(BAY ST.LOUIS, Miss.) Aug. 28 - A new bridge spans the bay between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, Miss. It stands as a symbol of rebirth and rebuilding, a monument that was a key element in reconnecting these coastal towns. Four years after Hurricane Katrina, there are finally signs of a new beginning along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Although, the progress made can never quite escape the devastation that inspired it. Making Hurricane Katrina no more than an unpleasant memory is not an easy task. In fact, one local resident says they've been trying to rebuild the sea wall that once stood in Bay St. Louis, but it's been tied up in litigation. Simply rebuilding the sea wall is not so simple anymore. The stories make it sound like it was nothing short of the end of the world out here, Brian Alexander said. How do you get over that? I can't imagine. As an AmeriCorp volunteer, Alexander came from his home in Miami to help after the storm. Unlike many others, Alexander stayed. Now he works in Bay St. Louis at the Mockingbird Cafe, watching locals reclaim their homes and their lives. This is the morning, and they've been groggy. They've been opening their eyes and getting their limbs moving and now it feels like they're building traction. They're building lives and they can feel it. The people can feel it. One reason for the awakening is the construction that has disrupted their lives. There are new streets, new sidewalks and new shops. But, new construction does not solve all the issues. Residents are tired of half the roads that have been torn up while the water, sewer and storm drain systems have been replaced. Julius Egloff is one of those residents. Egloff comes to the Mockingbird Cafe to take a break from the FEMA trailer he's lived in for nearly four years. He's still bickering with state and federal governments about what he had, and what he should have now. I want to be on my property, Egloff says. I still pay property taxes. After Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a mixed bag of optimism and anxiety, exasperation and hope. But, most would agree it's getting better. They feel like they went through a war, Armstrong says. It's a war against nature, and they toughed it out. They're winning, they're fighting.
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Bay St. Louis struggles to come back from Hurricane Katrina
Four years after Hurricane Katrina made her devasting landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, residents to Bay St. Louis continue to rebuild the lives they lost.
/ Source: WPMI-TV