Biloxi PCO Recounts Hurricane Katrina’s Destruction

Bruno Milanese

GULFPORT, Miss. — Bruno Milanese, president, Bay Pest Control, Biloxi, Miss., is counting his blessings after his community was “ground zero” for Hurricane Katrina.

Milanese tells PCT that his family, including wife Julie and three children, is safe, and that — as of Aug. 30 — he had confirmed the whereabouts of seven of his 13 employees. Amazingly, his office is still standing, suffering minimal structural damage.

“I just don’t know how that happened,” Milanese said. “The building to the right of us and the building to the left of us were severely damaged.”

For Milanese, an ex-Marine who served in both Lebanon and Grenada during major military conflicts, the devastation in Biloxi is unlike anything he's ever seen. “It is just mass devastation down here,” he said. “Entire neighborhoods have been completely flattened. Homes and business are destroyed. Cars and trees are strewn about.”

Milanese recalled the storm’s arrival. “It was just a phenomenal experience. I watched in disbelief as one wave after another came crashing in and 150-mile-per-hour winds spread (debris),” he said. “Whole (barge) casinos were moved across the street. It was like something out of a movie.”

Because Biloxi is hurricane-prone, Milanese says Bay Pest Control has hurricane preparation plans in place. When Milanese learned that Katrina was going to be higher than Category 3, he made special preparations. In addition to boarding up the office, the staff relocated computers, office equipment and pesticides and thoroughly cleaned out mixing tanks and material tanks. All service vehicles were relocated well inland to higher ground. Additionally, Milanese made sure all of his technicians worked on projects far inland leading up to the storm and he closed his office on Friday. Before closing the office he gathered contact information for all his employees. Currently, 11 of his 13 service vehicles have been accounted for by Milanese.

Milanese said his goal is to have all of his employees accounted for within the next couple days and then he will begin the rebuilding process.

”We just want to assist in whatever way we can, whether it be weatherproofing homes, insect control, sanitation or anything else that we are licensed and capable of performing,” he said. “We’ll just have to play things by ear. Who knows - it’s possible that half of our customers will be gone.”

Milanese said he expects fire ants to be a major problem and, now that homes have been ripped apart, more people will discover existing termite damage.