WAVELAND, Miss. – What so far has been spotty progress in replacing the thousands of dwellings wiped out across Hancock County by Hurricane Katrina appears poised to morph into the biggest residential construction boom the county has ever seen.
From single homes in Waveland being lovingly rebuilt by church volunteers, to north county subdivisions where dozens of houses will soon rise, “People are really starting to pick up the pace,” says Mickey Lagasse, the county’s chief building official. “I think we’re going to see a huge boom in construction in the next few years.”
For weeks and months after the storm, there was very little action as builders and owners of destroyed or damaged homes waited for lots to be cleared, insurance companies to settle -- or not -- and new building requirements to become clear.
By late April, eight months after the storm, Bay St. Louis had issued permits to replace or build “only about 14 or 15 homes,” says Donna Billingsley of the building department. The pace of repair work has been much more rapid, with a total of 2,065 permits issued, and Billingsley believes the town is about to explode with residential construction because “it’s been crazy lately” with homeowners and builders requesting information.
Home-building in neighboring Waveland also got off to a slow start after Katrina, but 51 houses are now under construction with 16 more in the wings, says chief building official Otis Sharpe. “We’re blowing and going.”
'I don't think I will be able to keep up'
Sharpe says he spends most of his week answering questions for homeowners and builders at the city’s makeshift complex of portable buildings at Coleman and Central avenues, helping them apply for permits and fill out other paperwork. He checks plans and blueprints on the weekends. “Soon, I don’t think I will be able to keep up,” he says.
Dan McManus' home on Nicholson Avenue is among 51 houses now under construction in Waveland.
County building officials also have been busy, says Lagasse, with 250 to 300 new homes started in unincorporated areas since the storm. That’s lower than the pre-Katrina average of permits for about 80 new homes and mobile homes a month, but Lagasse expects recent subdivision applications to make that number shoot up.
And two giant multi-housing projects also could soon be under way, one bringing more than 1,000 new apartment units to the Lakeshore area and 1,200 condominiums to Bayou Caddy. The condos, to be built near the new Silver Slipper Casino, remain on hold while opponents appeal an adverse ruling on their lawsuit.
Another big player in the new housing game will be Habitat for Humanity, which plans to help up to 1,000 families in the hurricane zone build homes with its sweat-equity, interest-free-loan program.
The Christian-based nonprofit is just getting started in building homes on the more than 50 lots it has acquired in Waveland and Bay St. Louis and hopes to buy a large parcel that could support up to 100 homes in Bay St. Louis, according to local Habitat director Wendy MacDonald.
Expedited zoning process urged
MacDonald, itching to get Habitat clients out of FEMA trailers and into new homes as soon as possible, is hoping the planning and construction process can be speeded up in Bay St. Louis through more frequent meetings of the city’s zoning board, an idea she says the city council agreed to explore last week. The current single monthly meeting means builders, including Habitat, have to plot some of their moves five to seven weeks in advance of picking up a shovel.
Across the storm area, builders say the biggest challenge to moving more quickly is not government red tape. “Our problems are labor and materials,” says Don Halle, secretary-treasurer of the Home Builders Association of the Gulf Coast. “We’re looking at it right now like we’re not really into the full rebuild yet.”
Halle, an owner of Gulf Construction Co. and a member of the state board of contractors, says work has really picked up for his firm in the last month or two, as owners of demolished homes have received their insurance settlements, signed up for grant money and pulled the trigger on rebuilding. Still, many people “are still taking a wait-and-see attitude, especially along the beach. They’re real unsure about what they’re going to do,” he says.
Despite that, Halle’s firm, which typically builds 50 homes a year but is “quite capable of doubling that in the coming year,” is getting booked up like most other builders. “If it gets any worse from here, it’s going to take a long time to get a house built,” he says, from an average of five to six months to eight or nine.
Watching over the push to rebuild in Bay St. Louis is Rhode Island architect Bill Dennis, who led the planning process there as part of Gov. Haley Barbour’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal.
'Some areas could be better than ... before'
With prodding from a “core group” of residents, land owners and builders to preserve the town’s pre-Katrina charm and character, Dennis said after a recent trip to town, “some of the areas could be better than they were before.”
As to quickening the pace, Dennis has helped interested builders in the hurricane areas explore possibilities for manufactured housing. And he too points to issues with insurance, codes and shortages as hobbling efforts so far. He also expects many folks to wait through another storm season, which starts June 1, before fully committing to rebuilding.
“You will see a lot of thing start in October, November. I would expect by next spring, you will see a lot more,” Dennis says. “I think right now people are planting bulbs and in the spring we’ll see flowers.”
