�EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION -- AFTER THE STORM� TRAVELS TO BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI TO HELP COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED BY HURRICANE KATRINA

With all the heartaches and devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina -- the nation�s deadliest storm since 1928, causing nearly 1,400 deaths -- the people of Biloxi, Mississippi coastline have suffered untold pain. A once-vibrant community now looks like a war zone: Casino barges traveled 800 feet into apartment buildings, while elsewhere neighborhood homes and businesses simply vanished. Now the design team of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� heads to Biloxi to rebuild some cornerstones of the community, including a local free medical clinic, and to erect a new memorial to the victims of Katrina. In addition, the show honors Jared Murphy, a young war veteran and local hero who helped save 200 neighbors during the hurricane.

The first in a series of four one-hour specials, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm, Mississippi� airs THURSDAY, MARCH 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Designer Preston Sharp creates a poignant new memorial with Anderson construction to honor the local people who died in Hurricane Katrina. Preston asked the community to bring forth their mementos from the hurricane to incorporate into a special time capsule and form part of a mosaic to commemorate the tragedy. A candlelight vigil is held to honor the victims and their surviving relatives at the memorial�s unveiling.

Designer Paul DiMeo helps transform a demolished community clinic into a magnificent, new medical center to serve the area�s residents. While local construction workers and volunteers work hard on this build, the clinic�s staff will go on a well-deserved spa retreat. And, with the help of Sears American Dream, designers Ed Sanders and Tracy Hutson deliver washers and dryers to 29 deserving families living in a FEMA trailers.

Jared Murphy, a 28-year-old father of two, was the first Mississippian wounded in the war in Iraq. He had just returned home when Katrina hit Biloxi, so he went to his local base, gathered a team and led an amphibious assault vehicle on a rescue mission that saved 200 people. A true hero overseas and at home, Jared�s greatest worry is that, if he needs to return to Iraq, his family -- and especially his son, who has special health needs -- will be left behind without anyone to care for them. Jared takes Ty Pennington on a re-creation of his rescue mission, culminating with a surprise beachside reunion and party with the some of the local people he helped save. Jared, in turn, will receive a surprise donation to help him and his family in their time of need.

The design team for this episode of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� will feature team leader Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Preston Sharp, Ed Sanders and Tracy Hutson. The series is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It�s executive-produced by Tom Forman and co-executive produced by Denise Cramsey. �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm� is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.