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MDOT releases documentary to commemorate 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
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JACKSON, MISS. – Today, nearly twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is announcing the release of a documentary that chronicles the restoration of infrastructure following the storm. Now on Youtube, “MDOT Remembers Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years Later,” tells the story of Hurricane Katrina from the first-hand accounts of MDOT’s engineers and state leaders who were at the forefront of preparation, response and rebuilding.
“The vast destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina demanded an extraordinary response, and as usual, the people of Mississippi were up to the task,” said MDOT Executive Director Brad White. “I’m very proud of the men and women of MDOT who were at the tip of the spear to literally clear a path to recovery as well as the MDOT engineers, consultants and contractors who worked tirelessly to rebuild infrastructure following the storm. This documentary is a testament to the dedication of all those who helped the Mississippi Gulf Coast truly recover and the incredible resilience of south Mississippi residents.”
In the nearly 30-minute video produced by MDOT’s Public Affairs Division, the narrative that emerges is not simply a retelling of how bridges were rebuilt, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the major infrastructure recovery that took place and the men and women behind the contracts, cranes and bulldozers. Former Gov. Haley Barbour, Southern Transportation District Commissioner Charles Busby, MDOT Executive Director Brad White, Former MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath and a host of former MDOT engineers are featured in the documentary.
The video serves as a time capsule for anyone curious about how connectivity was restored along the Mississippi Gulf Coast following a storm of epic proportions. The full documentary is now available on MDOT’s YouTube channel @MississippiDOT. Be sure to follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook, Instagram and X to see shorts of the video each day this week and watch MDOT’s Hurricane Katrina story unfold.
Quotes from “MDOT Remembers Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years Later:”
“Katrina was one of those storms that reset the watch for everyone. Reset the calendar, became one of those events that you referred back to over time as ‘before Katrina’ or ‘after Katrina.’” – Commissioner Charles Busby, Southern Transportation District
“You know, after Camille, we didn’t do so well, but after Katrina, because a lot of people helped us, we actually did come back better than ever.” – Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour
“I’m from the Gulf Coast, but when we got down here to look at the damage, we were going down Highway 90 trying to find our way through. There were no street signs. There were no landmarks. There was nothing. So even though I grew up here, I was lost.” – Steve Twedt, P.E., Former MDOT Engineer
“We were literally designing temporary crossovers on I-10 at 2 o’clock in the morning.” – Gabe Faggard, P.E., Former MDOT Engineer
“All the traffic signals were down, all the controllers, they were gone. And it wasn’t just the coast. I mean, it was like six counties deep. You know, we lost everything.” – Melinda McGrath, P.E., Former MDOT Executive Director
“When weather is at its worst, MDOT is at its best. I have a lot of confidence that our maintenance forces and our folks are ready for any type of natural disaster that comes our way, whether it be on the coast or anywhere else in Mississippi, for that matter.” – Brad White, MDOT Executive Director
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