Katrina leaves swath of damage to ports

The wreckage from Hurricane Katrina, indiscriminate and complete, included a virtual scrubbing of Gulf Coast harbors and marinas. An estimated 70 percent of aids to navigation were destroyed or relocated, according to Louisiana River Pilots Association and U.S. Coast Guard reports.

But by the end of the first week of September, the lower Mississippi River was once again open to deepwater traffic. At press time, in the second week of September, traffic was still limited to daylight hours, but the port reported few ship delays.

There were confirmed reports of total or significant damage to the following yacht clubs, according to the Gulf Yachting Association: Bay-Waveland Yacht Club, Bay Saint Louis, Miss.; Biloxi Yacht Club, Biloxi, Miss.; Buccaneer Yacht Club, Mobile, Ala.; Fairhope Yacht Club, Fairhope, Ala.; Gulfport Yacht Club, Gulfport, Miss.; Long Beach Yacht Club, Long Beach, Miss.; Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile; New Orleans Yacht Club, New Orleans; Ocean Springs Yacht Club, Ocean Springs, Miss.; Pascagoula Yacht Club, Pascagoula, Miss.; Pass Christian Yacht Club, Pass Christian, Miss.; Pontchartrain Yacht Club, Mandeville, La.; Singing River Yacht Club, Pascagoula; South Shore Yacht Club, New Orleans; Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans; Tammany Yacht Club, Slidell, La.

And there were unconfirmed reports of widespread damage at the Lake Forest Yacht & Country Club in Daphne, Ala., and at Point Yacht Club in Gulf Shores, Ala. Continuing updates, along with information on clubs that were undamaged and offering assistance, are posted on the GYA’s website: www.gya.org.

By Ocean Navigator