Hurricane Katrina Destroys Croatian Community in Biloxi, MS – Displacing Thousands

By Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr.
President and CEO of IRD

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast displacing approximately half of the 10,000 Croatians living there. The tidal surge swept inland for ten miles, destroying the Slavonian Lodge, as well as almost all of the Croatian community in East Biloxi where at least 2,000 Croatians have settled for the last 100 years.

Dr. Arthur Keys, President and CEO of International Relief and Development-US (IRD-US), visited the site of the Slavonian Lodge which was a symbol of the Croatian heritage that characterized this neighborhood in East Biloxi. The lodge, a cultural treasure built in 1939, was completely leveled by the force of Katrina. Only debris and rubble remain from what was once a focal point for the Croatian community that had begun settling in this area since 1909.

The Slavonian Lodge, located on the coast at Point Cadet, overlooked the Gulf waters on 1.5 acres and was valued at $5 million. The Lodge, owned and operated by the Slavic Benevolent Association of Saint Nikolai, had insurance that will likely cover only a portion of the damage caused by Katrina. Now, little remains of the 13,000 square-foot building which was able to accommodate 600 people, including Elvis Presley in 1955. Although there have been no reported deaths of Croatian community members, many families were trapped in their homes by the rising waters and were forced to swim to shelter.

Andrew Gilich, the President of the Slavic Benevolent Association of Saint Nikolai (SBASN), led Dr. Keys around the piles of broken Italian marble and debris that remained after the storm. Mr. Gilich’s grandparents had settled in this area in 1909 from Croatia and much of his family has since worked in the seafood industry.

The seafood industry offered the Croatian community an opportunity to cultivate small businesses and later play an active role in related industries including shrimp cleaning and processing. Today the Croatian community is still active in the seafood industry but is also present in various professions while demonstrating an active role in community and political leadership.

The Slavonian lodge enhanced economic and cultural cohesion and stimulated educational attainment. According to Mr. Gilich, the lodge represented “the roots of our heritage, helping the living and burying the dead.”

Large waves of Croatians began immigrating to Mississippi from the Dalmatia in the beginning of the 20th century, many from the island of Brac. The SBASN established a community meeting center in 1919 and then later built the Slavonian Lodge in 1939. The SBASN has approximately 280 members and a Ladies Auxiliary of an additional 150 members. Many members also attended the neighboring St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church which was also destroyed along with the school. Both were visited recently by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington and a papal envoy.

The Slavonian Lodge is well-known in the South for its annual golf tournament and community cultural festival that was scheduled for the last weekend of September. This year’s tournament will likely be next April, due to the widespread dislocation caused by Katrina. An update will be announced on www.slavicgolf.com.

IRD is assisting the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. They have sent relief provisions, hygiene and medical supplies. They have also set up an office to stimulate long-term economic and community development programs.

East Biloxi was a very vibrant, multiethnic community with large French and African-American settlements. Many Vietnamese settled in this area since the 1970s and are heavily engaged in shrimp fishing. The future of East Biloxi and its many casinos is an open question. The historic structures and gaming industry have been destroyed along with thousands of individual homes. Gilich vows that the Slavonian Lodge will be rebuilt on East Biloxi Avenue, but is uncertain of what the future may bring.