Aid from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was integral to the Coast’s housing and economic recovery after Hurricane Katrina, Gov. Phil Bryant told HUD Secretary Julian Castro during Castro’s first trip to Mississippi on Thursday.
HUD also changed after Katrina, Castro said, becoming better at teaming with states for disaster relief.
Castro, who was in Gulfport to commemorate Katrina’s 10th anniversary, toured the Coast on Thursday, accompanied by Bryant, several members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation and Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes.