hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

[danny k]

My 28ft pontoon was in a wet slip at a local marina, in Bay St. Louis, MS. This is where the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed. I'm sure ya'll have seen the devastation caused by this storm so there's no need to go into that. This is my problem.<br /><br />The owner of the marina allowed boats to block the waterway to the boat ramp BEFORE a hurricane warning was issued. He began allowing other boats to block the canal at 7am on Saturday morning. A hurricane warning was not issued until 11:00pm Saturday night. When I checked the weather at 6am Sunday morning I discovered we were under a hurricane warning. I immediately hooked up to my trailer to load my 28ft pontoon and drove to the marina. I arrived about 7am Sunday morning. I was immediately notified by the owner he would not allow me to load my boat because other boats had already blocked the entrance to the boat lauch. So, here I was, with a 28ft pontoon with literally no hope of saving her. Sure, you can tie off as best possible but with a 30ft storm surge your wasting your time. <br /><br />It took me 8 days to reach the marina because of all the debris. Naturally all boats that were "tied off" were destroyed, including mine. She's still afloat, but upside down. When I approaced the owner I was advised he had already contracted to have the boats heisted from the marina, using a crane, at a cost to the owner of $250 per FT!! So for my pontoon it would cost about $7000!! I told him to put my boat back in the slip, which would be fairly simple to do, until I contacted him again. He then told me if I didn't allow my boat to be removed by HIS contractor the Coast Guard would charge $500 per ft.!! It's obvious this guy is getting a kick back from the crane contractor.<br /><br />Please, I need some input on this guys. For example, what right did he have to block the only entrance to the boat launch BEFORE a hurricane warning was issued. I am seriously considering suing his crooked *** for not allowing me to remove my vessel. I need some advice badly.<br /><br />Thanks guys,<br /><br />danny k.

 

[bayman]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

To have a large trailerable sailboat put in the water via a crane usually only costs about $50 where I have been...odd!

 

[danny k]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Yea, ODD TO SAY THE LEAST!! Any suggestions??

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

rent or borrow another boat... tow your upside down boat slowly to somewhere else to have it hoisted out.. yes its a redneck way of doing it but, damage is already done, and it has to be cheaper than his rates. Just a thought.

 

[JB]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

This is not a poll.<br /><br />Get a lawyer.

 

[olbuddyjack]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

the Coast Guard would charge $500 per ft.!!

Did you check with the Coast Guard on this?<br /><br />I think JB gives good advice...seek an attorney...or talk to your insurance company.

 

[danny k]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

After Hurricane Katrina price gouging went thru the roof. I noticed a gouging hot line to report gouging this morning while watching the news. It seems the State Attorney General has taken a very serious approach to this practice. I think I'll pay this owner another visit and casually mention the gouging aspect of his operation. If he doesn't change his tune I'll first get my boat out of his marina, towing upside down if necessary, and then contact my attorney regarding his actions prior to the hurricane. Then I'll contact the Attorney Generals office.<br /><br />Thanks for your advice guys and if anyone has any further suggestions please post.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Danny K.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Photo record first, Danny.<br /><br />All the shots you can get of Marina, your boat, blockages, etc. Everything.<br /><br />Stand you in good stead if it comes to a legal fight.

 

[jlinder]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

I'm confused as to why boats blocked access to the ramp, and as to why they blocked the waterway. Was it to prevent people from removing their boats?<br /><br />Did the marina owner own the area blocked? If so, it would seem that he is responsible for preventing you from removing your boat, and preventing it from being damaged. If so, he should pay all the damages.<br /><br />Everyone is right. Get a lawyer, call the Coast Guard, call the price gouging hotline, and document, document, document.<br /><br />BTW, Mississippi Attorney General's Consumer protection Line to report price gouging is 800-281-4418 or 601-359-4320 (from http://www.its.state.ms.us/et/egov/Recovery Resource.pdf )

 

[danny k]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

I'll attempt to explain how the slips were designed. Slips were located on both sides of a "common" canal, which is about 30ft wide which was used to exit and enter your designated slip. The canal led to the boat launch and from there out to the Gulf. I was in the third slip on the west side of the canal. The first and second slip boats tied there boats in the MIDDLE of the canal,not in there slips, which prevented not only myself, but every other boat, about 30, that was slipped from my slip on back, from exiting the canal. In other words, those 2 boats tied off in the middle of the canal prevented every other boat that was slipped in that section of the marina from exiting the canal and gaining access to the boat launch. <br />When I informed the owner those 2 boats were blocking the exit I was told he WAS NOT, and would not allow, those 2 boats to be moved and informed me I needed to tie my pontoon off as best as possible, again, in the middle of the canal. I asked him if he thought simply tieing a boat off would withstand a catagory 5 hurricane. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, and I quote, "I guess we'll have to see". Well, we saw. Every boat in the marina was destroyed, duh!!<br />Like I previously stated, it took about 8 days to gain access to the marina after the hurricane. He was on site and that is when he informed me he hired a private contractor to remove all sunken or destroyed boats from the marina slips at a price of $250 per ft. So, for my 28ft pontoon, it would cost about $7000 just to have it removed from the water. When I asked him if he was nuts he "informed" me if I didn't agree to pay for my boat removal with his contractor he would notify the Coast Guard and they would charge $500 per ft. I told him to get my boat back in my slip, which would require only pulling on a rope attached to the bow a distance of about 20 ft. I couldn't do it at that time because other boats were blocking my slip.<br />There are no logical reasons for his actions. Apparently he had(has) alternative motives for not allowing boat removal. Could it be he wanted all those boats to destroy his marina for insurance purposes? Could it be he's getting a kickback from the boat removal contractor? Could it be both of the above?<br />In the meantime, I'm contacting the Coast Guard and the Attorney General's office. Thanks Jack for the address and # to the AG's office. For the record, this marina has 150 wet slips, of which approximately only half were occuppied. <br /><br />Thanks again guys and keep the suggestions and ideas coming!<br /><br />Danny K.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

I still don't get it. Why were those other 2 boats tied up in the middle? Was there some purpose to blocking the canal? It makes no sense.

