Traffic flows along Washington Street this morning as an Isle of Capri Casino message board reports their closure due to Hurricane Lili. All four casinos were closed at 5 this morning by the Mississippi Gaming Commission. (The Vicksburg Post/Melanie Duncan)

[10/03/02]You could get an education in Warren County as Lili approached, but not gamble.

Schools were open for part of the day, but for the first time since August 1993, casinos were closed ordered to shut down by the Mississippi Gaming Commission when heavy rain and winds of up to 74 miles per hour were forecast.

“We got the call to shut down at 5 a.m. this morning,” Isle of Capri General Manager Kim Tullos said. “We evacuated all the patrons and will have all the employees out by 2 p.m.”

For schools, having students inside during today’s wind and rain was considered safe until midmorning, but about 9:45 a.m., buses were dispatched to empty junior high and high schools and then return for elementary students about noon.

A new evaluation will be needed for Friday since some roads may be blocked by mud, trees or power lines.

“We’ll monitor the weather and keep an eye on it,” said Assistant Superintendent James Price. He said people should listen to local radio stations in the morning to learn about Friday’s schedule. River 101 is at 101.3 FM and WQBC is at 1420 AM.

By midday, Lili, tracking behind Isidore that passed through last week, was bringing steady rain and a moderate breeze.

Tullos said her casino was ordered to stay closed until further notice from the Gaming Commission, but she hoped to be open by Friday morning. “It’s just a matter of safety,” she said, adding that a 24-hour shutdown would cost the casino about $100,000, of which $12,000 would go to state and local taxes.

Ameristar Casino General Manager Ray Neilsen explained that a casino shutdown in a methodical, security-oriented process involved much more than sending people home and locking the doors.

“We got the word early enough so we didn’t have many people to evacuate,” he said. “The most difficult thing was getting the currency off the boat and in the bank.”

Leann Wilkins, public relations coordinator for the Mississippi Gaming Commission, said with high winds expected and the casinos on water, the safest thing was to close them down.

“We had two casinos damaged last week in Isidore, and that was just a tropical storm,” Wilkins said. “We worked closely with civil defense and mapped out the storm, and the eye would cross through Natchez and Vicksburg and we decided to shut the doors.”

Wilkins said a decision on when to reopen would be made Friday. That’s also a methodical process.

Vicksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau travel counselor Pat Strange said that even though a lot of hotels in the city are full there are still rooms available.

“A lot of the major hotels are booked, but most of the bed and breakfasts still have rooms and a lot of other hotels have rooms available,” Strange said. “There are rooms available in Vicksburg.”

A shelter was opened Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the City Auditorium although no evacuees are expected.

“If we get anyone I expect them to be from Sharkey and Issaquena counties,” Vicksburg Red Cross’ Beverly Connelly said. Homes in those areas may flood.

“The storm isn’t as strong as it was last night,” said Warren County Emergency Operations Director L.W. “Bump” Callaway. “We’ll watch it and see.”