#FlashbackFriday: The Keesler Exchange’s Resiliency After Hurricane Katrina
The Keesler Air Force Base Exchange escaped damage from Hurricane Ida when it struck on Aug. 29— the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, during which the base and the Keesler Exchange fared much worse. But while Katrina dealt Keesler a blow, it couldn’t knock the BX out completely.
Flood damage at the Keesler BX. Some merchandise floated out into the parking lot. (Exchange Post archives)
Nine feet of water and high winds struck the base, located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where more than 300 associates worked for the Exchange. Because it had no way of contacting associates in the immediate aftermath, the Exchange issued a public service announcement on 30 Mississippi and Louisiana radio stations with a toll-free number that associates could call to let the Exchange know they were safe.
More than 30 associates lost everything in Katrina, and a dozen more suffered major losses. AAFES Retired Employee Associates (AREA) set up a relief fund to help the hardest-hit associates. Keesler eventually received nearly $58,000 from the fund, as well as $4,000 from the Dan Daniel 2006 Golf Tournament, nearly $5,000 in gift cards and 10,000 hours of donated leave.
The main BX, which was only 5 years old at the time, had major damage. An area manager who drove from Pensacola to Keesler found the Exchange still standing, but the front doors had been blown in and diapers, shaving cream and CDs had floated into the parking lot. The store lost $10 million in inventory.
But associates from Keesler and nearby installations were able, using generator power, to reopen the Keesler mini-mall retail complex by Sept. 1—just days later. Military personnel and their families helped stock and price merchandise.
General Manager Danny Schmidt had to wade through water and muck to get money from a safe for change and associate advances. The money was laundered— literally—at a base washeteria, where the bills were cleaned with a dose of fabric softener on the gentle cycle.
Damage to the Kessler Exchange was assessed at $4 million, and a new store had to be built. The $40 million, 171,000-square-foot store opened in 2010. Shoppers who spent the previous five years going to a 31,500-square-foot temporary facility said the new store was a welcome sight.
Keesler also took a hit during Hurricane Zeta in October 2020, with wind damage to the canopy at the Express and an Exchange trailer being blown over. Damage was reported at Popeyes as well.
Keesler was not the only Exchange affected by Katrina. A small Exchange at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans was destroyed. Linda Davis, the store manager, was stuck at Jackson Barracks for nearly a week—during which nobody could reach her for several days—because the military couldn’t evacuate her unless it was an emergency.
Exchange operations at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, suffered minor damage and reopened quickly to support troops assigned to Joint Task Force-Katrina, which coordinated Department of Defense relief efforts in hurricane-affected areas.
And the Exchange also served those who serve. Five tactical field exchanges were set up during September 2005 in southern Mississippi and the New Orleans area. Two additional TFEs were set up to serve National Guard members, active-duty Soldiers, Airmen and Coast Guard personnel, and the Exchange was temporarily authorized to serve FEMA employees, law enforcement and medical personnel.
Sources: Exchange Post archives, Exchange history Flickr
