This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

Katrina caused devastation far from the eye of the hurricane. It was possibly the largest hurricane of its strength ever recorded. Katrina became the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, and likely the deadliest since 1928.The official death toll now stands at 1,383, the third highest in US history; 6,644 others remain unaccounted for, with 1,300 of them "feared dead". The damage is estimated to be from $100 to $200 billion Over a million people were displaced — a humanitarian crisis on a scale unseen in the U.S. since the Great Depression.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast was devastated by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The City of Bay St. Louis was decimated. Our Lady of the Gulf parish and facilities received major damage - $3.5million. Both Our Lady Academy and the then, Bay Catholic received a total of $3 million dollars in damages.
The Church rectory was completely destroyed. The Adoration Chapel was completely destroyed as well as our mission chapel, St. Joseph’s on Dunbar Avenue. Our Lady of the Gulf Church received major damage as well as our Community Center. A major portion of the roof of the Church was completely destroyed; all the pews were washed out into the Gulf of Mexico; all the doors were blown out; the ornate altar rails was in shambles, completely destroyed; some of the stained glass windows received major damage; our refurbished pipe organ was badly damaged by the salt water; our floor was badly buckled by the weight of the water; our air conditioning/heating systems were totally destroyed as well our sound system and electrical. Mold also became a major problem which needed to be eradicated.
The task of rebuilding and restoring the church started shortly after the hurricane. The roof received temporary repairs initially. Once it was determined that the main structure of the church was structurally sound, the more serious work of restoration begun. Under the guidance of local contractor and parishioner, Mike Gibbens, work on restoration began in October 2005 and continued toward completion, at a cost of over $1 million dollars.
8