As reported by the Sun Herald: “The Aug. 29 reopening of the Beau Rivage
means coming home for the McDougal family of Long Beach. “Jon G. McDougal
and his wife, Catherine McDougal, are returning to work at the Beau along
with their two sons, their daughter-in-law and Mrs. McDougal’s brother.
After Hurricane Katrina hit, they thought they all were without jobs. Now
they are back on the payroll with 3,800 other people at the Beau. “It’s been
a year of stress, frustration, change and finally hope. “Some family members
evacuated for the storm, while others holed up at the parents’ home off
Klondyke Road. Initial news reports about the Beau and other casinos were
bleak.”‘We just assumed it was gone,’ said Mellisa McDougal, the
daughter-in-law who works in room reservations.
“…The blow was especially crushing for son, Jon D. McDougal, who was newly
hired as a senior systems engineer. He had driven a moving truck filled with
belongings from Atlanta about a day and a half before the storm hit…”