Hurricane Katrina: Four years later

BILOXI, Miss. - The wrath of Hurricane Katrina destroyed countless homes and businesses along the Gulf Coast. Four years later, cities like Biloxi are still trying to bounce back.

It's peaceful now in the city, a stark contrast from four years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit.

"Seventy-five percent of the peninsula of Biloxi was covered in water from the hurricane. On the national register, we lost countless number of properties, including eight city-owned, which were totally leveled to the ground," Executive Planner and Historic Administrator in Biloxi Bill Raymond said.

Raymond said it's been a long process, but the city is determined to rebuild. Friday was the ground breaking for two new projects. The first is the Biloxi Community Center and Library. The old community center which sits right across the street is small in comparison to what's about to be built. Officials said the new project is three times the size of the old building.

"It's really going to be a big asset to the city of Biloxi. We're going to have a state of the art facility," Raymond added.

The next project is the Lighthouse Park and Visitors Center. When the tarp is removed, it will unveil a restored Lighthouse, more than 150 years old.

"On the north side, we're building a Lighthouse Visitor Center, which will be a welcome for visitors and people in our community. The Lighthouse Visitor Center will have a 25,000 square-foot facility. It'll have a theater for visitors to come. We have an exhibit for the history of Biloxi," said Raymond.

Combined, the projects will cost $40 million.

"I think the city of Biloxi has come along ways in restructuring," resident James Dickerson said.

"This is the kind of shot in the arm we need. They need to see big projects coming out of the ground to show that we're coming back and that we are going to be fine as a community and that we're going to be bigger and better than ever," Raymond added.

In just four years, this city has come a long way. Construction on the projects will begin Monday. It will take about 18 months to complete them.