A look at how far Moss Point has come since 2023 tornado

In a matter of 6 minutes — the lives of Moss Point residents were changed forever when an EF-2 tornado crossed right here at Main Street, destroying hundreds of homes, local businesses, and more. Not only were lives changed, but so was the city these people call home.

“I thought that I was the most blessed person in the world to be in this house and that storm hit like that,” said Gladys Douglas, a Moss Point resident. “And I was sitting right here by the windows, we’re not knowing what is going on.”

“This is devastating, you know,” said Mayor Billy Knight. “That is your first emotion you get when you see something like that.”

This feeling was fleeting as residents and the city went straight to work, picking up the pieces of what was left.

“The thing that got these people through the storm is each other,” Douglas said.

This was a disaster Moss Point had never experienced. 1,400 volunteers showed up to help the city navigate through this tragedy.

“You know, tragedy makes us come together when we would not otherwise,” said Mayor Knight. “And yes, by doing that, you find people who come to help you and they don’t even know you. People came into this community to help us who didn’t even know us.”

WXXV covered these acts of kindness — like when the Cajun Navy came to offer hot meals and cold drinks or when Mennonite Disaster Services rebuilt homes.

Even Gladys Douglas’ landlords gave her back months of rent after she lost everything in her apartment.

Gladys Douglas, MP resident: “It touched me that so many people were out here trying to help each other and they didn’t even have anything,” Douglas said. “A lot of us were out here trying to do for other people and we don’t even have anything for ourselves.”

This kindness and dedication are the reason Moss Point is making a comeback.

“We’ve rebuilt 8 homes from the ground up, and we’ve renovated 14 homes,” said Mayor Knight. “This church, this first missionary church, it will rebuild. Our baseball complex is coming back. We’ll be bigger and better there than we were before.”

“I wasn’t going to run,” said Douglas. “It was a lot for me starting over again financially, mentally, all that.. but God. I stayed on my knees. I prayed every day, and he got me out of it.”

Gladys is finally back in her renovated home. New houses are popping up and Merchants & Marines Bank is starting anew.

Right now, the city is looking rather bare, but there is still so much more to come.

“I think that there are a lot of people who still haven’t gotten back to their feet yet,” Douglas said. “I think that they still didn’t get enough help from the government or anybody else to help them get back on their feet. It’s still a lot of places over here that’s broken down, torn down, that people can’t afford to get fixed. Some people can’t even afford a new roof.”

Gladys Douglas says she would also like to see Moss Point create a disaster plan for the future. Mayor Knight says the community has been and remains essential for the city’s recovery.

“Remember that when we work together,” said Mayor Knight. “there’s nothing that we can’t accomplish.”

While the city may look different following this tragedy, residents still have the same love for it.