Biloxi Damage
I have been to New Orleans since the hurricane and although the devastation of the Ninth Ward is still starkly evident, at least the Big Easy itself seems well on the way to recovery. Truly, walking around downtown Nawlins at night hardly seems different than before.
But Biloxi is decades from reaching it's pre-hurricane prosperity. Over a year later, and the recovery, although evident, still seems hopelessly slow. As you drive down the coastline, you are met with miles of empty foundations of the stately antebellum homes that were swept away by the storm.
There are signs of the destruction everywhere...hotels, casinos, restaurants, churches, all gutted by the wind and water. If you stand in the front drive of the Beau Rivage itself, you can see the terrible reminders. There are piers that are unusable, covered only by resting seabirds. And there are the warnings, spray-painted on the sides of shattered buildings, a testament to the desperate hours after the calamity, that say, "We are home. Will shoot. Don't loot" or "Will shoot to kill."
But Biloxi is creeping back to life. There are signs of construction everywhere, mostly from out-of-state entities looking to take advantage of the lowered property values. The gleaming, newly-refurbished casinos are beautiful and they are pumping an increasing stream of revenue into this horrifically impoverished area.
What once was a moral eye-sore in Mississippi is now the only beacon of hope for this coastal town. Biloxi already features seven big casinos: The Beau Rivage, the Grand, the Isle of Capris, the Hard Rock, the Palace, the IP, and Boomtown.
The Beau Rivage
Some people may disagree with having a poker tournament in a brand-new casino with so much debris of the tragedy still lying everywhere. But, working this tournament makes me feel good about my contribution to the local economy. This Gulf Coast Championship is the first major poker tournament for Biloxi since the terrible storm.
It is a symbol of what people can overcome.
