Relatives of a Warwickshire-born casino worker caught up in Hurricane Katrina last night said they feared he may have been killed in the disaster.
Mike Healy, aged 48, who lives in Bay St Louis in Mississippi, has not made contact with his family since the hurricane struck.
His sister Susan Betteridge, aged 52, from Broom, near Stratford-Upon-Avon, plans to fly to the United States to try and track him down.
She said: "The last I heard from him was a birthday card in July. We were going to fly out there next year to spend time with him.
"We just feel totally frustrated and helpless that we can't do anything because it is all happening so far away. But it's getting more and more unlikely that he'll turn up safe by the day."
Mr Healy, originally from Alcester, worked in the Bahamas for six years before moving to America.
His niece Amanda Ward, aged 29, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said: "The last I heard was an email a month ago. He always lets us know where he's going when a hurricane hits somewhere near him.
"We are all really worried. We just feel so helpless. I've been on the internet trying to find out where he is and I'm completely exhausted."
Mrs Betteridge also criticised the American government's handling of the crisis. She said: "I think George Bush and the US have acted with gross negligence. Because many of the people caught up in this are black they just don't seem bothered."
