One Life Uprooted To Help Rebuild Many Others

Salemme, who watched television coverage of Katrina obsessively and said he believed that "these things shouldn't be happening in America," was eager to help. "I couldn't resist the invitation," he said. "It seemed like the government wasn't really doing too much, and this was an opportunity to do something and get people back into their homes."

When he arrived, Salemme was stunned by the devastation. "There were piles and piles of stuff on the roads. Signs were down everywhere. All along the coast, you'd see these big billboards like Denny's and Waffle House, you'd see the sign, but the restaurant was gone, and there would just be a slab of concrete where the floor had been.

"I'd never seen anything like it."

That week changed his life. "It made me grateful for what I have," he said. "I was moved that so many families were affected. A lot of the people you talked to, there was a kind of a daze in their eyes; they basically didn't know what to do. Your whole home and job, everything was just wiped out."

After returning to work in Northern Virginia, Salemme spent another week in Biloxi in January. "It was something during that week that I received the idea in my mind, or in my head or heart or from God. I think it was from God," said Salemme, a member of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. "I got the idea to come down here for one year, full time."

Salemme said he framed his arguments to his wife and to his children, ages 14 to 20, partly in patriotic terms. "I felt this was a kind of way to serve my nation," he said. "So I told my wife and kids that 'I'd like to take a year off, and that Daddy is going off to war for a year in Biloxi. Some men go to Afghanistan and Iraq and all that. I'm going to Biloxi.' "

Since he arrived in March, Salemme's daily schedule has been grueling. He awakens at 6 a.m., has breakfast in the church and drives a church van 20 minutes to the Habitat construction site. He volunteers for Habitat until 2 or 3 p.m., overseeing as many as 15 other volunteers at whatever home they are rebuilding that week.

Salemme and his crews have rebuilt 15 homes so far and are working on five more. He described his role as that of a "roving troubleshooter." One day last week, for example, he showed four female volunteers how to install ceramic tile on a cement slab. Also last week, he had to use jacks to lift a house up to level out the floor because it had sunk six inches in the back corner. The floodwaters did tremendous damage to the properties, many of which are old and small and were built on vulnerable cinderblock piers, he said.

"It's much harder to rebuild a house than to build one. It takes a lot more finesse," Salemme said. "Once it's dried and treated for mold, all the electrical has to be redone because the saltwater and the wires don't mix. You have to gut it. The windows have to be replaced. A lot of the metal was corroded because of the salt water."

After leaving the Habitat site, Salemme drives back to his RV, has a snack and shower (and a 10- to 15-minute nap if there is time) and goes to work at Home Depot from 5 to 10 p.m. weekdays (and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays). Nearly all the work is Katrina-related. "In Northern Virginia, people typically come in and say, 'It's time to remodel my kitchen,' " he said. "Almost 100 percent of the people who walk into the store here, I say, 'What's in your kitchen now?' and they say, 'Nothing, it's all been demolished.' "

Salemme said he has "transcended being tired. I've taken being tired to a new level, gone beyond it to a new stage that I don't know what it's called yet. But I just keep going."

Much of his energy comes from his love of what he is doing. "I get energy from working. I sleep well and, yes, I feel appreciated," he said. "I like unconditional giving. This has been an unforgettable, life-changing experience."

Salemme, who is planning to stay until March and might ask his family to consider moving to Biloxi, said he talks to his wife by telephone at least once a day and that they e-mail each other. Histhree teenage sons have been with him for the summer and have spent time volunteering for Habitat. "It's great, it's wonderful having them here," he said. "I think they are learning a lot, which is good for them. They are learning about life and about giving and construction and building and how to get along with people."

As for Biloxi's recovery, Salemme said it is "slow but sure. It's slowly coming back. But it's going to take years."