility and their state voters credibility down, but the entire country.
I feel extremely sorry for the loss of peoples lives, homes, and livelihoods due to these storms. But it still befuddles me as to why we as a nation keep pumping millions if not billions into a city that is below sea level, and getting farther below sea level each year. Mother nature will eventually have her way soon as global warming is also increasing the sea level and that city will soon be history. Think about it.
Southern Mississippi is not a "city". This was not about New Orleans. Read before commenting.
Buffaloes Roam. I can't agree more, but that part of Southern Mississippi is in jeopardy by geological location. Thanks for comment.
I don't believe this article was about New Orleans. It was about Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
Well there is a silver Lining..... The Mississippi River will rise and allow barge traffic to resume. It really suck that the people in the gulf coast have to go through this, but the Mississippi valley really needed this shot of water. Unfortunately there has probably been too much damage already done to the crops from the drought
I noticed while watching Brian Williams tonight that not one of the Repubs they interviewed tonight even acknowledged the hurricane and the people living thru it.If I am wrong please alert me to this mistake.The only thing they talked about in Tampa was Queen Ann 's and Fat Boy's speech.Also if Ryan is ready to solve the problems we are now facing where was he at for past 14 years.
My issue with the government bailing out AGAIN the people that choose to live on the coast is that the government doesn't do squat. It is taxpayers that bail them out and I am tired of it. I choose to NOT live in an area that is subject to weather catastrophes. SO, if these people cannot afford the insurance to live on the coast then they should not live there and I should not be forced to pay for them to live there. No problem if you want to live on the coast and accept the danger that goes with it. But, why is it my problem when your house gets destroyed from something predictable like a hurricane. It is going to happen, not if, we just don't know when.
And the world will end too.
But, you are right in one aspect.
We just don't know when.
sooner than we think.
Jls: Then have everyone on the west coast move because it is earthquake prone. Move out of the midwest because it is drought prone. Move out of the front range of the Rockies because it is fire prone. Move out of Chicago, NYC, Detroit, etc. because they are bullet riddled. Move out of Kansas and Oklahoma because they are tornado prone. Move out of Washington DC because it is full of imbeciles and prone to spend your taxes fighting and killing people on the other side of the world instead of here. Please think before you post something like this again.
Hurricanes, of this magnitude, for the past five hundred years we have on record normally hit the USA once every 50-70 years. But, since 1980 has been coming every 5-7 years.
Cannot confirm if this is the Earth's going through a Climate Change or not.
Just that, Mitt Romney proclaims if elected, he will do away with all Green Energy Initiatives, put in place by Obama, ala, Carter and Gore.
---Romney pledges to make North America the
Fossil Fuel Capitalof the World---and that would finish us off quicker than he could say " I was born here ".
That's hogwash! Try asking the people who live there.I lived in that area until I was 16.I went through at least 4 hurricanes that I can remember.That would blow a hole in your data!
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Im going to build a house on top of a volcano! And when my house is destroyed and i am badly burned, i am going to demand that all you people and the government come bail me out! Then i will collect my money from the insurance companys and government (tax payers) and i will rebuild in the same location. And I Will be expecting you all to be helping me next year as well!! ect... ect... ect... p.s. i hope George W. Bush will not torture me with his weather machine while i am living on this volcano
Let me guess, you are a potato farmer in Idaho.
Let's be thankful it wasn't a catagory 2 . That would be disaster. (sarcasm)
NOLA is below sea level and the levees are simply holding water back, as best as possible. We do not have in the US a system such as they do in Holland that has never failed. Of course, they have no hurricanes. Maybe nature is telling us to move further in land...and we should listen instead of constantly rebuilding. We need to adjust to the changes and move on. New-Orleans will, at some point be under water, completely. I am guessing sooner than later.
I find it highly amusing that Republican governors who espouse "big" government started calling for federal assistance even before Issac hit their states! Hyprocrisy at its finest! Go republicans ! And keep going , and keep going , until you find a country that you can control. Please leave mine.
"Big" government and "NEEDED" government are two very different animals.
One thing liberals have a really hard time understanding.
I wish it were that easy. Tell them to go away...instead, they are in our faces with their obtuse minds, small intellects and huge egos. It is really against nature to be that dumb and have that many followers, totally snowed.
You could be no more correct.
Liberals have limited capacity.
They follow well.
But tend to fall off of cliffs.
I figured Mississippi would get some flooding and limited power outages, but I don't think anyone predicted this thing (Isaac) would just stall. I have heard it is not near as bad as Katrina by a long shot, but this rain....ugh! I predict they will be drying out for awhile. Some people will ask, why don't they move? How about you ask some of your neighbors? Come on, everyone has a few living within a block or so...the ones that hate it where they are at. I am sure...if it were that easy, they wouldn't be around to ask. Gots to take my hat off to them, though. Must be tough living through things like this. I am sure that Mississippi, Louisianna, Alabama, etc. will need all the help they can get in short order, so that recovery will be swift. We can do this people!
It's about time we see an article about Mississippi's fate. I'm so tired of hearing about Louisiana and New Orleans and never hearing a thing about the ones who have suffered the most. God bless you all and good luck with your recovery.