Pass Christian Isles GCN Photo Story by Keith Burton At the farthest point south in Harrison County, just north of the bridge across the Bay of St. Louis is what is left of the unincorporated community of Pass Christian Isles. Before Hurricane Katrina, Pass Christian Isles was a picturesque community of waterfront homes, many built along the bay and into channels and the bayou in the area. Almost all the homes were elevated, the owners had known of floods in the past from hurricanes, but the homes were not high enough to weather Katrina's unprecedented 30-plus foot storm surge. Fourteen months after Hurricane Katrina. The area of Pass Christian Isles is silent and empty. Only the wind and wind-carried sounds from the pile drivers for the new Bay St. Louis bridge can be heard. There is almost no reconstruction underway anywhere. For that matter, there are only a handful of FEMA trailers in the low-lying community. Pass Christian Isle is outside of the city limits of Pass Christian. It was an wonderful area to live in prior to the hurricane with plenty of trees and privacy. Many of the homes were upscale with piers and swimming pools. Now, in November, more than a year after the hurricane, the area remains a desolately lonely place. Signs of the homes and lives of the residents still are evident. From a boat that remains along side a road, instead of the water, to the numerous lots of pylons and empty slabs. This area was among the most severely destroyed by Katrina. Not even a season of growth can hide the scars.
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