MGM Mirage to Rebuild Biloxi Resort

Casino operator MGM Mirage said Wednesday that it planned to “quickly” rebuild its severely damaged Beau Rivage resort in Biloxi, Miss.

As the damage assessment begins, the Las Vegas-based company said it would rebuild the resort, utilize employees in recovery and reconstruction wherever possible and aid affected employees.

“We plan to rebuild and rebuild quickly,” Bobby Baldwin, president and chief executive of the company’s Mirage Resorts unit, said in a statement. “While we will take the time necessary to carefully assess the situation, we are also dedicated to identifying the fastest way to rebuild and restart the Gulf Coast economy and the lives of our employees and their community.”

MGM said it had invested about $800 million in Beau Rivage to date. With the announced rebuilding program, it will have invested more than $1 billion in the Gulf Coast region once the hotel reopens, the company said.

Workers have already cleared most of the mud and debris from Beau Rivage so assessment of the structural integrity and essential systems such as electricity and plumbing can begin.

The company said it had committed to paying the resort’s 3,400 workers for the next 90 days and was working to match them with jobs at its other properties.

MGM also said it was committed to rehiring the employees after Beau Rivage reopened.