Hi Mr. Haggard,

You may not know me but I was one of your customers. You had a good wine selection. The ABC isn't being very nice to you right now. If you own the bottles, can you possibly sell them on ebay or any other internet venture? Seems like Katrina souveniers made of liquor would fetch a good price!

Wishing you the best!

Bay Liquor was always my favorite liquor store. Mike
and Mary Ann and the rest are great. I'm glad they're
open again.

Have a big BBQ Party for the entire city, & tell everyone to bring the food & you'll suppy the drinks.
Everyone will have a good time, & maybe you'll attract some new customers & national attention.

Been there once, quite a while ago. Hang in there.
I loved that area, hope it can come back. I'd like to help somehow.
RF, Missouri

if these bottles are sealed the abc is wrong as if these people havent been through enough already

The issue is not the contents of the bottles, but the bottles themselves. The water in which these bottles were floating was highly contaminated. You should inquire as to how you can safely sterilize the bottles so that they can be sold.
Good Luck!!!!

I would love to buy a souvenir Katrina bottle of liquor, even though it can't be consumed. Ready to start shipping?

Hire a Lawyer

You ever hear, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you?"

Another store in town had the same problem. In realty it makes sense and they are protecting the public just in case water did drip in and we have no way of knowing that now do we?
I think the town is improving - slowly. AND...some of the other liquor stores are doing a booming business!

I somewhat agree with Mike R. above. I would try an event of some kind to sell what you have left and find new customers. Partner with a local restaurant or hall that is having similiar problems.

Doesn't alcohol kill germs?

How about giving them away, but encouraging people to make a "donation" on their way out?

I would love to buy some from you... Katrina survival wine ETC.... Good on you and yours for trying... When you ready to ship????

Why don't you offer some to the gov't officials that come in...loosen them up a bit!

I am a small business owner myself. So I know how painful the loss of stock is. Bleach should kill most anything, but then there are the bottles with corks. Maybe you could encase them in Lucite. Engrave them with the date and maybe some history of the local area or something. Would make a neat novelty gift, some hurricane survivors might want them as trophies.

Although my experience pales in comparison, I went through a remarkably similar experience with a sewage flood in a liquor store I owned. We lost 20% of our inventory in the first 6 weeks we were open and it took a lot for us not to lose heart. I wish you the best of luck in your salvage and rebuilding process - my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I would buy a bottle for a keepsake-are you ready to ship?

If the cork dried out a little, then was exposed to floodwater, it is not safe. Toxins can creep in around the sides of a cork, just the same as a "corked" bottle of wine. The alcohol wouldn't kill toxins in the water, only germs, and even then only if its over 100 proof, which wine clearly isn't.

Catastrophe or no, nobody should have the right to sell contaminated liquor.

It should be part of his insurance claim, because anyone smart enough to want to sell contaminated liquor is also smart enough to carry flood insurance, right?

No law against donating a few bottles of wine to the Red Cross on me. Send me a bill and I'll send you a check to cover for it. Ron Cotterill, 400 North Tampa St. #2625 Tampa, Florida. P.S. I agree with the person that said hire an attorney. If I were licensed there, I would do your case for free.

My heart and prayers go out to you and your family and the community! I truly hope you find an innovative way to salvage your stock and begin putting the pieces of your lives back together!

A small business owner myself, my heart goes out to you. I would love to buy some bottles of the hard liquor to display as a survivors of Katrina. You could create simple "Not for consumption, due to Katrina, 2005" lables to place over the openings of each bottle thus 'sealing' them against consumption. And I bet you could sell them easily. Only question I can see is when can you start shipping?

I would like to buy a keepsake bottle please let me know if you are ready to ship. Thanks and good luck

Let me know when you sell souvenier bottles which just happend to have single malt scotch labels on them. I collect the labels...guess I'd have to empty the contents, but that's my business and none of the government's.

If you sell the possible contaminated liquor and some one gets sick, you open yourself up for a big law suite.

