Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour honored for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - August 29, 2005. It’s a date that will be infamously remembered in Mississippi, as the eye of Hurricane Katrina came over Waveland and ravaged the Coast.

Governor Haley Barbour was in office at the time. He remembers the first time he saw the Coast after the storm rolled through.

“It looked like the hand of God had wiped away the coast,” said the former governor. ”Like a nuclear weapon had been dropped in the sound.”

In the wake of tragedy, Governor Barbour fought for Mississippi, and many state leaders today credit Barbour for the Coast’s ability to bounce back.

The Harrison County Republicans honored the former governor at their empowerment dinner Tuesday evening, highlighting his efforts to recover and rebuild.

“We owe Haley part of the reason that we stand here today looking at what’s happened on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann.

“I believe the Lord knew what was coming and He knew the connections Haley Barbour would have, He knew the ability he would have to lead Mississippi out of such destruction,” said Michael Watson, Mississippi’s Secretary of State. ”I truly thank the Lord for placing him at that time and place for Mississippi.”

It would’ve been easy to give up after a storm so destructive, but Governor Barbour and coast residents were not ready to stop the fight.

Some damages can still be seen today, but the coast has emerged stronger and better than before.

“You learn while you’re doing this. We did learn,” said Governor Barbour. ”We have many, many, many people to be thankful to and to be thankful for.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Hurricane Center still report Hurricane Katrina as the costliest storm in American History, causing $201 billion in damages.

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