Because the storm was so large , highly destructive eye-wall winds and the strong northeastern quadrant of the storm pushed record storm surges onshore , smashing the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast , including towns in Mississippi such as Waveland , Bay St. Louis , Pass Christian , Long Beach , Gulfport , Biloxi , Ocean Springs , Gautier and Pascagoula , and , in Alabama , Bayou La Batre .
Because the storm was so large , its highly destructive eye-wall winds and the strong northeastern quadrant of the storm pushed record storm surges onshore , smashing the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast , including towns in Mississippi such as Waveland , Bay St. Louis , Pass Christian , Long Beach , Gulfport , Biloxi , Ocean Springs , Gautier and Pascagoula , and , in Alabama , Bayou La Batre .