As Hurricane Ike continued its trek through Gulf waters Friday, South Mississippi was inundated with high winds and rising water, causing sporadic power outages, street closures and widespread flooding in low-lying areas.
By early morning, major roads and highways in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties closed after the force of the storm pushed waters further inland.
U.S. 90 shut down to all traffic in Harrison County and access from Ocean Springs into Biloxi via the Biloxi Bay Bridge was cut off as clouds of sand and water flooded the thoroughfares.
All major waterfront roadways from Pascagoula to Pearlington were under water and barricaded, with more of the same expected today, and rescue missions started early in low-lying areas mostly in Harrison and Hancock counties.
Pass Christian schools closed for the day, and by early afternoon, all Hancock County schools had closed their doors.
Rising water also forced the closure of the Silver Slipper Casino in Bayou Caddy, though the casino was expected to reopen today.
Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties experienced untold amounts of flooding, with Hancock County taking the brunt, though no deaths or major injuries were reported. The flooding occurred mostly in areas that first flooded Thursday.
"We dodged another bullet. Thank God," said Hancock County Supervisor Jay Cuevas. "We didn't feel the impact we could have."
Though South Mississippi remained under a tropical storm warning into the night Friday, with wind gusts of up to 50 mph reported during the day, shelters in Harrison and Jackson counties had closed by late afternoon.
South Mississippi law enforcement agencies reported no major problems, though they did see a lot of motorists ignoring barricades and stalling out on flooded roadways.
As a precaution, members of the Mississippi Army National Guard 155th Combined Arms Battalion out of McComb remain on standby today as they have been since Hurricane Gustav to assist with any search and rescue operations.
(Staff writers Robin Fitzgerald and J.R. Welsh contributed to this report.)
