Mississippi Still a Great Place to Live

By: Joe Fitzgerald

When Hurricane Katrina struck, the whole world watched in shock and horror how the hard work of generations melted away into nothingness. The images of death and mass destruction shook the world community from its roots. In the blink of an eye we saw the hopes and dreams of residents shatter to bits in the devastating storm.

As the true extent of the damage from Hurricane Katrina became more evident, news anchors and commentators began asking whether or not places like Mississippi could ever possibly recover. Still others began to wonder, as in the case with New Orleans, whether it was even wise to think about rebuilding in an area known to be prone to hurricanes.

But, it is certainly not in the character of the people of United States and especially those of the state of Mississippi to give up so easily. The fact that it will take a few years to recover from the damage is the last thing that will daunt the residents of Mississippi. However, the need for recovering and rebuilding is imperative from a more practical point of view, as Mississippi holds a large sway in the economic health of not only the region but of the United States as a whole.

The state of Mississippi functions as the gatekeeper for the mighty Mississippi River that is the backbone of the economy of the United States and the state of Mississippi in particular. The river is used to transport millions of tons of products every year. Hurricane Katrina temporarily disrupted the ability of people to use the Mississippi for transportation services causing severe damage to the local and national economy.

In addition to being a gateway to the river, Mississippi is also a state where a substantial part of the nation's energy is converted into a consumable form such as petrol, diesel and gasoline apart for other petroleum products. The hurricane Katrina seems to have impaired all the facilities that are responsible for energy production located on and just off the coast of Mississippi. Hence the damage has its impact across the nation.

The economic impact of the hurricane was such that it caused a large hike in the energy prices of the nation. Since no less than twenty-five percent of the petroleum comes from the states on the Gulf Coast, the impact on the national economy was severe. The nation struggled to stabilize the supply and prices. But the impact on the local economy has been much larger as the petroleum business constitutes nearly eighty percent of the total mineral production in Mississippi.

The destruction to the offshore fishing industry in Mississippi was also devastating to the state but it did not have anywhere near the impact as the loss of the refining facilities. Biloxi is a major hub for the shrimp industry and it was virtually wiped out by Katrina.

Given the economic importance of the region, the amount of money being invested in rebuilding the Gulf Coast states, like Mississippi, is huge. This will ensure that the region is sure to not just recover its original glory but attain a stronger place in the economy in the years to come.

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About the author: Wilma Larwill writes exclusively for At Mississippi, visit there today for the latest Mississippi advice, and their free newsletter is well worth signing up for too. If you want to read more Mississippi articles go to: www.atmississippi.com/articles
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