Phil Collins came out to retrieve some of his daughter's  belongings from her home on Maple Avenue, but it had been condemned, and he wasn't allowed in.

"It's a real heck of a mess," Collins said about the damages. "I guess we're just lucky" no one was hurt.

Daughter Gloria Watts was in her La Plata home with her mother and two friends when the storm hit. "My roof was torn off ... my kitchen's collapsed," she said. And her home was not insured. 

Watts, who has been living at the EconoLodge since the storm, said she has been relying on the help of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They have covered her temporary housing costs  thus far, and she hopes they will continue to "sort things out." 

Watts was able to gather most of her clothes, she said, before her house was condemned a few days later. 

County inspectors in Charles County assessed damages in the town and placed condemned signs on property they deemed inhabitable or unsafe.

Urban Search and Rescue teams placed orange Xs on properties already checked and cleared to avoid wasted time and energy.

Back        1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7        Next