Hurricane Katrina better than the 12 hotels/casinos in the Gulf City, which FEMA uses as its disaster relief headquarters.
Imperial is owned by the family of the late Ralph Engelstad, from Thief River Falls, who founded casinos in Las Vegas and Biloxi, and also owns hockey stadiums at Grand Forks and Thief River Falls.
Because Mississippi law requires all casinos to be on the water, Imperial’s 1,100-room hotel is connected via a ramp to a casino on a barge in Biloxi’s Back Bay, said Jeremy Handel, public relations director for the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
Handel said the hurricane damaged the exterior of the hotel, and the ramp between the casino and the hotel was destroyed in the midst of a severe storm. He said the exterior of the casino appears to be barely damaged, but the full extent of the damage is still unknown.바카라사이트
Casinos and hotels were closed last weekend under state government orders, and all guests were evacuated. “We’re trying to get in touch with all of our staff, making sure everyone’s okay,” Handel said. “There’s a lack of communication. We’ve made some contact. Some of our engineers and staff have gone down there to see what they can find.” Meanwhile, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up shop at hotels in the empire, Handel said.