# Katrina Photos From Chalmette La



## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

Hello all â€"

Kirk and I finally got back home to take some photos and see what we could salvage. We had rented a 6x12 Uhaul trailer to bring things home and once we got there we realized that we just wasted our money. 7 years of our life in this house and the only possessions that we saved was the crystal in Kirkâ€™s curio cabinet. I have added the photos for you to check out on webshots. Photo Link you can also get to them by clicking on the â€œCamping Photosâ€ in my signature. The house and everything inside is a total loss so the pictures are pretty bad.







The water went about 2 or 3 foot above our gutters on the roof. We are still living in the outback so I guess we can now get the trophy for being the first outbackers.com members going full timer status!







Like Vdub told us, we beat him to it. But we are currently looking for either a house or a lot to start over again. Donâ€™t know how soon it will be because after we get the insurance money, we are still going to be about 11 thousand short of paying off the mortgage. I am going to plead with the insurance company to see if the homeowners can cover the difference in the loan amount.

We both have a pretty positive attitude considering what we lost but I truly believe that things happen for a reason and that we are given challenges in our lives to make us better people. And also we usually come out of these bad experiences in better circumstances that we were in before. So with the amount of suffering we are doing, the good to come from it must be pretty darn fabulous!







I just canâ€™t wait for the good positive information and things to start rolling in.

Chris


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Glad to have you check in, we all have been wondering how you were doing. That positive attitude will help alot. Good Luck picking up the pieces.

John


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## Grunt0311 (Aug 23, 2005)

Man, I am sorry for your loss and hardship







! The pictures were amazing







! As an insurance agent, I am curious however how you are coming up $11000 short of what you owe on the house? Did you have it underinsured? On most of my policies I add Guranteed Replacement Cost, or Increased Cost endorsement which gives you 125% more coverage on the house. Also, are they covering your personal belongings?


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Wow, gotta say that leaves me speechless,

Good luck in your future rebuilding.

stay positive.


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I am glad that you got out safe and sound. The loss of your home is a terrible thing and I wish you the best of luck getting back on your feet. The photos really are hard to look at and I am sure that the damage is even worse in person.

Gary


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Chris,

I don't know what to say, except---your attitude is amazing!

Hang in there.

Mark


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Yeah, those are some heartbreaking pictures for sure. Call me weird, but I think the entertainment center one got me the most. It is such a pointed contrast between your prior "normal" life and the state of things now.

Good luck and Godspeed to you in getting your life back together!

I am also curious about the insurance situation. I have the 125% thingy Grunt mentioned and want to make sure I didn't miss something.


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## mskyoutback (Jul 27, 2004)

It just amazes me that the curio cabinet was still standing at all and that you were able to salvage what was inside! These pictures are horrible. I hope everything works out with the insurance. I guess what is important is that you and your family are alright. You have a really good attitude about the whole thing, and that will help a lot.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Can't say much more than what's been said, those pictures are tough to look at.

Keep that positive outlook and you will do fine, best wishes getting your lives back together.

Mike


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

Chris & Kirk:
The pictures tell the story...sorry that you lost so much. Your attitude is the correct one, though, and here's hoping you are back on your feet sooner than later. I'm a product of New Orleans, so I feel your pain! Good luck and God Bless.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

The pictures are amazing to see what has happened.
I'm sorry that you lost everything.
But truely glad that you both are O.K. and have a positive attitude.
God Bless you
Hope your life will get back on track real soon.

Don


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

Kirk and Chris,
I looked at your pictures, amazing what water can do.








Amazing is your attitude. I agree with your thoughts on change. Hang in there.
Sorry to see that you lost your mod making tools too







. I know Bill would feel lost without his garage and his tools.
Have you gotten any help from Fema? I keep hearing about the Billions but I wonder if it trickles down to the victims of the storms. Did you get the money I think Bush said 2,000 to get you started? I ask just to see if the govenment is actually doing what it claims







I hope you did.Thank Goodness you have your Outback27 nice size and it has some of the Good Mods








Bill and I met several other Outbacker families this weekend at a mini Michigan Rally. Outbackers are a really nice group .Keep us informed of how you are doing. I hope you get the morgage to get a new home.We all want to see those pictures too







We hope the rest of your family is making progress toward recovery too.
Jan


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## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

Thanks everyone for the kind words.







On the insurance, only flood is paying for the damage. Flood insurance, which is regulated by FEMA, doesnâ€™t pay replacement cost. We recently opened a HELOC (home equity line of credit) to do some renovations and did not increase the flood coverage, so that is how we ended up underinsured. Allstate told us that they were not going to pay any homeowners claims in our area regardless if you have wind damage or not.







I have no idea if they can do that or not but as you can see from the photos we definitely have some wind damage. They claim that the water came first. Not the wind.







That is just completely ludicrous. I said what the heck do you think pushed the water in! I also asked if they ever heard of something called tidal surge and what causes it.







We also have crude oil in the house from the Murphy oil spill that happened about Â½ mile from us. Our homeownersâ€™ policy was more than enough to cover everything, but because we were not in a flood prone area, we did not continuously up the coverage on the flood policy. We did have inside contents coverage but only for $17,500. When we sat down and pretty much added up everything we lost inside the house we came up with about $74,000 worth of things. This has taught us a great lesson, whether or not your property is above sea level or below, make sure you have enough coverage. Since the area we lived in hasnâ€™t ever in history flooded, we never were that concerned with raising the amounts of the flood policy. UNTIL NOW! Jan, Fema did give us the $2000.00 payment about 2 weeks after the storm. Then we received another deposit for something like $2,356. That definitely helped.

One of the things that we hope to see is that Murphy Oil will purchase all of the homes that were littered with their crude oil and expand their plant. I know I donâ€™t want the property now. Imagine a 4 square mile area of homes that canâ€™t even grow grass on their lawns again. But you never know, the courts may force the insurance companies to pay homeowners claims and our property will be purchased by Murphy and the new house will be paid in full before it is even completed. Hey nothing wrong with dreaming huh?









Chris


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## nonny (Aug 14, 2005)

Oh my! They may be just things but they're your things. I am so sorry for your loss!! I saw wonderful dogs in some of the other pictures. Are they yours? Did they make it out safely, too? It looks like others in your family took big hits, too. My thoughts, prayers and emotional support are with all of you. God bless you and yours!


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## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

nonny said:


> Oh my! They may be just things but they're your things. I am so sorry for your loss!! I saw wonderful dogs in some of the other pictures. Are they yours? Did they make it out safely, too? It looks like others in your family took big hits, too. My thoughts, prayers and emotional support are with all of you. God bless you and yours!
> [snapback]57688[/snapback]​


Yes we have both dogs with us. They go everywhere with us. I think that is why they aren't going crazy in the outback. They must think we are on one of those long extended camping trips again.

As far as the family, my entire family and all our friends that lived in the parish or county as other states call them, have lost their homes as well. Just in the parish we lived in they are saying that at least 30,000 homes will have to be bulldozed and rebuilt. We are planning to take a trip this weekend to see some of our friends that relocated. Some of our friends and neighbors are now located in Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, and northern Louisiana. It's amazing how quickly your life can change due to a storm that only lasted a few hours.

Chris


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## nonny (Aug 14, 2005)

Some folks have ended up in West MI, especially down around where Grunt0311 lives. We're happy to have the "transplants" and have several good programs set up to help with the transition. How can we help you and yours?


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