I'd sell it on the black market first.

I just spoke with Michael Haggard at Bay Discount Wine and Liquor. Not only is he being told he cannot sell these bottles, he is being told that they must be crushed. This is his private property!!

By the way, his physical address (that you can confirm by Yellow Pages, Google, Yahoo or other engine) is:
295 Hwy 90
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520

(His PO Box is 4151 and he said that's more reliable.)

He's a nice guy. Give him a call at
(228) 466-5678.

He hadn't seen the article yet when I spoke with him just now, and he was very encouraged to hear that folks had posted responses.

1) The government needs to work with small business owners on compromise solutions to such problems (the ideas posted here about "souveniers" were great!).
2) We citizens must help our own. If I send a check to Mike today (which I'm going to do), I know who I'll be helping. I encourage you to "sponsor" individuals in addition to general giving to Red Cross and other reputable organizations.

Sorry for the ramble fest. I just think about the upcoming holidays and how hard it is for those folks who are homeless from the storms.

anyone wanting to contact Mike Haggard can reach him by email: bayliquor@aol.com.

I can think of a hundred questions to ask, but the biggest one is where is your insurance agent in all this. It appears to me that you have loss coverage that will replace the inventory you either lost at the time of the storm, or will lose as a result of it. This is a good lesson for all who are in retail businesses. Contaminated goods represent a big hit and a factor that many do not think about in their contingency planning.

EBAY, EBAY, EBAY!!!!!!!Need I say more?

i think it is terrible what they are limiting their own people to do. . . and that is what i have to say
and you have my support. . . good luck & dont give up

REDISTILL IT ALL AND RESELL IT AS KATRINA RESURECTED.

What someone that has not been there is not aware of is of the conflicting positions of the insurance companies. The property carriers point out that the damage was caused by a flood, and consequently they are not liable. The flood carriers point out that the water was a result of the storm, and a storm surge is a storm event. Not their problem, talk to your casulty carrier.

Sort of leaves you between a rock and a hard place, doesn't it.

I wish that my first day in Hancock County had been prior to 17 September 2005. I was on of the Amateur Radio Operator's that spent some time there. I left on 27 October to drive to Florida to help pick up after Wilma.

My first visit to Hancock County will not be my last, I just wish that I had seen it before Katrina did her thing. As a profssional accountant I would reccomend that you take advantage of the SBA loans available, and encourage any other businessmen to do the same. Without you Hancock County will not come back, and that whould be a sin.

Do you have a receipt of those bottles the agency telling you to destroy? DEMAND that they pay for them! This is YOUR property so you should be duly compensated, and also, find an attorney if you can. They have no right to do this to you....the sealed bottles, what can possibly get in? Ridiculous! You are definetely in our prayers. Oh...TAKE PICTURES of all the stock they want you to destroy, and like I said, if you have any paperwork such as receipts on the, be sure to make copies and send them to the agency, as well as to the Mayor, the Governor and of course we should not leave out the President of the United States..and a nice letter to them telling them of your plight. This is costing you money, not only in lost goods but in future sales. Do some research too, as to the sealed bottles and the lack of likelyhood any contaminants could get into the bottles. Find another winery, or bottling company person to talk to and to get them to document the safety of the seals on bottles. Bless you and best of luck in all of your future endeavors.

IF THE GOVERNMENT CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN FREE AND CLEAR. WHAT ELSE ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE US DO. START CHARGING FOR THE AIR WE BREATHE AND HOW WE BREATHE IT. SIGNED, 1 OF THE 8 CHILDREN.