The dangers that lurk beneath
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Kimberly, Richland.....archetects and engineers made those structures....the common workin' man can build better and MUCH cheaper....concrete Will work.....you just gotta do it RIGHT!....what do you think the bunkers of our enemys in many wars were built of?....many of those survived....HellFire Missals.....CONCRETE is the answer
andy,ms (Sent May 18, 2006 8:41:17 PM)
Frank, Gulfport. You are welcome in Texas! However, we are coming to Gulfport to rebuild in your area for you.Ashcreek Babtist Church, Azle, Texas. Our Juniors Minister is bringing the teenagers with him as he grew up in Gulfport.Some people cannot tell the difference between Gulfport and New Orleans. Maybe you should continue to rebuild and be happy.
Kathryn Gray (Sent May 19, 2006 10:12:08 PM)
Looks like we need to move away from hurricanes and blizzards on the East Coast, tsunamis and earthquakes on the West Coast and of course floods and tornadoes in the Central Plains! It's too cold in Canada and Mexico has hurricanes and earthquakes too. Maybe we should find a new planet where there is no weather or geological events, and of course where Andy and his friendly band of Rednecks will be able to have a washer in the yard without anyone whining! Fact is anyone anywhere can be next, we need to stick together as a nation and send help where it's needed. Someday we will all get ours and need help with no questions asked.
Mike L, Dallas TX, Formerly Orlando, FL (Sent May 21, 2006 1:08:44 PM)
I have volunteered in Bay St. Louis, and I see the people who are trying to get back to living, and I giv you all a big hand!!! I come from California, and have lived thru the big earthquakes, I moved from there to Las Vegas and had the 100 year flood. There is not a place on this planet that you could live without somekind of disater. So if we as a country could just quit talking about what everybody should do, and do something of real value to help these people, who just want to go back to living their lives
like the rest of us do. We need some real answers to these people problems, as they are our problems also. God told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So if we could just get on to doing the helping as if this was your family & loved ones, and if you were there to see the damage & just how hard it is to even get a meal or gas for your car without going a day for it, or standing in long lines. Then please America get behind these proud people, see what you can do to help. Pat, Murfreesboro, TN
Pat Waters, Murfreesboro, TN (Sent May 21, 2006 4:26:34 PM)
I am so proud of all you people in our southern states rebuilding and staying where you are. We moved to Mo. from Mn. and I love the casual living in Mo. Everyone does their own thing and it is just the way God wants it to be. Stay where you are,rebuild and I pray all go9es well. God Bless!!!!!!!
Kay Lundebreck Lincoln,Mo. (Sent May 21, 2006 4:40:02 PM)
I too am one of the volunteers coming to help! At least I will if I can come up with the $$ to get there!! I am trying!
A couple of our local churches have put out a call for people to come down to MS to help in the cleanup in any way we can. They have already been down a number of times, apparently, and know there is still MUCH work to be done.
Seeing people rant and rave about how the Gulf Coast residents should have been prepared, should take care of themselves, etc. etc. gets me so upset! I did not know how I could be of help to ANYONE, with me being in Michigan and the hurricane victims in LA, MS, AR, and TX. Now I know! I will be coming down mid-June (God willing) to put my back into helping out any way I can! For those of you harping on how the Gulf Coast residents should be getting back to the business of living, come on down!!! Put a little back work into your mouth work!!! Many hands make light work of heavy jobs!!! God bless the volunteers!
JB, Kalamazoo, MI (Sent May 22, 2006 3:13:25 PM)
Has God warned Pat Robertson of a Tsunami?...I don't think so{maybe i need some of that stuff he's takin'}...but i don't want that to happen to anyone....always thought good of Pat...till he got MUMBO JUMBO
andy,ms (Sent May 22, 2006 10:05:44 PM)
A few notes on reconstruction: A number of small details adding perhaps 5-7 percent to the cost of light construction (wood frame or low rise concrete block) can easily double the resistance to horizontal and uplift forces from wind. This is the difference from surviving perhaps 85 mph to 125 mph or more. Note that these forces increase as the square of wind velocity. Pictures on this site of new homes being built on tall concrete block piers for flood survival concern me as these, unless carefully designed for shear and bending, may fail laterally under wind load and drop the structure.
Wind aside, the real problem is flooding. Several writers correctly note that many workers in essential coastal industries are forced economically to live near their jobs. Here government at all levels, via building requirements and flood protection, bears most responsibility to limit damage. Citizens must keep this issue "hot" before government. We all might have to pay a tad more in taxes and consumer prices to finance this.
Throughout history flooding has caused more loss of life and property than all other natural disasters combined. This has been true even in the short 60 year history of my own community, which averages about 4 inches of rain a year!
I have grown up in construction, designed and built my own homes, and presently work with Habitat For Humanity (a wonderful organization) building homes here. Habitat homes go well beyond current code requirements but are very economical; in parts of Florida after hurricane Andrew, Habitat homes were the only ones standing. Safe homes don't have to be unduly expensive!
