Looking southeastward toward the Gulf, 2 blocks away. This area is located on a 20-foot-high bluff, the highest point on the entire northern Gulf of Mexico. It has never had flooding, even during Hurricane Camille. However, Katrina's 35-foot storm surge easily crested the bluff.
At the end of this street was a beach-front Victorian-era Bed and Breakfast that was completely demolished and swept out to sea by the storm surge. The owner appeared on CNN and said that she survived by climbing out a second-story window and then clinging to a tree for 5 hours in 135-mph sustained winds with the flood waters surging below.
Pile of rubble at the right is in my yard but is not from my house.
Notice the dust and loose dirt on either side of the road. It has not rained in several weeks, and as the mud has dried, there is dust everywhere. The city had just finished re-asphalting the street, so prior to the hurricane, the road had a shiny black surface.