I lived in Long Beach and used to go to Andy's all the time. I am sad to know that its gone and that there are so many problems occuring over liquor "you own." Thats the government for you. My heart truly goes out to you. I loved going to Andy's in Long Beach and being greeted by Patrick, the spunky red head of the family. He would always have some sort of anecdote about living/working a 60 hour week in his second home the liquor store to support his family(3 children under the age of 3 if I remeber). Its really sad to know that this its all gone now. He and his wife were so kind and helpful...I have to wonder how they are. If anyone knows how Patrick and his famlily are doing or if I could be put in touch with him I would love that. But I wish you all the best of luck, sit on the liquor for a while consider it a 40,000 investment and you just have to ride the market for a while and see how things pan out but don't give in and destroy the liquor after all you own it and that would just be ludacris. All our Love-LC

Well, to anyone who says his bottles are contaminated because of the water, I say "rubbish." I could be wrong in this case, but most areas "only" experienced a storm surge. It came and went pretty rapidly. Mostly seawater, debris, etc. It's probably not likely the stuff soaked for weeks as it did say, in a liquor store in New Orleans. I wouldn't hesitate to drink some of the liquor, once the outside of bottle had been properly wiped down.

As for those suggesting he sell the bottles as keepsakes on eBay, etc... nice idea. Unfortunately, I don't think you can sell liquor across state lines, through the mail, etc. (I think wine might be different, but just trying to recall the law...) Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I agree with the sentiment expressed by some others... big party. 2000 gallon tanker of Jungle Juice, anyone? Voluntary donations (because right now, I'm assuming he's screwed on insurance.)

Good luck getting back on your feet. I can't imagine what it's like. I went through a supertyphoon on Guam in 2002, but my house was a concrete fortress on high ground. No power afterward, but all was safe.

If I'm ever down that way, I'll try to look you up and buy a bottle of whatever you have on the shelf.

Our hearts go out to you and your family for your losses. I find it to be so unfortunate that after everything you have been through and lost, that the gov. now wants you to destroy what little you have left, it is such a shame. Although you probably don't have much now, you really need to consider hiring a lawyer to go after your insurance company and make them pay. Although i have never had the misfortune to lose everything, I truly feel for you and all other survivors of this catastrophic disaster. You will be in our prayers.

Screw the ABC. They are bad people and do not care about your livelyhood. You do what you have to to survive.

First, take photos of your family against the stock in the background - sell these photos as the Katrina souvenirs. Then separate the alcohol from the drink and sell it as alternative fuel. Finally, sell the empty cleaned bottles to a glass or bottle recycling company. Or you could put little ships in the empty cleaned bottles and resell those. Or build a giant glass robot sculpture from the empty cleaned bottles and charge a buck to view it, 2 bucks for media. Then sell the rights to Hollywood for the Giant Glass Robot movie. Or carefully document and photo each bottle in a book and sell copies of the book as Katrina souvenirs. Get someone like David Letterman to do one of his 'smashing' shows where he smashes the whole inventory at once with a tank or bulldozer, pays you. Maybe they could get a platoon to line up the entire lot and use it for target practice, unless they are chicken they will miss. Or rub each bottle with the hopes that one is really a magic lamp.

Mike was told that he could not give it away, or take any home. He is talking about inventory that was not under flood water, but was sitting on a shelf where water only got 2 inches on the bottom of the bottles.

In Mississippi, the only place that the liquor stores can purchase their inventory is from the ABC State Tax Commission. The ABC buys from wholesale distributors, and then sells to permitted retail stores under their control.

The shopping center where the store is located is not in a flood zone according to the FEMA guidelines and people where told they did not need flood insurance.
Many homeowners face the same dilemma as they are way above the flood line and were told no flood insurance was needed, therefore, many homeowners here were caught uninsured. Camille was used as a guideline for flood areas and I guess no one thought anything could be worse than Camille.

I came across this article and it had me flabbergasted!! The audacity of the government to tell you how and what to do with your own property. Then again, it's the government. They seem to have all of the answers.....NOT!! I've heard so many great ideas to do with your inventory to at least get what you paid for from it without actually consuming what's inside, that's what counts, right? I wish you the best of luck and as you can see, there are a lot of people on your side, including me. Take care and God Bless!!

