Pascagoula mayor to ask President for $1.1 Billion in aid

PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) - It's no secret Pascagoula Mayor Dane Maxwell has an open line of communication with the White House and President Donald Trump.

"I've worked with the Trump campaign," Maxwell said.

Therefore, it's no surprise that Maxwell will head to the state capitol Saturday while the president is in town.

Aside from catching up with an old friend, the Flagship City's mayor also wants to chat about some of Pascagoula's issues stemming from Hurricane Nate.

"We had a 10 to 11 foot surge and the hydrostatic pressure of that surge went into our sewer pipes and caused those pipes to explode and blow up," said Maxwell.

Maxwell says the solution won't be cheap.

"Our initial request is $1.1 billion," said Maxwell. "These are big ticket items, nobody wants to talk about them. It costs a lot of money."

The list of renovations and repairs range from a new city hall complex to relocating the water treatment plant. There is even discussion surrounding a complete re-haul of the city's water lines and pipes.

"We have one of the nation's largest shipbuilders here. We have one of the largest refineries. we have the deepest port here in Pascagoula,
 said Maxwell. "If we lose infrastructure, they lose infrastructure."

He's using that as a driving force in his push for the funds.

"The damage may have been caused in part by Katrina and we've been slowly band-aiding it," said the mayor. "Then along came Nate and blows out all the band-aids."

He says adding more band-aids will only cost more money down the line, which is why a complete restoration is the proper solution.

Maxwell says he also plans to talk to Trump about FEMA and unfair flood elevation levels in Mississippi.

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