The effects of Hurricane Georges in Mississippi included $676.8 million in damages but no fatalities. Hurricane Georges was a Category 2 storm at landfall in Mississippi during the 1998 Hurricane season. Background Hurricane Georges began as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa in mid-September, 1998. Tracking towards the west, the wave spawned an area of low pressure two days later which quickly strengthened into a tropical depression. On September 16, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Georges and further to Hurricane Georges the next day. The storm reached its peak intensity on September 20 with winds of , just below Category 5 status on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. Over the following five days, the hurricane tracked through the Greater Antilles, causing over 600 fatalities, mainly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. By September 25, Georges entered the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall three days later near Biloxi, Mississippi with winds of . Shortly after landfall, the hurricane significantly slowed with forward motion reducing to a general drift towards the east. Georges dissipated on October 1 near the Atlantic coast of Florida. Preparations Upon entering the Gulf of Mexico on September 25, a hurricane watch was issued for the entire coastline of Mississippi. The following day, the watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning as Georges neared the Gulf Coast. On September 28, the hurricane warning was lowered to a tropical storm warning. All watches and warnings were discontinued on September 29 as Georges weakened to a tropical depression. Many citizens in southern Mississippi were told to leave due to a mandatory or recommended evacuation. Of those in the evacuation area, 60% actually left. Most of those who stayed remained because they believed their house was safe enough for the storm. Of those who left, most went to a relative's house in their own county. Impact Upon making landfall, Hurricane Georges brought a storm surge of up to in Biloxi, Mississippi. While stalling over the southern portion of the state, it produced torrential rainfall, amounting to in Pascagoula. The heavy rainfall contributed to significant river overflowing, including the Tchoutacabouffa River at D'Iberville, which set a record crest of . The overflown rivers in the southern portion of the state flooded homes and forced more to evacuate just days after the hurricane came through. In addition, squall lines spawned multiple tornadoes, damaging