Katrina Victims Search for Deeds, Records

Water-damaged doucuments sit in a refrigerated storage trailer, Monday, May 8, 2006 in a parking lot behind the Bay St. Louis, Miss. courthouse. Before storm victims could seek help, officials in some of the hardest-hit parts of Louisiana and Mississippi had to salvage millions of records that Katrina soaked when it flooded courthouses and offices. (AP Photo/Nicole LaCour Young) (Nicole Lacour Young - AP)

One of the first visitors to Kellar's office was a woman who watched her parents drown in the storm. She came looking for a copy of their will. "That's the one that really touched me," Kellar said.

Searching for the proper paperwork can be frustrating. In the race to salvage records quickly, some pages went missing or were scanned upside down, said Ann Byrne, a title abstractor. Byrne herself said she spends hours each day running title searches at the county's makeshift offices in mobile homes.

"We're trying to help everybody as fast as we can, but it's difficult," she said. "We're all overwhelmed."

In Mississippi alone, more than 86,000 homeowners, renters and business owners have applied for loans from the Small Business Administration. The SBA already has approved more than $2 billion worth of loans in the state.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Development Authority has received about 13,400 applications for federally funded homeowners' grants of up to $150,000 _ money designed to help those whose homes flooded despite being outside what was then the federally designated flood zone.

In a high school gymnasium in Bay St. Louis, caseworkers are interviewing grant applicants and processing their paperwork. One recent morning, Genin showed up for his appointment with several manilla folders and a yellow legal pad _ his "cheat sheet" _ tucked under his arm.

He rummaged through the folders as his caseworker ticked off the necessary documents: Deed? Check. Insurance policies? Check. "Proof of loss" statement from his insurer? Check.

Finding the documents he needed was easier for the retired lawyer, who spent 35 years in courtrooms.

"I knew where to go," said Genin, 64. "Most people don't know how to ask the right questions."