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Mississippi's Recovery, Fast and Steadfast
by Wilma Larwill
http://www.atmississippi.com
When Hurricane Katrina struck, the whole world watched in
shock and horror how the hard work of generations melted
away into nothingness. The images of death and mass
destruction shook the world community from its roots. In the
blink of an eye we saw the hopes and dreams of residents
shatter to bits in the devastating storm.
As the true extent of the damage from Hurricane Katrina
became more evident, news anchors and commentators began
asking whether or not places like Mississippi could ever
possibly recover. Still others began to wonder, as in the
case with New Orleans, whether it was even wise to think
about rebuilding in an area known to be prone to
hurricanes.
But, it is certainly not in the character of the people of
United States and especially those of the state of
Mississippi to give up so easily. The fact that it will take
a few years to recover from the damage is the last thing
that will daunt the residents of Mississippi. However, the
need for recovering and rebuilding is imperative from a more
practical point of view, as Mississippi holds a large sway
in the economic health of not only the region but of the
United States as a whole.
The state of Mississippi functions as the gatekeeper for the
mighty Mississippi River that is the backbone of the economy
of the United States and the state of Mississippi in
particular. The river is used to transport millions of tons
of products every year. Hurricane Katrina temporarily
disrupted the ability of people to use the Mississippi for
transportation services causing severe damage to the local
and national economy.
In addition to being a gateway to the river, Mississippi is
also a state where a substantial part of the nation's energy
is converted into a consumable form such as petrol, diesel
and gasoline apart for other petroleum products. The
hurricane Katrina seems to have impaired all the facilities
that are responsible for energy production located on and
just off the coast of Mississippi. Hence the damage has its
impact across the nation.
In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, energy prices
shot up due to the severe disruption to refining capacity at
the time when the nation was struggling to cope with the
devastation. Almost 25 percent of the nation's petroleum
comes from the Gulf Coast states and Mississippi is vital to
that industry. In fact, 80% of Mississippi's total mineral
production comes from petroleum and its products.
While the petroleum industry bore the brunt of the
hurricane, the local fishing industry also got affected
albeit to a lesser degree. Hurricane Katrina wiped out
Biloxi, the major hub of the shrimp industry.
Given the economic importance of the region, the amount of
money being invested in rebuilding the Gulf Coast states,
like Mississippi, is huge. This will ensure that the region
is sure to not just recover its original glory but attain a
stronger place in the economy in the years to come.
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