Eighteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It seems like yesterday I heard someone yelling across the Clarion Ledger’s newsroom, “There’s water on the second floor of the Beau Rivage!” That was at 10:30 a.m. And that was the moment I knew the Coast would be changed forever. Even then, I could not have imagined the damage that the storm surge would cause. I also could not have predicted the incredible recovery the Coast would make. I’ve drawn a lot of live oak pictures over the years. The iconic coastal trees have survived so many storms over the years, including Katrina. Like the Coast, it must because of their deep roots.

Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today’s Editor-At-Large. He’s also host of a weekly statewide radio program and a television program on Mississippi Public Broadcasting and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award.