I can see B Leslie is about as geographically correct as a pregnant nun would be at Sunday services.

B read this please "WE ARE NOT NEW ORLEANS" All of Bay St Louis and Waveland is above sea level. We didnt live in flood plains like our friends in new orleans the bills in proposition prohibit buy-ins if you lived in a flood zone and didnt have flood insurance. GET A CLUE.

Look, if you people from elsewhere are going to insult everyone on the Gulf Coast, you can at least be consistent in your ignorance. If they were in a flood-prone area, then they would have had flood insurance and you could hate them for being repetitive loss drains on the flood insurance program. You can't hate them for repetitive claims when they haven't collected even one. They didn't have flood insurance because they didn't live in a flood-prone area, according to the government, their banks, and their insurers. They spent the money on wind insurance, hurricane shutters, plywood to board up their homes, and every other way to protect from the expected storm risk. There was a 30-foot storm surge in Hancock County! That never happened before, not even close. There is no populated place in the coastal U.S. where a 30-foot surge would not destroy thousands of homes that do not have flood insurance. The government owes them assistance because the government let the insurers exclude all water damage coverage even in low-risk areas while operating a flood insurance program that discouraged coverage by misleading everyone about their flood risk.

To those who ask "Why do we live there?" - many
do not choose to. Long time ago the Govt. thought
it would be a good idea to put a large Fed facility to
boost the local economy. In my particular work, the
only place I can do it is here at that facility. So here
we are, sitting ducks from 1 June to 30 Nov.

To all of those who are stating these people deserved everything they got - are you going to say the same thing the next time your river floods? Or there's a massive earthquake? Or Mt. St. Helens blows again?

All of these places are high risk - so if people die or lose their homes, we should all say - Too bad, so sad bye bye, right?

Wrong. It took *300* years for New Orleans to flood completely. 300! How high risk is that for being below sea level? And please remember, all of those oil refineries sitting in N.O. are *also* below sea level. Should we stop drilling for oil in the Gulf because a hurricane might hit? Spare me.

Natural disasters occur. And that's just the way it is. No amount of insurance or government can change that. But what is pissing me off the most about many of the posts here is that people seem to think these folks in the Gulf area are wanting to be spoon fed.

No! They want a TARP to sleep under so their pillow stays dry. They want a way to communicate with the rest of the country - it just ain't there folks. They want charcoal grills so they can cook their own meals.

Many people DID move. I think at least 40% of the residents of Hancock County are no longer there. But all that shrimp you eat, and all that fruit you eat from S. America comes through - guess where? - Did you guess? The gulf! So, if people don't live in these 'high risk areas', that are as high risk as many inland areas of the nation - you won't get that shrimp cocktail for under $15, if at all. Bananas won't cost $2 - they'll cost $8.

I truly hope that all of those who have commented negatively to this blog never ever have to go through half of what these folks are dealing with. You try 60 days without a manicure - much less a shower or a toilet. Could you live without a phone, or a TV or your computer or even cell service? Or a place to charge your cell phone that has no service? What you take for granted - clean clothes, a soft place to sit your fat butt, real plates and flatware and glasses - they don't have any of this.

I dare you to go down and help. You won't. You don't have the courage, the guts or the ability.

Leslie

I agree with those who state that communities in disaster prone areas should not be rebuilt. Unfortunately this decision will be made by our elected politicians whose primary occupation seems to be re-election, not promotion of the common good. It is truly time for insurance companies who have a business interest in this to take positive leadership action. Plain and simple, if reconstruction in disaster-prone areas is not funded, reconstruction will simply not occur. Maybe this isn't the best solution, but it is a solution. What if insurance companies were to take a short term loss by settling ALL claims, be they flood or wind, HOWEVER, with a written contract agreed to by the claimant specifying how those dollars will be spent, for example, only on new or existing properties a specified distance away from disaster prone areas.

This leads to the question of what will become of towns like Bay St Louis. I believe they should continue, but only as resort communities. All permanent buildings should be specifically designed to resist a category 5 hurricane. We have talented young architects in our country who I'm certain could make these storm resistant buildings both attractive and functional and probably very energy efficient. How about if beachfront property be zoned only for RVs? These could be easily moved away from peril, saving lives and property. Let's also put NEW infrastructure below ground so that wind and water and debris won't as readily knock out fiber optic communications or power. Sure it costs more up front, but in the long run is more dependable and saves on repair costs.

