The Coast After the Storm

Good Tuesday morning from The Seawall. We're coming out the other side of Tropical Storm Arthur.

The first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season made landfall along the Texas coast last week and moved northeast, dropping more than a foot of rain across south Mississippi in less than 12 hours. All three counties — Hancock, Harrison, Jackson — saw flooding. Rivers crested at near-record levels. The Governor declared a State of Emergency. At least five people died across the Gulf states. AccuWeather estimates $4 to $6 billion in total damage and economic loss.

If your street flooded, your neighborhood got cut off, or you spent last week watching your back yard become something else — you're not alone. It hit the whole Coast.

The recovery is underway. Roads are reopening. The sun has been out. This is the week the Coast does what it does: clean up, check on the neighbors, and start again.

A few things to know as you get back to normal — including a note about last week's newsletter, two new spots worth knowing about in Ocean Springs, and a house on Government Street that's been waiting for the right buyer since well before Arthur arrived.

The flooding from Arthur's remnants hit Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Stone, Pearl River, and George counties. Multiple rivers crested at near-record levels, forcing evacuations. Dozens of homes and businesses sustained damage across the region. Anchor Lake dam in southern Mississippi prompted precautionary evacuations for the thirty homes below it as spillway levels were watched closely.

Several roads remained closed or compromised through the weekend. Recovery is county-by-county and neighborhood-by-neighborhood — if you're still dealing with damage, your county emergency management office is the place to start.

One note for readers thinking about flood insurance: Arthur reminded the Coast, again, that the risk is real and it doesn't wait for a named storm. If you're buying or currently own and haven't reviewed your policy recently, now is the right week.

Leroy Urie, former Gulfport mayor, died last week at 95. Urie served as Gulfport's mayor from 1985 to 1989 — a period that bridged the city's post-industrial transition and the beginnings of its modern waterfront development. He was a figure of the old Gulf Coast, one of the men who helped shape what Gulfport became. The city announced his passing this past week. Our condolences to his family.

After a week of Arthur's aftermath, the weather is finally breaking.

Tuesday, June 23: High near 91°F. Mostly cloudy early, then gradually becoming sunny through the afternoon. Slight chance of showers or thunderstorms after 4 PM. Southwest wind 5–10 mph. Low around 78°F.

Wednesday, June 24: High near 90°F. Mostly sunny with a 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms after 1 PM. Northwest wind 5–10 mph shifting southwest. Low around 77°F.

Thursday, June 25: High near 90°F. Mostly sunny, with only a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms. West wind 5–10 mph turning south. Low around 78°F.

Three days of improving weather. The mornings look clean. The afternoons carry the usual Gulf Coast summer storm risk — nothing like what Arthur brought. After last week, we'll take it.

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Salty Jax has moved off the food truck circuit and into a permanent location inside Crave Food Hall in downtown Ocean Springs. If you've been chasing the truck around Jackson County for the last few years, it now has a fixed address. Crave Food Hall is the kind of spot Ocean Springs does well — several vendors under one roof, rotating specials, the kind of place where lunch becomes a longer conversation than you planned. Salty Jax has been building its following for years; a permanent home in downtown OS makes sense.

The Book Porter opened earlier this year on Washington Ave in Ocean Springs — an independent bookstore with a curated selection and an in-store wine and coffee bar. Ocean Springs already has a strong independent retail culture; a proper bookshop with a wine bar fits the neighborhood the way a key fits a lock. Worth a visit this week. Worth knowing about when you're looking for a gift.

Lil' Market — sister location to the beloved deli in downtown Ocean Springs — is coming to 179 Reynoir Street in downtown Biloxi, taking over the former Cajun restaurant space. Target opening is fall 2026 ahead of Cruisin' the Coast. Biloxi's downtown corridor has been building momentum; a Lil' Market anchor is a good sign for the block.

The numbers from Arthur's flooding don't get smaller with time: the Biloxi River crested at a record 31.82 feet. More than 96 high-water rescues were conducted across Harrison County alone. Over 97 roads closed at the height of the storm. People across the Coast lost vehicles, appliances, flooring, and months of work.

Back Bay Mission in Biloxi has been serving Gulf Coast residents in crisis since 1922 — after Camille, after Katrina, after every major storm and flood in between. They run a food pantry, emergency financial assistance, and housing programs for families who have nowhere else to turn. If you're in a position to help with Arthur recovery, thebackbaymission.org is the place. Their direct line: 228-436-3222.

Recovery on the Gulf Coast is always a community project. It's how this place works.

