Extreme Makeover After the Storm Moves to New Orleans April 6th  3/31/06

"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" TEAM HELPS REBUILD NEW ORLEANS' SPIRITUAL HEART IN THE 9th WARD AND BRINGS MUSIC AND LIGHT TO THIS BELOVED CITY DURING MARDI GRAS

Striving to heal the hearts of victims of Hurricane Katrina, the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team travels to New Orleans' 9th Ward to help restore cornerstones of the community, reunite families and pets, and bring light and music back to one of America's most beloved cities. "Extreme Makeover Home Edition -- After the Storm, New Orleans" airs THURSDAY, APRIL 6 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" design team and scores of volunteers completed the following projects:

When Hurricane Katrina and the post-storm flooding hit New Orleans, the 118-year-old First Emmanuel Baptist Church, which had served a congregation of over 1,000, was badly damaged. Now "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" designer Michael Moloney and local builder Donahue Favret will help bring back the community by bringing back the church. At the reveal of the freshly-renovated church, Michael and Pastor Charles Southall III gather the congregation, complete with gospel choir, for the first service at the church since the Hurricane.

In addition, Ty Pennington and Paul DiMeo personally deliver new instruments, courtesy of Gibson/Music Rising, to local musicians who lost everything in the floods -- Craig Klein, Barney Floyd, Larry Batiste, Ken "Snakebite" Jacobs, Irvin Mayfield and Archille O'Neal. The giveaway culminates in a rousing concert by the musicians celebrating the comeback of New Orleans and Mardi Gras at one of the city's favorite music venues.

In Katrina's aftermath, thousands of pets were rescued and sent to foster homes and shelters nationwide. Paul DiMeo fulfills the wishes of many families in an emotional segment by reuniting them with their furry friends.

Since the floods of Hurricane Katrina, 600 children and their families have returned to rebuild their lives and play once again in St. Bernard's Parish, but unfortunately there is no playground. Eduardo Xol, plus scores of volunteers, will build a playground so these children can have a happy and safe place to play again in their neighborhood.

Also, in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish, Paige Hemmis helps returning residents track down irreplaceable family photos in their devastated homes and has professional photo restorers save what was thought to be lost forever. The newly-restored images of loved ones and personal milestones are revealed to hundreds of families.

The design team for this episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will feature team leader Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Michael Moloney, Paige Hemmis and Eduardo Xol.

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. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- After the Storm, New Orleans" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

Source: ABC Press Release