NewKatrina update

[Guest guest]

Just got into Atlanta and my wife and kids will come down from N.C. and spend a

few days at a buddies house and then they go back and I head back to

Diamondhead/Bay St. Louis. Great thanks to all of the people of Raleigh/Durham

and Wake Forest that have donated toys and clothes to my kids, it is greatly

appreciated.

Diamondhead--95% of homes had damage, 40% took on water. I had 9 to 10 feet and

everything is gone including all possessions, car and truck. Have worked

feverishly and the house is down to framework and roof, everything else is

gutted and we put salvagable things (toilets, showers) in the backyard. House

has been bleached and treated with anti-mold chemicals and sits for three weeks

and then it's done again. Hopefully we can then begin rebuilding but we must

wait for the insurance company to visit and that could take a long time.

In Diamondhead the South side is completely gone and there is a checkpoint to

get in. I mean the houses are completely gone. On the North side there is

widespread damage but things are getting back to some normalcy due to yeoman

efforts from multiple power companies, phone companies, Guardsmen, Fire and

Police from everywhere. Pretty wierd to have your streets patrolled by Florida

State Troopers. Water service is running but still with a boil precaution.

Electricity to most of town. The Grocery store opened and it is the only one

open, but that first steak was the best ever! Curfew is still from 8pm to 6 am.

Bay St. Louis/Waveland--The only thing I know of open is a Shell station and

Hancock Bank; the tellers sit in the parking lot with armed security. Tent

cities everywhere. South of the tracks to the beach (3/4 to a mile) there is

nothing standing, I mean nothing. My Mother-in-Law lived four houses from the

beach and I couldn't even find her house until I recognized her red kitchen sink

in the debris. Found a bowling trophy with her name on it down the block,

that's the only things to know she ever lived in the neighborhood. With no

landmarks left it's hard to find things that were familiar to you. Now that

devastation isn't just there, it's for miles and miles along the beach and North

of the RR tracks is major damage. The local tax assessor, Jimmie Ladner, stated

that we lost 60% of our tax base in the county.

My clinic took four feet of water, lost a wall and the roof. There are

structural issues and think we may have to bulldoze and rebuild. Trying to save

the weight equipment, sprayed it with fresh water to get the salt off and have

been spraying constantly with lubricant. Will hire a crew and get it to storage

in my house garage. Lost 5 electric tables, US, e-stim units, desks, computers,

patient files, etc. It's like completely starting over. Laid off my employees

and will rehire after we rebuild. Every single one of my employees (7) lost

their homes and possessions, they are scattered throughout the Southeast. All

of my referring physicians are in the same boat so even if I rebuilt sooner who

would send patients?

Lakeshore area--They are still going through homes and marking the dead, they

haven't even begun to establish utilities or anything there.

What really irks me is that the insurance companies are denying claims saying

that this was a flood. You tell me how you get saltwater damage and find

saltwater species of fish in your homes and it's a flood. Many people are

already getting denials. I would say that 80% of the people did not live in a

federally designated flood zone and didn't buy flood insurance. My word, my

house had an elevation of 25 feet and was far from the water. I have not had an

adjuster at my house yet but on the telephone they told me they are treating

this as a flood. Stupid Nationwide.

Future plans--Wife and kids moving to a trailer in , MS in two weeks and

I will finish salvaging what I can from the clinic and then move in with them

and look for work around . Anything, home health, Nursing home, etc.

is about 3 hours from the coast and I can travel back and forth and

supervise the rebuilding. Will try to make Bay St. Louis work for a year or two

but with the population loss, lack of jobs, people not having health insurance

due to jobs, etc who knows how it will turn out. However, I'm going to try to

rebuild my town and won't just quit.

CHICAGOLAND people--I went to Iowa State and a fraternity brother of mine,

Ruby, has put together " Bash for the Bayou " to be held in Geneva, ILL on 9/24.

It's at T.F. Boonies Saloon and Eatery with bands from noon to midnight. He is

holding it in conjunction with the Fox Valley chapter of the American Red Cross

with proceeds to benefit the relief efforts. Admission is $15 for Jambalaya and

there is a cash bar. Find and tell him what a great job he is doing. Two

other wonderful friends, Pete Sack (he is a Chicago weatherman) and Kurt Kramer

came down for 3 days and helped me immensely. They will be there with pictures

they took and first hand accounts. So go eat Jambalaya, listen to bands and

have a cold drink.

Well, take care and God Bless. I felt all of your prayers and best wishes.

Matt Capo, PT

Accelerated Physical Therapy and Occupational Health, Inc.

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi