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The University of Southern Mississippi will mark its recovery from the greatest natural disaster in modern American history and welcome the man who led the Magnolia State through it at events in Hattiesburg and Long Beach August 26 and 28.
Former Gov. Haley Barbour, who served as Mississippi’s governor during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, will be on the University’s Hattiesburg campus August 26 and the Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach August 28 to speak about the epic natural disaster which is the subject of his book “America’s Great Storm: Leading through Hurricane Katrina” co-authored with Mississippi author and political expert Jere Nash.
The event in Hattiesburg will be held at the University’s Trent Lott National Center beginning at 6 p.m., with the program at Gulf Park set to begin at 8 a.m. in the Fleming Education Center. Barbour will also be available to sign copies of his book following the conclusion of both programs. Both are part of the University’s Hurricane Katrina 10-year anniversary events, bearing the theme “Overcoming Katrina: 10 Years of Progress.”
“We’re looking forward to having Gov. Barbour join us as we commemorate this important anniversary in the history of our University, and recognize his leadership and the work of so many others who helped us rebuild after the storm,” said Dr. Steve Miller, Vice President for the Gulf Park campus.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast August 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people, displacing approximately 1 million more, and causing more than $100 billion in damages. It first made landfall August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane in south Florida, killing before crossing over into the Gulf of Mexico, where it regained strength from the Gulf’s warm waters and at one point reached maximum strength as a Category 5 storm.
A native of Yazoo City, Barbour was elected to two terms as Mississippi’s only second Republican governor since the Reconstruction era. He is a former chair of the Republican National Committee and Republican Governor’s Association, and served as a political advisor to President Ronald Reagan. He was widely praised for his leadership and handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in his home state.
The Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership will be a supporting presenter of Gov. Barbour’s lecture and book signing at the Trent Lott National Center on August 26. The Gulf Coast Business Council, City of Long Beach Mayor’s Office and Mississippi Representative Richard Bennett and the Office of the Vice President Gulf Park campus will present the program on the Gulf Park campus on August 28. Both programs are free and open to the public. To register, visit www.usm.edu/katrinaevent.
David Tisdale is senior writer with the Office of University Communications.