Stock Photo - Hurricane damage in Biloxi, Mississippi, is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 11 crewmember on the International Space Station. The port town of Biloxi, Mississippi experienced significant damage from Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. The township of Biloxi was established in 1838 following Mississippi statehood in 1817. The town was a favorite vacation destination for other Gulf Coast cities - particularly New Orleans - throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Keesler Air Force Base was established here in 1947; the runways are visible to the west of the downtown area in the top image. The legalization of dockside gambling and casinos in 1992 helped to invigorate the economy of Biloxi, but many of the casinos were severely damaged by the hurricane. Several hurricanes have struck Biloxi over the past 280 years, the most powerful prior to Katrina being Hurricane Camille in 1969. The image (top) illustrates damage and flooding in the Biloxi area due to Hurricane Katrina. Damage to the 2.5 kilometer (1.6 mile) long I-90 bridge is evident in the image - the bridge is almost completely destroyed with only two sections of roadbed still intact. Flooded areas are indicated by dark greenish-brown coloration along river courses to the northeast and northwest of downtown.