If you include a clearly stated warning that the consumption of the liquid is not recomended and may cause illness, you should be able to sell YOUR PERSONAL property. That is the whole purpose for a disclaimer, which many large corporations have used over the years and continue to do so today. Of course these agencies don't think about what you've already been through, compation is not a word that they understand. Don't give up without a fight. Good luck and God bless.

Would all of you be supporting him if he intended on selling food products that were in contaminated water? Would you buy a jar of pasta sauce and consume it? The seal would still be intact and the outside were simply wiped clean... I wouldn't. How would he feel if someone were sickened by a bottle he "thought" was safe? How does he know for sure they are safe?

mabey a give bottle to those fema rats..... helps the poison go down

Shopped there many times. I used to have a place in BSL, but sold it last summer because of the hurricanes here in Florida (my primary residence). Glad to hear that you all made it through

First things first, DEMAND the ABC refund the pre-paid sales tax on every bottle. If they won't do this tell them to go pound sand. They must refund a pre-paid sales tax if it was never collected. Then PARTY, just be sure to check the bottles for sediment. I feel for you, tropical storm Allison put 5 1/2 in my house. Good luck

Please remember Bay St Louis and Waveland are filled with small business owners who lost their homes and their business. He was lucky enough to get posted. Please remember lets help all the business owners.
THANKS!

WHO DIED AND LEFT THEM GOD??? CALL YOUR INSURANCE AGENT AND GET A LAWYER.........GOOD LUCK;;;

send me some cod
782 20th street #3
San pedro, CA 90731
The ABC should be worry about other stuff.

First I want to say I'm very sorry about the loss but I also understand why you have to destroy the liquor and wine. It is the same for every business that sells food or drink. Unfortunatly that is one of the risks you take. How would you like to go to the groc and they say oh I washed off that so now its ok to eat. Sorry but it is the same difference. Breweries and grocs and bars all over the country have to destroy alcohol when something happens to it--whether it be age, discontinued or what. Hopefully insurance will help you out. business all over Mississippi and Lousiana are dealing with the same issues as you are--clothes, grocerys, electronics. I wish you well

I think that the souvenier idea is the best so far, that is if the ABC allows it. Judging by the responses I have read here, there are a large number of individuals out there who would be happy to buy a bottle of "Hurricane Katrina Survival Wine" and help a HARDWORKING AMERICAN in the process. When you're ready to ship, I'm ready to shop.

The BOTTLES must be allowed to survive! If the government finds a loop-hole to keep you from selling the inventory with the alcohol inside - drill tiny holes and DRAIN the contents THEN follow the advise from other readers and SELL THE BOTTLES as Katrina Souvenirs. Would FULL bottles be more valuable than EMPTY bottles? Why not sell the bottles with a Hurricane History that includes the fact that the GOVERNMENT forced the DRAINING of this probably unaffected alcohol contents and that without draining the "PRECIOUS ARTIFACT" including the bottle would have been SMASHED and gone forever!

how will anyone know what you have or not have in a year from now? what if the fire alarm goes off and the remaining bottle labels get wet... how will you or anyone else tell the difference between them? will you be required to destroy everything at that point? what about trading your collectable inventory for someone else's collectable services? if it's truely contanimated, sell individual bottles in plain paper bags with "cajun mystery elixor" scrawled on the outside and in large letters add; "this stuff'll kill ya!"... with the enormous proceeds you're sure to earn start a non-profit alcohol awarness training program for high school kids... let the lawyers figure that one out.

Hey...I like the above posting.... I will buy one also...go ahead and drill small holes and drain out the wine or simply unscrew or uncork the darn bottle and pour out the stuff and then sell the empty bottle with a label about the insanity that caused it to happen...I am waiting for you to sell them and post how to buy one.

God, I am glad that I am not in the seafood business in Bay St. Louis. The guvmint man might come by and tell me to not sell any oysters because they have come in contact with Hurricane Katrina water! Seriously, if you find a wine bottle that has the cork popping out even a little bit you should not drink it. I had to pour out several gallons of wine at my brother-in-law's house over on Jeff Davis because of that. But other than that, liqour bottles can be disinfected with bleach just like everything else can.

