Oct. 10--If there indeed was a 174-mph wind gust when Hurricane Georges socked the Coast last month, as was reported at Keesler Air Force Base, Grand Casinos president Tom Brosig believes it slammed smack into his company's Biloxi resort.

"We may have been right in the path of that wind gust," Brosig said. "Or we got hit with a tornado."

Grand Casino Biloxi easily took the brunt of the damages when compared to the other 10 Coast casinos. Brosig estimates damage to the Biloxi resort at $10 million to $15 million. No other Coast hotel-casino had more than $5 million in damage.

The Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds of 100 mph, ripped the roof and southeast corner of Grand's Island View hotel tower, causing water damage to all 500 rooms, Brosig said.

The hurricane also damaged the roof and most of the rooms in the Bayview hotel tower on the north side of U.S. 90, not to mention the first floor of the casino barge and 1,600-seat Biloxi Grand Theater.

The casino is expected to reopen Friday, and half the 1,000 hotel rooms may be ready by the weekend, Brosig said. About 100 more rooms will come on line each of the next five weeks, he said.

Company spokeswoman Jean Herbert-Wiesenburg said the barge did not sink, as was rumored.

"The barge did exactly what it was suppose to do," she said, which is rise and fall with the hellacious storm surge.

But the first floor, according to one source who visited the scene, "was devastated." The wood floor in the Mississippi Long Bar was destroyed.

Next door, Casino Magic Biloxi had $2.5 million to $3 million in damage, said company president Ed Ernst, and the Isle of Capri Casino Crowne Plaza Resort, the other Casino Row property, had about $1.5 million in largely water damage. Grand Casino Gulfport's damage was put at $3 million.

Treasure Bay sustained some $5 million in damage, said company president Bernie Burkholder, largely to the hotel.

Most operators believe Grand Biloxi got smacked with some freak winds. The casinos are required by state law to have moorings capable of withstanding a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds and 18-foot tidal surges.

Casino executives say they're pleased they had only limited damage from Georges.

"I feel sorry for the Grand, but overall the whole Coast came out pretty well," said Isle of Capri President Jack Gallaway.

The down side: While the casino companies may be satisfied with the way their resorts stood up to Georges, the impact of the Category 2 storm was pretty impressive.

All 11 Coast casinos were shut down from Friday, Sept. 25, to late Wednesday, Sept. 30. Eight were shut down a week. Treasure Bay was closed nearly two weeks and Grand Biloxi, the state's largest casino revenue producer, still hasn't reopened.

Mississippi Gaming Commission executive director Chuck Patton estimates the loss in state gambling taxes at $240,000 a day. The municipalities of Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis and Harrison and Hancock counties lost $120,000 a day, he said. The first six days alone cost the state $14.4 million in lost tax revenues. Local jurisdictions lost $720,000.

If a Category 2 hurricane put the Coast's casino industry out of commission for a week, what happens in the event of a Category 3? Or four? Or five?

"I think this was a wake-up call," said Treasure Bay Resorts president Bernie Burkholder. "Anybody who doesn't see the vulnerability (of the casino industry) here is asleep at the switch."

Coast casino companies were insured for damage and the interruption in business. Grand Casinos, Casino Magic, the Isle of Capri and some others will even be able to pay hourly employees for the time they spent out of work.

But one insurance broker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the premiums and deductibles, which for Grand Casinos was $500,000 for each of its two resorts, will likely take a substantial leap upward.

"These are publicly traded companies (whose) stocks are in the crapper ... and there's been some pretty severe damage," the insurance executive said. "We haven't really been tested. This was a good drill. But we still haven't been tested."

Most casino executives disagree.

"I think the casinos withstood (Georges) quite well," Brosig said. "Yes, we're going to see a premium hike. Will it be exorbitant? I don't think so."

"We've had coverage for 6 1/2 years, and this is our first claim," said Isle of Capri general manager Bill Kilduff. "I suspect they're (insurance companies) still ahead of the game. This is the first hurricane in 10 or 12 or 15 years, whatever.

"It's just like a slot jackpot. That next pull might be another jackpot or it could take a long time."

Casino industry executives believe Georges will prompt a move in the state Legislature to insure school districts and municipalities against the loss of gambling tax revenues in the event of future hurricanes.

Some casino executives predicted years ago that a major hurricane shutting down Coast casinos and interrupting the flow of state and local tax dollars would prompt the legislature to allow the barges on land.

"I think quite the opposite," said the Grand's Brosig.

Because most barges sustained only slight damage in Hurricane Georges, Brosig said most Mississippi lawmakers would be satisfied keeping them over water.

"I think there will be some serious talk" among legislators about moving the barges on land, said Treasure Bay's Burkholder. "I don't think it will happen. But (Georges) has to serve as a wake-up call for possible loss revenues and jobs."

Shutting off water to the barge casinos and high-rise hotels during a hurricane is part of the city of Biloxi's disaster emergency plan, city spokesman Vincent Creel said.

If a barge broke loose of its moorings during a storm, millions of gallons of water would be dumped into the Mississippi Sound, he said, dangerously diminishing water pressure to the rest of the city.

It poses an insurance dilemma for the casino companies, however, because with inoperable sprinkler systems, they may not be covered in the event of a fire.

Along with seeing to it that hourly workers were compensated for lost pay and tips, most Coast casino companies set up employee assistance programs for associates dealing with storm losses.

The Mississippi Gaming Association, the industry's trade association and lobby, contributed $10,000 to both the American Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Casino companies sent truckloads of ice to aid relief efforts in Pascagoula. And Casino Magic Biloxi handed out 400 cases of bottled water and 400 radios with batteries to customers who showed up for its Wednesday night reopening.