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Photographer shares incredible video of storm surge in Biloxi Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT MY VEHICLE, SO I DO NOTSEE THE VIDEO, BUT WE ARE HOPINGTHAT WHAT WE SEE NOW IS THEWORST OF IT.WE WERE LOOKING FROM THE EARLYREPORTS, WE WERE THINKING WEWOULD HAVE A FREIGHT TRAIN, AFAST-MOVING FREIGHT TRAIN COMETHROUGH.IT IS NOT LIVING UP TO THAT, BUTSTILL IT MERITS RESPECT.AND WE HAVE ISOLATED CASES OFPOWER OUTAGES OVER HERE, WE ARESTARTING TO SEE THE STREETFLOODING ON HIGHWAY 90, RUNNINGON THE BEACHFRONT.SO THE WAVES ARE CRASHINGAGAINST THE SEAWALL NOW.IN SOME AREAS IT IS ACROSS THEHIGHWAY, HIGHWAY 90, BUT WE DONOT SEE THE SUPER FEELING THATWE HAD THE CATEGORY 2 MAKINGLANDFALL WITH STORM SURGE OF 11FEET.IT SEEMS TO BE IT ISFAST-MOVING, BUT ORGANIZED.SULA: THERE WAS A MANDATORYEVACUATION OF THE LOW-LYING ANDA FLOOD PRONE AREAS THAT WENTINTO EFFECT AROUND 2:00 P.M.DO YOU KNOW IF THOSE FOLKS,THOSE RESIDENTS, DID THEY TAKETHE WARNING AND EXACTLY? -- ANDEVACUATE?>> I DO NOT KNOW THE NUMBERS,BUT I KNOW A NUMBER OF PEOPLETOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT.AND WE ALSO IMPLEMENTED A CURFEWIN THE AREA AND SURROUNDINGAREAS, IT WENT INTO EFFECT AT7:00 P.M. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THATRESPECTED THAT.THE OTHER CONCERN WE HAD, WAS WEHAD THOUSANDS OF VISITORS INTOWN FOR CRUISING THE COAST, ANDTHOSE VISITORS WERE FROM ACROSSTHE COUNTRY AND THEY HAD NO IDEATHAT THE TROPICAL CLIMATE THATWE LIVE IN, WHICH IS SOBEAUTIFUL SO MANY DAYS OF THEYEAR, WE HAD ISSUES AND WE KNEWIT WOULD BE COMING AND WE WERESO HAPPY THAT THEY HEEDED THEADVICE AND DECIDED TO LEAVEEARLY.AND THAT WAS OUR BIGGESTCONCERN.WE HAD OVER 700 RV'S ON THEBEACHFRONT AND THEY MOVED OUT ONSATURDAY MORNING.AND THEN THE STORM CAME ONSATURDAY NIGHT.IT IS REALLY WHIPPING ON THEBEACH RIGHT NOW, WAVES CRASHINGAGAINST THE SEAWALL AND IN A LOTOF PLACES, THE STORM SURGECOMING IN AND ACROSS HIGHWAY 90.GOOD NEWS, WE DO NOT THINK ITWILL BE ANYWHERE NEAR AS SEVEREAS IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT.-- BILLED.SCOTT: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING ANDHOW BAD IS IT?>> I AM AT THE FOOT OF HIGHWAY90, RIGHT THERE BY THE COASTCOLISEUM.AND I CANNOT SEE THE HIGHWAYBECAUSE IT IS INUNDATED RIGHTNOW.THE WAVES ARE CRASHING INTO THESEAWALL.AND THE WAVES IN SOME INSTANCES,THEY ARE GOING AS HIGH AS FIVEFEET.I'M TALKING ABOUT THE SPRAY.RIGHT NOW, THE SURGE COMING TOTHE FRONT OF IT.I'M WATCHING IT COME ACROSSHIGHWAY 90.AND LIKE I SAID, IT IS SOMETHINGSIGNIFICANT, BUT THANKFULLYNOWHERE NEAR WHAT WE HAD FEARED.AND AS MUCH AS MEDIA CANFORECAST WHERE THE STORMS CANGO, THEY WERE SPOT ON WITH THIS,BUT IT IS NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE,SO EVERYBODY NEEDS TO MAKE SURETHAT THEY CONTINUE TO ABIDE BYTHE CURFEW AND IT IS IN EFFECTUNTIL NINE ABOUT HIM TOMORROWMORNING.THEN WILL HAPPEN IS THEEMERGENCY WORKERS, WHO I AM GLADTO SAY WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEPTHE POLICE DEPARTMENT OUT ON THESTREETS, NOT MANY OF THEM NOWBUT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVETHEM ON THE STREETS