To those of you who favor the gov't in this case:
I'll bet you support G.W. Bush, the war (not refering to the soldiers), and eminent domain - don't you!! This is just more proof that we are loosing and "they" are winning.

I've never know anyone who fought the Government and won. We can't even get the Republicans to be honest so why should the ABC try to help out. I would like to purchase two bottles of whatever you have (and I don't even drink)! So start a website selling the sovnenirs and I will order two. Good luck with rebuilding your business and take care.

FRIST E-MAIL MIKE BROWN TELL HIM HE LOOKED GREAT WHILE LETTING PEOPLE DROWN ER.. I MEAN LETTING PEOPLE DOWN. I HOPE THE MARKET RETURNS,NOTHING WORKS WITHOUT A SALES BASE. I PRAY FOR THE SAFTY OF YOUR FAMILY DURING THIS FEARFUL TIME.I THINK THE STORY OF THE STORM IS ONLY BEGINING.

Is there someone with the Mississippi ABC we can protest to?

The Govt. "agency" would love to confiscate all your liquor, and then of course help themselves to the liquor,and pass it around to their friends!! By the way......who oversees Govt. agencies, pray tell??

real sorry to hear bout your loss..but i live in India and would like to help in whichever way i can .. Would love a soviener bottle.... Please keep me posted on when you decide to do it the EBAY way maybe i can help u put on ebay back here in India...Cheers !!!

Got a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream? I'll buy it! I guess common sense does not exist at the ABC. The only problem bottles should be the corked ones and the outsides can be cleaned.

Dear Mr. Haggard,
I don't know if it would sound bad but I would really be interested in some how getting my hands on one of those bottles. I made a small donation of one hundred dollars to the Red Cross and I really could not afford to do that. I also helped load four semi's full of food, clothing, etc after Katrina. I'm not sure if this tragic event had an effect on everyone like it did on me, but it's something that will stick w/ me for the rest of my life. To have a souvenir bottle of wine or liquor would be great! I know I would pay to get one..someone get in touch w/ me. For crying out loud, it's OK to dry out sand dollars and star fish and sell them to tourists as souvenirs! Good Luck To You and Your Family Mr. Haggard and May God Bless all the Victims of Katrina!

Well if it didn't kill the looters it won't kill the paying public either...go ebay

I'll Buy two suvenier bottles, with or without the contents. I believe in donating to Katrina Relief on a more personal level, like this. I'm also dihartened by people , who use any opportunity they can, to slam our President. God bless all Americans

Aside from the great idea of selling them for souveneirs, why not consider disappearing in the middle of the night with it all, and relocating? It sounds like everything else you had was destroyed anyway, unfortunately. You could start all over again somewhere else, and still sell them as souveneirs. Good luck to you!

In Mississippi all liquor/alcohol is purchased directly from the ABC which is the STATE of MISSISSIPPI! SOOOOO you might say this is a conflict of interest. The same people who sold him the liquor are now ordering him to destroy it! Contaminated or not...the bottles are his. He should be able to do what he wants with them. I live in Pascagoula and yes the water that came into our homes and businesses was contaminated but only because the ocean is contaminated...it wasn't sewer water so much as just nasty ocean water. A lot of people are now sufferring from strange skin problems and infections both bacterial and viral...its scary. I wouldn't want to take the chance of drinking any of the stuff but it should be my choice and not some bureaucrats! Thanks :)

I feel badly for this family, but why have we forgotten about the thousands of other families who have also lost everything? These natural disasters continue to strike world-wide, and many natural disasters occur frequently within our own country. But, we do not make a huge spectacle of the damage and loss of life caused by blizzards in Montana and Wyoming - the government doesn't subsidize rebuilding when that happens. Or what about the destructive tornadoes that frequently occur in the Midwest. The people there don't complain and blame the disaster on the United States President. There are Hundreds and thousands of examples I could use to further demonstrate this point. The basis is that it is unfortunate that people have lost so much, but I say to them: honestly, get yourself together and start thinking of ways to rebuild yourself and those around you, instead of wallowing in your misery and blaming someone else for your troubles.

