Economic Damages of Hurricane Gustav to Seafood Processors and Dealers, Marinas, and Livebait Dealers in Coastal Mississippi

摘要

The two most destructive storms during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season were hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Hurricane Gustav made landfall on the coast of Louisiana in the morning of September 1, 2008. Weather reports that day indicated that the storm surge was as high as 15 feet in some areas of coastal Mississippi, and several sections of Highway 90 in Biloxi and Gulfport were flooded. Before the storm made landfall, massive evacuations were reported along the various evacuation routes from the coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. Less than 2 weeks later, Hurricane Ike, the worst storm that season, made landfall in Galveston, Texas, on September 13. Massive property devastation and loss of lives were reported in Texas and in other states along the path of the storm. As the state regulatory agency for marine resources, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) had an urgent and compelling need to complete damage assessments in the affected areas. An accurate assessment of the damages in the affected areas was needed to ensure that any federal and state assistance was adequate and that it allocated resources to the appropriate sectors and recipients.