For Napa County Planning Commissioner Jim King, the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was personal. That's prompted him to launch a campaign to help a devastated community rebuild.

For most of one frightening week, King anxiously awaited word about a brother who was in the path of the storm. The brother, he later learned, survived by breaking into the attic of his home to escape the surging floodwaters.

It was also personal because King spent much of his own youth on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and survived Hurricane Camille, the strongest storm to ever hit the United States.

"The horrors of New Orleans and the destruction in Mississippi should inspire us, not defeat us," he wrote recently in the Register.

King has been inspired to travel up and down the county seeking support for an effort to rebuild Bay St. Louis, Miss., which was almost wiped off the map. Several local lawmakers have offered to help drum up support, though King emphasized he is not seeking taxpayer dollars for the project.

The devastation in Bay Saint Louis, he said, is difficult to comprehend. The only city building to survive, a fire station, is now temporary headquarters for all municipal services, including police and administration.

The 100-year-old town hall was destroyed and will take three years to restore at an estimated cost of $5 million to $6 million, according to the city's cultural affairs director, Mike Cuevas.

While police departments across the nation have committed vehicles and other equipment, including uniforms, 15 cops lost everything. Four others, including the chief, lost half of their personal belongings. Only five were unscathed.

The fire department offers a similar story: Other fire departments have donated gear and engines, but half of the firefighters lost all persona belongingsl, including their homes. Similar tales are told by representatives of the town's public works, administration, building and recreation departments.

The city's losses range from entire buildings to "welcome" signs.

The personal loss has been tremendous, according to a letter Cuevas sent to King. Ninety-five percent of Bay St. Louis homes were destroyed, displacing thousands, including Mayor Edward Favre.

Recalling how Napa Valley has responded to disasters at home and far away and how local organizations have pitched in, "I thought what if we, as private citizens, tried to help."

He hopes large companies can help by donating older equipment. If a construction company is going to phase out old equipment, maybe they could replace it a year earlier and donate old pieces, he suggested.

The long list of needs range from replacement stadium lights for a baseball complex to copy machines.

Bay St. Louis officials say they need pick-up trucks, a dump truck, a back hoe, mowers and weed blowers. Inspectors need hand-held radios. Building materials, appliances and furniture are also on the needs list.

"Relief agencies are overwhelmed," he said. Noting the winter months are almost here, he said winter coats would be welcome. "Also, they need non-perishable food."

"The focus is on trying to get a city back up and running," he said. "It's about getting offices open and people back to work."

Leaders respond

Cheryl Diehm, the district representative for Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said she briefed the Congressman on the project and that he "is supportive of local efforts to help out the people in the hurricane area."

County Supervisor's chairman Diane Dillon said, "I think it's a great idea to help however we can."

"It would be a privilege to help with this effort," County Supervisor Bill Dodd wrote in an e-mail to King.

Napa Mayor Jill Techel said Bay St. Louis is one of many areas in desperate need of help. Napans will find "a lot of different outreaches going on," she said, while urging Napans to lend a helping hand in whatever way they deem appropriate. She noted several hurricane refugees have relocated, at least temporarily, to Napa.

"Thank you for helping take on this effort," Calistoga Mayor Dr. Andrew Alexander wrote to King. "The mayor ... would be honored to be included in the effort to help those in need."

Yountville Mayor Todd Carlson said he appreciates King's efforts. "People tend to forget," he said. "This is a good reminder that a lot of these people still need help."

King said he hopes to hear from other elected representatives throughout Napa County.

"I'm not asking them for money, but for them to join me in asking the people of Napa County to support the rebuilding of this town," King said.

He noted American Canyon's city council has already "adopted" another hurricane-devastated community, Abbeville, La., a Vermilion Parish town of 13,000 residents that opened its doors to 2,000 evacuees before Katrina's 15-foot surge hit there.

King said watching televised coverage of the hurricane was difficult. "I was looking at piles of sticks where whole neighborhoods used to be. For three miles inland, there was nothing."

Bay St. Louis is one of the oldest cities in America, established by French explorers in 1699.

King said Vintage Bank will set up a special account for monetary donations, but an account number is not yet available. The Mississippi city has formed the City of Bay St. Louis Relief Fund for tax-deductible donations.

In the meantime, donations of needed items will be stored in Napa and shipped east in the near future. For details on how to help, contact King at 226-8890.

"I was there during Camille, supposedly the most powerful (storm) ever to hit the mainland of the United States. This is heart-driven," he said of the effort to lend a helping hand.