Gulfport, Miss. – Eleven months from today, South Mississippi will mark the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. To honor the spirit and resiliency of area residents, Mississippi Power is sharing two paintings by Mississippi artist H.C. Porter to be displayed at the Waveland Ground Zero Museum in Waveland, Miss.

The paintings, which have been displayed in Mississippi Power headquarters in Gulfport since 2007, will be on long-term loan to the Hancock County Community Development Foundation and the City of Waveland to be housed in the museum.

The paintings are a part of Porter’s larger Hurricane Katrina exhibit called Backyards and Beyond: Mississippians and Their Stories. Mississippi Power acquired three works from the exhibit. The two on loan to the Waveland Ground Zero Museum are The Bradley and The Chair.

“Many Mississippi Power employees experienced the devastation of Katrina and shared the determination of our neighbors to rebuild our homes and communities,” said Ed Holland, Mississippi Power CEO. “The hard work and dedication of our team helped South Mississippians move from disaster mode and to recovery by restoring power to all customers who could receive it in just 12 days. We are proud to share these paintings that reflect the ‘can do’ spirit of our employees and customers.”

Mississippi Power is sponsoring the H.C. Porter exhibit at the Waveland Ground Zero Museum opening in spring 2015. The museum is located in the former Waveland School at 335 Coleman Avenue. It is the only city owned building and the only structure on Coleman Ave. to survive Hurricane Katrina.

Images of the paintings and the stories behind them are available on Mississippi Power’s NewsCenter.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Recognized throughout the utility industry for excellence in storm restoration and recovery efforts, Mississippi Power is the 2013 winner of the Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Assistance Award. As a leader in safety, Mississippi Power ranked first in the 2013 Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) Safety Performance Reports. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.