The U.S. Coast Guard will officially reopen its Gulfport station on Friday.

Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, and U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran are among the dignitaries scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting.

The new station replaces one damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The $17 million facility includes 26,000 square feet of space and includes a new boat bay and auxiliary storage facility. The station also is the homeport of the Coast Guard Cutters Razorbill and Pompano.

The crew of Station Gulfport has operated out of trailers since Katrina.

Coast Guard officials say the station is the first to be designed to withstand Category 4 hurricanes, where winds reach or exceed 131 mph.