page_title: Hurricane Georges
section_title: Mississippi
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Georges / Impact on the United States / Mississippi
caption_attribution_description: D'Iberville, Mississippi. Water flowing over Mississippi Highway 67 and Mississippi Highway 15 near their intersection during the September 1998 flooding caused on the Tchoutacabouffa River by Hurricane Georges.
context_page_description: Hurricane Georges was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde Category 4 hurricane which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making seven landfalls along its path. Georges was the seventh tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. It became the most destructive storm of the season, the costliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and the deadliest since Hurricane Gordon in 1994. Georges killed 604 people, mainly on the island of Hispaniola, and caused extensive damage resulting at just under $14 billion in damages mostly in St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola.
  The hurricane made landfall in at least six countries, more than any other hurricane since Hurricane Inez of the 1966 season.
context_section_description: Upon making landfall, Hurricane Georges brought a storm surge of up to 8.9 ft (2.7 m) in Biloxi. Beach erosion occurred along the coastline, resulting in some property damage on beach houses. However, around Biloxi, coastal casinos and the shipyards experienced little damage from the storm. While stalling over the southern portion of the state, it produced torrential rainfall, amounting to 16.7 in (420 mm) in Pascagoula. The heavy rainfall contributed to significant river overflowing, including the Tchoutacabouffa River at D'Iberville, which set a record crest of 19 ft (5.7 m). The overflown rivers in the southern portion of the state flooded homes and forced more to evacuate just days after the hurricane came through. Along the coast of Mississippi, more than 1,000 homes were flooded. One of the worst impacted areas inland was Stone County, where 54 homes had minor damage, 26 suffered major damage, and 5 were destroyed. In addition, squall lines spawned multiple tornadoes, damaging evacuation shelters in Pascagoula and Gautier.
  One location observed hurricane-force winds, with a sustained wind speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) at Keesler Air Force Base. In Harrison County, winds downed power lines, signs, and traffic lights, while damaging some roofs. Impact was similar but more severe in Jackson County, with more considerable damage to the roofs of some buildings, while a few mobile homes were damaged or overturned. Throughout the state, winds left approximately 230,000 people without power. After the storm, over 6,800 people stayed in 49  shelters. One shelter in Forrest County was damaged, forcing the citizens to another camp. Overall, Hurricane Georges caused about $676.8 million in damage, though no deaths were reported.
caption: Flooding at the intersection of Old Hwy 67 and MS 15 near D'Iberville after the Tchoutacabouffa River overflowed
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