Freddie Mac PMMS — most recent rates available:

One thing Arthur didn't change: the long-term reasons to buy on the Coast. Inventory is still better than it's been. Price cuts are still visible in every county. And a storm like this is a reminder, not a deterrent — the Coast has been here through worse, and the people who built lives here knew the deal when they signed. Flood insurance review: yes. Running from the market: no.

Short answer: not the way you might think.

A named storm with serious flooding does create short-term noise — some sellers go quiet, some buyers pause, insurance conversations accelerate. But the Gulf Coast has a long track record here. Post-Katrina recovery took years but home values ultimately rebounded and in many neighborhoods surpassed pre-storm levels. Arthur's remnants were serious, but they were not Katrina.

The bigger impact is usually on specific properties in specific flood zones — buyers become more careful about elevation, flood zone designation, and insurance costs. Those conversations were already happening. Arthur sharpens them.

If you're ready to buy and the Coast is your market, the week after a flood event is actually a reasonable time to look. Inventory that was sitting gets attention again. Sellers who had been stubborn on price may have a different conversation. And you find out fast which neighborhoods handled it and which didn't.

Got a Coast real estate question? Reply to this email — we answer one a week.

3529 Government Street sits on the most trafficked corridor in Ocean Springs — the address alone is a statement. Government Street is the spine of the city: where the old meets the rebuilt, where the galleries give way to neighborhoods, where the street life of Ocean Springs actually lives.

This property is new, built in 2024, and it shows. What's less obvious from the street is the full picture: the main residence is four bedrooms, four bathrooms, open-concept, built for the way people actually use a house — not staged for a listing photo but designed for cooking, hosting, and living with room to spare. A second structure on the same lot adds two more bedrooms and two more baths. Call it a guest house, a home office, multigenerational housing, an income unit. The point is: 0.66 acres on Government Street with a main house and a fully separate second residence.

The finishes are honest — high-end without performing, contemporary without being cold. Circular driveway. Covered parking for five vehicles. An elevator. Live oak in the front. The kind of tree that was there before the house was built and will be there long after.

The original ask was closer to $860,000. It's now $769,000 — a $91,000 reduction that happened last month. At $269 per square foot for new construction on Government Street, that's worth a second look.

The numbers: $769,000 · $269/sqft · Built 2024 · 0.66 acres · 4 bed/4 bath main + 2 bed/2 bath guest house · 2,857 sqft total · MLS #4132850

Got a Coast real-estate question? Reply to this email — we'll answer one a week.

PET ADOPTION OF THE WEEK

Meet Dominic — a Catahoula Leopard Dog mix currently in a foster home through the Humane Society of South Mississippi, and a dog who has been making friends ever since he arrived.

He came in as a stray in April. Staff took to him immediately. The Catahoula — Louisiana's state dog, a Gulf South working breed bred for tracking and hunting through the swamps and bottomlands — tends to have that effect on people. They're spotted, athletic, expressive dogs with a loyalty that catches you off guard. Dominic fits the type: playful, affectionate, great with other dogs, the kind of dog who shows up at the dog park and just starts making the rounds.

He's been living in a foster home, which means he's had real house life — not a kennel. He knows what a couch is. He knows what a yard is. That matters.

One note: Dominic has tested positive for heartworm. HSSM has him partially sponsored, and treatment starts at adoption — the shelter is set up to make this straightforward for the right family. Neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, $35 adoption fee.

If you've been waiting for a Gulf South dog with a joyful spirit and a spotted coat, Dominic has been waiting too.

Humane Society of South Mississippi

2615 25th Ave, Gulfport · (228) 822-3831 · hssm.org

Tue–Fri 10 AM–5 PM · Sat 10 AM–4 PM

LOW TIDE LAUGHS

A Coast newsletter should probably make room for at least one thing that doesn’t ask anything from you except a smirk.

So we are.

Chick-fil-A is coming to the corner of Highway 90 and 603 in Waveland. The Gulf Coast is already preparing. This week's Low Tide Laughs reports from the scene.

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A FEW LOCAL LINKS WORTH KEEPING HANDY

If you want to go deeper by county, keep these local sites handy:

Jackson County MS
https://www.jacksoncountyms.com

Harrison County MS
https://www.harrisoncountyms.com

Hancock County MS
https://www.hancockcountyms.com

That’s part of the larger idea here too. The Seawall shouldn’t just point at itself. It should help connect people to the broader local web that already exists across the Coast.

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The storm hit. The Coast is coming back. Those two things have always been true here and they'll be true again.

Check on your neighbors. Finish the cleanup. And if you have a guest house on Government Street, apparently a pelican has questions.

— Rob
The Seawall