Sounds to me you have some of your stock sold right here. I wouldn't destroy it no matter what the gubment says. Just sell it on ebay, or create a new website. I could set one up for ya and would only want a small commission of the profits. I think you are probably sitting on a goldmine if you can sell it as Katrina souvenirs.

I am a liquor inspector in the State of Washington. We are, in fact and substance, the enforcement arm of the ATF agency; consequently decisions we enforce are simply those handed down by ATF bureaucrats. Do not blame the ABC in this case, blame instead the Federal Government and its incidental short-sightedness. However unfortunate the story of Mr. Haggard, it should be noted that the Federal Government's policies are in place to cover the majority of circumstances, and cannot be based on contingencies covering the myriad of possibilities that may occur across our nation.

That's nice, this guy is trying to recover the $40,000 in losses he's just endured (in addition to his own, personal losses) and you'll take a only a small commission. Why don't you open your heart a little instead of capitalizing on other's misery

Sounds to me like a whole lot of fuss over nothing. The bottles are contaminated, don't get your dander up because someone from the "guvment" is telling you to do what you already know is right. File a claim, get a lawyer, call your insurance company, do something other than whine about having to destroy your contaminated inventory. There are many untold stories that are much more tragic than the loss of alcohol.

These people have lost everything and you want part of the profits.....are you a republican? Did you ever hear of just helping someone out? A kind gesture maybe? This is all they have, they don't even have homes! How could you ask for a small commission? That is just embarrassing.

I agree, go ebay or set up your own site, but don't go with the guy above! Hire an attorney!!! Good luck to you and your family Mr. Haggard!

Souveneers is the way to go. Capitolism at it's finest. I used to live on the coast and partied all over Bay St. Louis. I even lived there for a short time over by Magic Casino. I left the coast 6 years ago and I went back down there to repair Mommas house and to do some roofing. (Commercial) jnesbitt@jollyroofing.com >> anyway, I had a roofing company down there for 5 years and knew my way around pretty well but now it's like I was never there and what is left doesn't help with navigating around anymore. I haven't saw the areas where the Fire Dog was yet or maybe I did I am not sure. Amazing. Hang on and everything will be fine again, until the next storm. No sense in possibly getting someone sick by selling the stuff or even giving it away. If they will let you drain the contents or seal them and you sell the bottles you may end up making more money than you would normally. You may have to dress them up a little but thousands of people have bought Cammile souveneers so I am sure Katrina souveneers will do well. Looks like the situation could be profitable. Good luck and I will see you soon.
Signed, Faitheful and longtime customer when in town

Looks like a lot of people would like Katrina souvenirs. Hopefully the state would/could realize you can still profit off the misfortune of losing the other store and profit of what they want you to destroy. they would recieve more of the tax money of what you sell than what you destroy.

mp tx has a point the state should at least allow sell to admitted looters...IF it is bad...no more looters

I'll be over this morning to buy my Kalua and vodka! I came back to the Bay to repair my home and help rebuild the town. My home is getting better every day, now it's time to help a neighbor. I'm alsogoing to share your story with other locals and get them to buy at your store. See you later!

Judging from all the posts, it seems like some people want to blame the messenger rather than deal with the fact that the issue here is public safety!
It also sounds like an issue of no insurance. If the store owner had insurance, the destruction of contaminated booze would not be an issue. Just another case of someone wanting to blame the messenger rather than accept the fact that Mother Nature is sometimes cruel. Get over it, move on, and get back in business without whining over the tough things in life.

It is unfortunate that this business owner had damage like others in his area. Homes were also destroyed. What is predictable in emotional times with a catastrophic storm like this is people venting and blaming others (insurance companies, government, etc) rather than putting their lives together and moving on.
If this guy had insurance, they will cover the loss.
If he did not (no matter what the reason), that is not "the government's" fault. Public safety issue here folks. Besides, alcohol is a controlled substance is some states.