What we need are positive ideas on how to protect our citizens and property while at the same time allow us to continue to enjoy our beautiful Gulf Coast. Let's focus on how best to use our limited resources. Let this be a forum for positive ideas, not criticism. Let's brainstorm, people. When you brainstorm, there are NO bad ideas, simply ideas that are less feasible or practical or cost-effective than others. Let's pull together, people. That's what we Americans are supposed to be good at!

It is outrageous that anyone considered sane (which I would hope lawmakers are) would propose a plan allowing for retroactive purchasing of insurance. What a brilliant idea! Maybe we can just buy the insurance AFTER our car accident/house fire/death of loved one. That way, it wouldn't be insurance so much as a cheap way to replace all our things at the expense of those foolish enough to buy insurance ahead of time... What a joke...

Way to go Roy, I have to commnend you for saying what I am feeling, that it was an act of God, we live 28 FEET above sea level and the STORM SURGE devastated our house. We did not have flood insurance due to the fact that we were told by both the insurance company and the mortgage company that it was NOT APPLICABLE. For those who just want to put down our communites and say negative things, how would it feel if the shoe was on your foot? How would it feel to live in a house on air mattresses that would otherwise be deemed condemned. But we are one of the few lucky ones, we have a very damaged shell of a house. For those of you who believe that you are safe from a natural disaster I pity you in your glass house in believing that a stone will never break your window, because it could. Where would you be then and how could you even think about asking for help when those of you out there condemn us? I still cannot fathom that people are so narrow minded and sterotyping us and you do not even know us. That we spend our money on booze and trucks, for one I do not drink nor do I own a truck. So I guess that everyone in this country who owns a truck drinks, thats the stance that others are saying about us. Before you start labeling and putting down our community and citizens you need to come here first before you start to make unfounded accusations. As for those that had to be evicted from an expensive hotel, I do not know the whole story so I cannot comment except to say that in ANY community there are always bad apples, but does that mean the whole bucket is bad? I think not. I really feel bad for those that are so narrow minded and could say such bad things when alot us are still living a nightmare. Would you like to come down and step into our shoes for awhile? I think not, and I WOULD NEVER wish this catastrophe on anyone, no matter how petty you may be. As for those that send nice supportive comments I thank you; better than those who want to punch you while you are still down on the ground and for some of us at our lowest point. As a final word for some of you out there, you need to remember the saying of 'you reap what you sow.'

In 1969, I was on the coast in Hancock county exactly two days after Camille to see what was left of our beach house. It was gone.

When my wife and I bought our house in Waveland last year, we were very careful to buy far inland, on relatively high ground, in an area that did not flood in Camille, and well outside the 100 year flood zone as determined by FEMA. We're almost two miles from open water on nearly 20 feet of ground -- yet we had five feet in the house. We are not 15 feet below sea level and we relied on FEMA to tell us where we would be safe. We were all wrong.

We do not have flood insurance and do not expect our homeowners to pay us for coverage that we did not have. We understood the risk and took our chances. Now we accept responsibility.

But that does not absolve the state and federal governments from helping these towns survive. The tax base is decimated and only the government has enough money (our tax dollars) to help in any substantial way. I'm not talking about rebuilding peoples' homes. I'm talking about repairing the infrastructure and maintaining basic services such as police, fire, water, sewer and phone service. These are the kinds of things we are trying to do in Bagdhad after we bombed the hell out them. Why can't we do it for Waveland Mississippi?

