Aug 19, 2021
Within days of opening the new Mississippi Aquarium in 2020, hurricane zeta made a nearly direct hit on the Gulfport attraction. While the harrowing experience left some damage to the campus shade structures, a larger lesson had been learned. The staff, exhibits, and disaster planning had withstood the test of a category 3 storm in a region once completely devastated by Katrina. As a result of the confidence stemming from weathering the storm, the newly formed aquarium team went on to handle more challenges in the facility's freshman year. We are on location with curators Andy Horn and Matt Fripp as they describe that first year and the process of building a culture of excellence.