Man who lost homes in Katrina claims huge Powerball prize

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Finally, some good luck for a victim of Hurricane Katrina.

Carl Hunter, who lost two homes in the storm, has won a $97 million Powerball jackpot.

Hunter is 73 and owns a small construction company in Metairie outside New Orleans. He picked up what turned out to be the winning ticket for a drawing last January when he stopped at a gas station to buy some milk. Claiming the prize yesterday, Hunter says he had some change and used a dollar to buy the ticket.

His wife Dianne says, "It's all about milk."

Hunter is opting for the $34-million, lump-sum payment, and says, "naturally," he's going to retire, now.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)