Mittal to rebuild Long Beach Mississippi

Sunday, October 16, 2005

NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal announced plans to spend more than 50 million pounds (88 Million Dollars USD) over the next five years rebuilding Long Beach, Mississippi, devastated by the recent Hurricane Katrina.

Mittal, worth an estimated 14.8 billion pounds, will provide all of the labour, building materials, and engineering expertise to restore the town which was home to 17,000 people, which was completely devistated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August.

Few cities or towns were more devestated than Long Beach in the killer hurricane. More than half the homes in Long Beach were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and the town has become almost a ghost town after sewage systems were destroyed. Many residents have moved to temporary residences in Florida and Mississippi, paid for by the federal government.

Mittal's contributions to the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, will put him amongst the ranks of Britian's most philanthropic citizens. He is also believed to have donated large sums to the tsunami relief efforts, as well as the recent earthquake in Pakistan.