About 200 people gathered on the Biloxi Town Green this morning to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in a ceremony that Mayor A.J. Holloway said was a display of thanks.
“This morning,” Holloway said in his brief remarks, “we’re going to give thanks, thanks for what we’ve been through, thanks for where we are today, thanks for those who helped us get there, and thanks for where we are headed. We’re also going to remember those who are not with us today.”
Holloway was joined by a half-dozen religious leaders, students from local high schools and the choir of Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, which wrapped up the 45-minute program with a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.”
“God has been good to Biloxi and the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Holloway told audience members. “We have a new outlook on life, and a new appreciation for what’s really important in life. It’s not your car. Or your clothes. Or your possessions. It’s being alive and knowing the importance of family and friends – and knowing that we all have a Higher Power.”
Also attending the ceremony was a contingent of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workers from throughout the Southeast, led by southeast region director Bob Young of Atlanta.
To see photos from this morning’s ceremony and a list of participants, click here.
More Katrina observances, commentary
Katrina & Biloxi on Coast TV 13: The city’s 50-minute documentary “Katrina & Biloxi” will be presented Coastwide on Cable One’s Coast TV Cable 13 this evening at 8:30 and 10:30. Mayor A.J. Holloway introduces the award-winning documentary with a reminder about the dangers of storms and flooding. To see a trailer for the cablecast, click here. For background on the documentary and companion photo album, click here.
East Biloxi recovery: A memorial observance focusing on east Biloxi will be staged on the Town Green from 5 to 8 this evening. Councilman Bill Stallworth will provide a progress report on east Biloxi during the event, which is being organized by the Steps Coalition, which includes the Biloxi NAACP, Mississippi Center for Justice and the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief & Redevelopment Agency.
Second annual Katrina Walk: The Catholic Churches of east Biloxi will begin the walk at Our Mothers of Sorrows Catholic Church on Division Street at 6 p.m. and will follow a route that includes Blessed Francis Seelos Catholic Church, Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church and ending at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. A decade of the Rosary will be prayed at each church. Transportation will be provided to those unable to walk the route. Details: 435-0007.
Biloxi at two years: To read Mayor Holloway’s thoughts on Biloxi at the two-year point, post-Katrina, click here.
MDOT seeks pre-, post-Katrina photos
Representatives of the Mississippi Department of Transportation are at Biloxi City Hall today through 3 p.m., seeking pre- and post-Katrina photographs for possible use in the ceremony and materials marking the November opening of the new Biloxi Bay Bridge.
Photos taken by local residents will be used as part of a slide show that will launch the bridge-opening ceremony in November. Selected images may also be used in a book of stories and images of the Coast’s recovery from Katrina.
Photos will be scanned and immediately returned.
Photos also will be will received between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., at Biloxi City Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 5, and on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 at Ocean Springs City Hall. Digital files may be e-mailed to sdking@mdot.state.ms.us. Submissions should include a few words identifying the subject of the photo and any thoughts the contributor would like to share.
