Emergency rescue for 100 workers
First responders evacuated about 100 employees of the Silver Slipper Casino in Mississippi on Sunday as floods blocked the surrounding road. A high-water vehicle came to the rescue after Tropical Storm Cristobal led to flooding in Hancock County.
five feet of water prevented the casino staff from making their way to their vehicles
The operation lasted for more than three hours between 3:30pm and 7pm. Emergency crews removed the workers from the entrance of the casino facility to the parking area. Multiple trips were made as five feet of water prevented the casino staff from making their way to their vehicles safely.
Another operation was carried out on Sunday night when a family staying at the hotel attached to the casino got trapped inside.
Extensive flooding in Hancock County
The emergency manager for Hancock County, Brian “Hootie” Adam, spoke about the situation involving the casino workers to local media. He said: “They can’t get out of there because of the floodwaters. Waters are pretty high down there.”
A Silver Slipper employee took to Facebook to report the extent of the flooding:
There were three further evacuations made in the local community, with authorities rescuing a family of six and two couples from different locations in the area.
Waters are pretty high down there.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Friday ahead of the storm, with certain parts of Mississippi and Louisiana being evacuated in advance.
Silver Slipper Casino’s recent reopening
The flood caused by Storm Cristobal comes just a few weeks after the Silver Slipper Hotel and Casino reopened following its forced pandemic closure. Casinos in Mississippi began to reopen on May 21, albeit with reduced capacity.
Large turnouts were seen at the state’s casinos over Memorial Day weekend, with Mississippi facilities registering gross gaming revenue of $28.9m over the holiday. The figure showed a year-on-year rise of more than $5m despite only half of the state’s gambling properties being open.
COVID-19 effect on Full House Resorts
The Silver Slipper Casino is owned by Full House Resorts and is the company’s largest property, contributing about 44% of total net revenue in 2019. First-quarter net revenue in 2020 at the Silver Slipper fell from $19.3m to $15.1m year-on-year.
The first month of casino closures cost Full House $5m. Losses dropped to $3m the following month, with funds being used to pay furloughed workers. Full House managed to obtain more than $5.5m in Paycheck Protection Program loans to help pay furloughed staff at two of its facilities.