Biloxi’s Katrina infrastructure repair ongoing, but nearing completion, 19 years later

Hurricane Katrina may have been nearly 19 years ago, but cities are still recovering from its destruction. I spoke with Mayor FoFo Gilich about Biloxi’s Hurricane Katrina infrastructure repair program to see the progress they’ve made since 2005.

Katrina’s impact was felt even underground. The hurricane severely damaged the city’s water, sewer, and drainage lines.

“The original sewer system in Biloxi was built in 1957 with older technology and different kinds of pipe – not the PVC that we’re using today,” Mayor Gilich said. “And it was only supposed to last 25 years. 1957! So, we’ve been running on borrowed time, but this gives us the opportunity to rebuild the infrastructure, the really critical infrastructure of the city.”

What should have been a simple upgrade quickly turned into a complete rebuild that’s been going on for over a decade.

The Hurricane Katrina Infrastructure Repair Program is a $360 million FEMA-funded project to replace all sewer systems impacted by Katrina.

Improvements are also being made, like adding more drainage outfalls to prevent street flooding.

“We don’t want to have to go through this again,” Gilich said. “In essence, we’ll have a brand-new infrastructure. Most of it will be around for another 100 years. When a storm comes, you just wait for the water to come down and some of the systems will survive.”

There are currently only two areas left to rebuild, which Gilich estimates to start in late 2025.

Once this project is finished, Gilich plans to start improving infrastructure in parts of the city that weren’t directly impacted by Katrina but have aged since.