 

[islandboat]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Did you have insurance on the boat? If you did, have insurance deal with the marina owner as insurance should now own the boat, if you agree to that.<br /> I don't beleive the USCG will clear a private marina. The Mississippi Dept. of Marine Resources may hire a contractor to clear derelict vessels from navigable waterways, as they have in the past by using tidelands funds, however tidelands funds are now scarce due to the destruction of that revenue source - the casinos. Call Sea Tow. They have been doing much of the vessel salvage along the Coast. Marine salvage can be very expensive. <br />Most marinas "require" all boats to be removed from the marina prior to a hurricane to prevent as damage as possible to the marina. It does seem odd that the marina would not allow an owner to remove a private vessel. I concur, call a lawyer.

 

[danny k]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

I can only ASSUME the reason the 2 boats were tied off in the middle is because these are "covered" slips. I can only ASSUME the idiots thought the roof rafters, should they collapse, would damage their boats more then a category 5 hurricane. Both the idiots live in New Orleans, about 60 miles from the marina, so I haven't had the "opportunity" to ask them the obvious. Why in the hell they thought a boat, any boat short of a aircraft carrier, would make it thru a cat 5 hurricane tied off in the middle of a marina canal. But, I did ask the owner what the hell he and those 2 idiots were thinking and his reply was "it is their boats and I(the owner) do not have the authority to move them." Again, it is too obvious this owner had alternative motives. Be assured, the AG's office will be notified tomorrow, only because his office phone lines stayed busy all day today. The AG's office can initiate an insurance fraud investigation as well as price gouging. I'll drive to the capital if necessary. I'm also working on obtaining the names and addresses of other boat owners that lost their rigs because of these idiots thru boat registeration numbers. Most of these owners live out of town so that may take awhile. But in the meantime I'll be the owner's worst nightmare.<br />No, none of this makes sense which is why the owner will have to answer to someone, somewhere, sometime. If I have any say so, his *** will be going to prison. Hell with the money, my rig was insured. This guy is trying to get rich at a time when most people in my small hometown don't even have a roof over their head, change of clothes and having to wait in Salvation Army lines for hours for their next meal! Having to live in a pup tent in the middle of a football field in 95 degree heat! Caskets of their deceased loved ones floating out of the ground and lying in ditches! Rapes and murders in shelters! Yea, I'm pissed! I'm pissed at all these "business professionals" that take advantage of the people raised on the wrong side of the tracks!<br />Edit this post if you must or cancel my membership. At this point I don't have a whole hell of alot to lose. Yea, I lost a stupid *** boat. And that's all it was. So many lost so much more......<br />Thanks for letting me vent..now I can give my buddy his laptop back and go back to my tent..<br /><br />Danny K.<br /><br />Trust me, all the support, help and care my area has received from all of you, through out this wonderful country of ours, is deeply appreciated. A meal, a change of clothes, and most of all, hope. It is appreciated more then any of you will ever know. God bless you all.......

 

[KM2]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

danny, <br /><br />First I hope you and your family and friends are all ok. That's far more important then the boat or marine owner. <br /><br />You need to do a few things: Call your insurance agent/company. Next get down to the marina and take pictures, lots of them. Also look for others that may have had the same problems with the owner. Get their names phones numbers and where the live. It would be really helpful if you could find the owners of the boats that blocked the landing. If you can't try to find the boats and get the registration numbers. Next ask friends and family for a referral to attorney. <br /><br />Good Luck

 

[danny k]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

KM, thank you.......<br /><br />danny

 

[Realgun]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

What the owner did was absoluty wrong. He shoulda been shot. Why can the snipers take out the right people?<br /><br />BTW the Rapes and Murders did not happen or were drastically overstated.

 

[Tiger123245]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Update please. I'm wondering what came of it. Did you sue the dumb***? Did the AG do anything?

 

[DangerDan]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

As a former Bay St. Louis Resident and Camille survivor I surely can sypathize with your situation. So much frenzy prior to the storm and all for nothing. I remember it well. As others have stated, contact your insurance company. The chances are hiring an attorney to fight over who was at fault will be futile as the damage was caused by "Act of God" If insured you should be compensated by the ins. company. If not, I'm sorry for your loss. If you can find a better rate to hoist I'd head in that direction unless you Ins. co can take care of it.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Once the lawyers get involved, the posts cease.<br /><br />Remember 'suds' and the listing chapparal?

 

[islandboat]

Re: hurricane katrina disaster,need advice

Just thought this site might be of interest since ya'll were talking about a destroyed pontoon boat from a marina in Bay St. Louis. That pontoon boat may have ended up here for auction or another site like it on the local industrial seaway. This definetly not an advertisement for this auction site but rather a look at many of the other destryed boats from that area. Take a look at the 70' Choe Lee, that used to be a favorite of mine that we would pass each week on our way out of the local harbor.<br /> http://www.durhamauctions.com/january21_boats.html