Beau Rivage (Mississippi) - Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Beau Rivage was seriously damaged by the 30 ft (9.1 m) storm surge caused by Hurricane Katrina, and was rebuilt by W.G. Yates & Sons Construction (the contractor that originally built it) and more than 50 subcontractors. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino re-opened its entire resort August 29, 2006 — the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Although the hotel tower survived relatively unscathed, the casino barge was nearly destroyed and the first three floors of the hotel were washed out. Beau Rivage was one of the few still recognizable buildings remaining on Biloxi's coast.

In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina and in the wake of the catastrophic damage to the coast's casinos in the hurricane, the Mississippi state legislature changed its laws regarding the placement of casinos. Instead of having to be on barges on the water, casinos may now be built on land as long as they are within 800 feet (240 m) of the shore.

In November 2006, the resort opened a new Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course named Fallen Oak.