NEW ORLEANS – Tropical Storm/ Depression Cristobal made its way to Bay St. Louis on Sunday afternoon with heavy rain and large gusts of wind. There was also more than five feet of tide surge flooding the Silver Slipper Casino which caused more than 100 employees to evacuate the building. 

“In the 14 years that we lived here on the coast, this is the worst I’ve ever seen a surge from a tropical storm,” previous Bay St. Louis resident, Ronnie Frank told WGNO this morning.  

Although the Silver Slipper Casino employees evacuated the site, guests at the hotel were able to remain inside. Frank told us, they got a firsthand look as the gulf waters crashed into the sea wall. 

“It probably got about ten feet from below the floor on the second floor” said Frank. 

Although the rain and wind picked up on Sunday afternoon, conditions improved by early Monday morning. Hancock County residents say, this was a huge relief. 

“Thank goodness this thing wasn’t a category one. If this was a category one, these boats would have been on top of these pilings,” Bay St. Louis resident, Paul Davis shared. “I was nervous yesterday and last night”

With winds over 50 miles per hour, Tropical Storm Cristobal made its impression along the Gulf Coast to kick off the 2020 hurricane season.

“You know, just pray to God things don’t get any worse,” Davis said. “Just pray that we don’t have any more storms, you know?”

An employee at the Silver Slipper Casino says, they’re fortunate that no one was harmed during the storm or evacuation.