I went to Mike Haggard's store as promised and bought my Kalua. He sold me the bottle at his cost price and cleaned the bottle with Windex before putting it in the bag. This bottle was under water only part way up.

Mike said he won the case with the ABC. There were no precedents in this state and no rules regarding a flooded liquor store, so the "guberment" backed down.

Since he OWNS the bottles that were under water, he can take them home. As long as there's no liquor in them, he can sell the bottles. (It is against the law to ship liquor across state lines.) From his home he can ship empty bottles. So those of you who want to get a souvenier or just help get someone back on his feet, keep an eye out for these sales.

How about a buy one post Katrina liquor with a get one free of pre Katrina liquor with a warning label? Seems that the price of the post Katrina bottles could be increased a bit in order to help. That way, the pre Katrina stock is not being sold for human consumption. that should satisfy the government.

Who would have ever thought the fate of liquor vs. homeless families with small children trying to survive in a tents would attract so much attenion. There are families out there who threw out their most valuable possessions that can never be replaced. What is wrong with this picute? Well, if this didn't show America we have been trying to reach out ask for support and help from just where our priorities really lay...nothing will. Heaven help us.

I can't believe the nerve of people who don't live here in Hancock County making such inappropriate and hateful comments! Mr. Haggard did not seem to be a whiner to me. In fact, I haven't heard anyone whining as we are all in the same boat. He has lost his home and one of his businesses. By the way, he isn't living in a FEMA trailer, it's a FEMA camper. He was simply trying to salvage as much inventory as he could. Would I drink from one of the bottles after it had been flooded? No way! However, I do understand how devastated he must feel as I lost my home in Bay St. Louis also. We don't blame the government, our insurance companies, or anyone else for our losses. We are taxpayers just like you and have been supporting government agencies like FEMA and many others and only expect what we deserve. We are rebuilding our community slowly but surely. The sooner the businesses get reopened the sooner our city has its tax revenue back and our people will have their jobs back. Many of our residents and business owners did not have flood insurance as their properties were located in flood zone C and were advised by their insurance companies not to purchase flood insurance. Most of the homes and businesses were destroyed and the insurance companies mostly gave us checks to pay for our roofs. We are left to rebuild our gutted homes and businesses on our own. I am so thankful to those nonjudgmental people who have come to help us rebuild and clean up. Many of them are living in tents and campers as there are few hotel rooms available on the coast. What a sacrifice to help people they don't even know! If you don't live here you can't begin to understand what we go through on a daily basis. Most of our community is living in small campers from FEMA and is forced to camp out on a daily basis. Others are still waiting for their FEMA campers and are living with relatives or friends, or worse, in tents. Many people have lost their jobs because the businesses are gone and have no way to support themselves. We all wake up in the morning and go to bed at night looking at debris piles that were people's homes and personal belongings. The piles of debris stink. Still, people here are not whining. They are trying hard to rebuild, reconnect with each other, and regain some since of normalcy. My heart goes out to those others in the midwest, Montana, Wyoming and the many others who suffer through disasters. I would assume/hope our government helps those people also. We are not "wallowing in our misery and blaming someone else for our troubles" and we do have ourselves together and are doing our best to rebuild....TOGETHER!

I assume ABC stands for Absent Brain Cells. Wash the exterior, mark the bottles as flood salvage and let the members of a free society make the decision for themselves. Or is this now the land of the serfs and the home of the paranoid?

First of all, where is the data on the contamination? I've heard reports that the surge waters were "toxic soup". I've also heard reports that the contamination wasn't nearly as bad as presumed. It is well documented that the Gulf of Mexico is contaminated, but we swim in the water and eat the seafood it supports. I have not seen any conclusive data proving that the waters were polluted beyond "normal" levels. No data, no dice ABC.