Bob Joy, Ridgecrest, ca. (Sent May 26, 2006 1:39:19 PM)
YA'LL ARE SO FUNNY,ANDY DUDE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.LOL
WELL, IM FROM HATTIESBURG,MS WENT TO SCHOOL IN BOTH DIXIE AND PETAL AND MY FAMILY LIVES IN BOTH AS WELL.AND NO MATTER WHAT ILL ALWAYS CALL IT HOME.AND WAY TO GO "JOHN WAYNE" I BELIVE IT WAS THE POLICE CHIEF OR GOV. NOT SURE, THAT GOT THE ICE TRUCKS WHO THAT STOOD UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT. LOVE AND KISSES TO EVERYONE
WINNSBORO,TX (Sent May 27, 2006 12:19:47 AM)
Since the occurence of Katrina, I've had much reason to be proud of being a Mississipian. While New Orleans recieved so much attention, those of our coastal areas were overlooked and forgotten. They immediately rallied together, neighbor to neighbor, stranger to stranger, in a common goal of protecting the communities to which they belonged. While they did wonder where the aid was and when or if it might arrive, they initiated the recovery of their wounded and dead, intiated the restoration. They didn't wait for a handout but did desire a helping hand and have received much assistance from the citizens of our country and those benefactors both local and national as well as international. I admire their strength, perseverence, and dedication to their area. Many will choose to leave the area but it will most likely be those who were transplanted from elsewhere to begin with. Not only is there an economic reason for their staying, there is a connection to the land that anyone should be able to understand. It's home and home is not just a constructed building where you lay your head at night; it's so much more.
RLS, Brookhaven, MS (Sent May 29, 2006 2:16:51 PM)
hey man, seen where ol' Pat lifted a ton leg lift....football players can't do that...does that add to his creatibity?....and i used to think da dude wuz cool
andy,ms (Sent May 29, 2006 5:20:34 PM)
Maybe he doesn't know his numbers.
Jane, Southern Mississippi (Sent Jun 16, 2006 11:21:35 PM)
I've been a builder in Bay ST Louis for over 20 years. My parents home was completely destroyed by hurricane katrina,gone,vacant lot. That same home made it through hurricane camille. I just finished a new home, 200 yards up the street,north, from my parents home, just before katrina hit and all out of wood, it had 8' feet of water in it, and was built by the same Dade county code that Flordia adobted and stood.
It's not about Wood, concrete block ,steel,concrete ,modular homes, etc. If you were on the beach and did'nt have a 2 story parking garage underneath, it was coming down.Granted , a couple of homes made it, one being that of an architect, (concrete foundatin and wood), go figure,and some older homes at higher elevations.
The Ms Gulf Coast will come back.Let them put the 2 story garages under plush condos on the beach, they can take a katrina, 90% of residental construrction can't take it.( period )... Thanks for all the voulonteers that help us in Bay St Louis , Waveland and the entire coast. It's all about giving, thanks again
M. E. (Sent Jun 23, 2006 12:13:58 AM)
While I agree that more construction in Mississippi should be in concrete, the forces experienced during hurricane Katrina far exceeded the structural limits of all building materials.
Although there are many frame homes here, and the building code is severely lacking, concrete would not have saved many homes in this area. In fact, several elevated frame homes survived where concrete structures failed.
As a structural engineer that personally witnessed the hurricane and storm surge first hand, I can assure you that only a government engineered and funded structure could withstand the force of water in this type of situation because the common person could not financially afford the mass required to withstand such forces. And sorry, an explanation of mass and density is not appropriate or necessary here.
Every student engineer should be visiting this area to experience the results of such forces of nature. For example, many commercial elevated reinforced poured concrete decks/slabs-both tendon and rebar type failed severely. Some elevated decks/slabs that did not fail because of negative dynamic loads were beat so severely by waves that only rebar and tendons remained. Entire four lane concrete bridges-girders, beams and decks, were washed away - 3 bridges over a 50 linear mile area... ICF and CBS constructed homes-gone. The only homes that were not destroyed were elevated above the surge water.
In closing, I believe this storm was an anomaly-I hope..., but regardless, ground structures of any type of construction would not have survived. Also of important note is the fact that this storm surge traveled 15 miles inland, across land, and exceeded elevations of 30+ feet. There are no levees in Coastal Mississippi-thankfully!! Beware all of you that live in coastal regions subject to hurricanes. You can cast all the stones you want at MS, but as a prior resident and Construction Engineer of South Florida-Miami and the Keys, you are not as immune as you may think. Check your elevation... As for the rest of the country, pick your natural disaster because they happen everywhere-wildfires, mudslides, earthquakes, ice storms, volcanoes, drought, flooding, tsunamis and hurricanes. It's a wonderful world!!!
Patrick, Bay Saint Louis (Sent Aug 24, 2006 11:24:32 PM)
The constrcution should be in Steel. Steel is the only building product impervious to mold and fungi, they are engineered to withstand upto 210mph winds and the cost of insurance is almost 1/2 of wood and concrete.
Leslie, Bay St Louis (Sent Dec 10, 2007 1:46:17 PM)
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