ALL NIGHTLONG, JUST LOOKING OUT FORPEOPLE AND THEIR PROPERTY, ETC.TOMORROW MORNING WE WILL DOASSESSMENTS OF THE ROADWAYS ANDLOOKING AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNALSMAKING SURE WE CAN GET UP ANDRUNNING AS SOON AS WE CAN.WE WANT TO END ON A HIGH NOTETHAT THE STORM WAS NOT BAD, ANWE WANT TO BE BACK IN FULLOPERATION ON MONDAY MORNING.SULA: LOOKS LIKE3ANCHOR: LOOKS LIKE HIGHWAY 90 ISONE OF THE PROBLEM SPOTS.THERE WAS HEAVY FLOODING ANDALSO EXIT 44 CEDAR LAKE.AS FAR AS WE KNOW SO FARTONIGHT, ASIDE FROM THE GOLDENNUGGET, WHICH WE SEE SIGNIFICANTFLOODING THEIR, DO YOU KNOW OFANY DAMAGES OR ACCIDENTSREPORTED?>> NO.THERE WAS A RESCUE ON THENORTHERN SIDE OF THE BILOXIPENINSULA IN A LOW-LYING AREWHERE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERSHAD TO RESCUE A FAMILY OF FOURIN A VAN, A MAN AND A WOMAN ANDA 14-YEAR-OLD AND AFOUR-YEAR-OLD.THAT WAS A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO.WE WERE HAPPY TO SAY THAT THATRESCUE WAS SUCCESSFUL.THEY WERE IN THE VAN IN A VERYLOW-LYING AREA, AND THE VANSTARTED TAKING ON WATER.THAT WAS WHEN WE RECEIVED THECALL.OUR PEOPLE RESPONDEDIMMEDIATELY.A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZETHAT WHEN THAT WIND GETS UP TO60 MILES AN HOUR, THE FIRSTRESPONDERS CAN'T GO OUT IN THAT.IT JEOPARDIZES THEIR LIVES ASWELL AS THE ACCESS THEY USED TOPROTECT LIVES.WE'VE HAD BOATERS MOVE THEIRBOATS TO SAFER ANCHORAGE OF THEBAY OF BILOXI.OUR RESIDENTS HAVE DONE A GOODJOB.THE CASINOS SHUT DOWN THISAFTERNOON AT 5:00 SO THEEMPLOYEES WERE ABLE TO GO HOMEAND TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES,ETC.THE CASINO HOTELS REMAINED OPEN.AS WERE THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERESTAYING THERE WERE ABLE TOLAUNCH.SCOTT: DO YOU KNOW IF THE GOLDENNUGGET'S "MARK -- NUGGET ISOPEN?>> NO, THE CASINO FLOORS ARECLOSED.THE CASINO HOTELS ARE OPEN.THAT DECISION HAD TO BE MADEBECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT TOOUR ECONOMY, BUT WE ARE NEVERGOING TO DO ANYTHING THAT PUTSANYBODY IN JEOPARDY.THE OTHER THING TO HER MEMBERABOUT THESE CASINOS IS THEY WEREBUILT IN SUCH A WAY TO WHERETYPICALLY THE MAIN LOBBIES AREELEVATED.LIKE I SAID, I HAVEN'T SEEN THEVIDEO YOU ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT.IN SOME CASES THE BOTTOM FLOORIS USUALLY A WASH THROUGH AREA.FOR INSTANCE, AT THE HARD ROCK,THERE ARE NO FACILITIES ONGROUND LEVEL AT THE HARD ROCKCASINO DOWN THE STREET.TYPICALLY THERE IS A LOT OFFLOODING ON HIGHWAY 90 IN FRONTOF THE HARD ROCK.BUT YOU HAVE DRIVEN THIS HIGHWAYBEFORE.YOU KNOW THAT IN SOME CASES,HIGHWAY 90 IN A COUPLE OF AREASIS ACTUALLY BELOW SEA LEVEL, BUTCERTAINLY BELOW THE BEACH.SCOTT: THE GOLDEN NUGGET APPEARSTO BE WATER COMING IN FROM APARKING AREA AND BLOWING INTOWHAT APPEARS TO BE A LOBBY AREA.IT MAY JUST BE A BANK OFELEVATORS ON THE OTHER SIDE OFTHE STORE.>> EXACTLY.I'VE GOT A FEELING IT'S PROBABLYTHE GROUND LEVEL.WHENEVER WE WERE BILLED, AND THESAME THINGS YOU ALL DID IN NEWORLEANS, WE REBUILD IN A WAYTHAT WE CAN MINIMIZE ANY DAMAGEFROM FUTURE STORMS.IT WAS MORE EXTENSIVE TO BUILDUP -- EXPENSIVE TO BUILD UP, BUTIT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.