I lived in Waveland and will again. After reading these comments I have so much to say and hope I can organize my thoughts as I am feeling so much outrage and hurt at this moment.
My house is gone, only parts of the slab remain, I had flood insurance even though not required since my house was 21 feet above sea level. We had the maxamium amount available althought it did not cover the amount of my mortgage but it was all that we could purchase(the cap). And guess what, I did not have to pay thousands of dollars for it (although I would if I could have more coverage), in fact I paid less than $400.00 a year since I was not at risk for flooding. I and many, many others did not live in places that flooded "time and time again" as so many people have assumed, actually a great majority of places that flooded this time did not flood during Camille, a catagory 5 hurricane in 1969. And as far as I am aware have never flooded prior to Katrina.
And I would really like to know the name of one person that spent money on booze, trucks, or wide screen tvs instead of flood insurance. I have close friends that did not have flood insurance, they didn't have wide screen tvs either. They were told by FEMA at the time of purchase, they did not need flood insurance and they have the paper work to prove this. They did, however, pay extra for hurricane riders on top of their homeowners policy, but of course that does not cover the damage they received from Katrina because according to insurance companies the damage is from flooding not from a hurricane. Gee, what a coincidence that they happened at the same time.
My insurance company has agreed to give us money from our flood insurance but are unsure if homeowners will make up the diffence of what is still owed on the mortgage not to mention the value of our house or the cost to rebuild. At first they where waiting for additional information from the national weather service to see if wind was involved in the disappearance/destruction of our house. And now they have hired engineers to try to detrermine if wind was invovled. The line of broken and twisted trees behind and in front of our house does tend to point to wind according to the engineer but we are still waiting for the offical report -I wonder how long we will have to wait? My parents' adjuster did admit that the tree on top of their roof(which is on the ground) did look like it could possibly be from wind.
I have been paying for a product for years and now that I need it I have to fight for it. I wonder how much insurance companies are paying for the engineers to do these studies. This seems to be standard operating procedure for all insurance companies from what I have heard.
I am not asking for anyone to bail me out. I would like the federal government to put pressure on insurance companies to give their clients what they are due! In all my years of home owning I have never before filed a claim.
I think the majority of this country does not understand the amount of devastion Katrina has caused. My family of six lost our home, my parents, my 85 year old grandmother, my in laws, and my cousins all lost their homes. This is a very common story among the people of Bay St Louis and Waveland. As some one has already stated this catastrophe is
unprecidented in our country.
As to the diffences in the town meetings I believe part of that is due to the fact that Waveland suffered much more destruction than Bay St Louis, it is easier to be calm when you have public utilities up and running. As much as I love my town of Waveland I think this would be a good time to combine the two towns; in many instances we already function as one. Althougth it may not benefit the local elected officals I do believe it would benefit the average citizen. This is just my personal opinion, I know this is a very difficult and heated topic.
More than anything I just want to be able to move back home!! We are just waiting until we have a place to live, FEMA will not put a shelter on our lot until utilities are restored. And we are hoping that soon my husband could have a job again. Our local hospital where he worked is not quite up to where it was before the storm.
I truely want to thank all the people who have helped us, there have been so many. It makes me believe in the goodness of humankind. Bless You!

Re: No Flood Insurance

Residents were told by FEMA and their mortgage companies they WERE NOT IN A FLOOD ZONE! Would you purchase flood insurance if you were told this? FEMA and banks know this stuff, they do everything to minimize THEIR risk. Well, it's their turn to pay up on the risk they took and they don't want to hold up their end.

Have some compassion...this was the WORST NATURAL DISASTER TO HIT THIS COUNTRY - EVER !

Is there a southern bias here with some of the mean comments? We are all just people here, but people who are down. I guess these naysayers are the folks who like to kick their dog when they're in a bad mood! I just can't figure them out.

I see our friend from MI has no clue either. Assuming you know something that you have no clue about is silly. Yes a bill has been proposed for retro-active insurance for a number of reasons. 6 of 10 homes were not in flood zones as designated by our GOVERNMENT and the bill only fixes the house NOT the contents. You are not eligible if you lived in a flood zone and didnt have insurance. Now this is important the bill in all its goodwill intent is to off set some of the costs that the government is going to pay anyway. Because alot of folks don't have 10 years in back premiums available they may not be able to take advantage of it either and lastly as I said before with less then 4 ft of water damage and only going to fix my house and not the contents its smarter for me to do the repairs myself and keep the difference (of what would be the back premium).

I tried to get my mortgage company to accept some of the responsibility...yeah right...I think they offered to postpoan payments for 3 months but then they wanted the 4 month payment, or they said to file bankruptcy. Jeez...what options.

I had the privilage of being in Bay St Louis from Sept 3 until Oct 5th with the Florida National Guard. We were all volunteers that felt we owed the fine people of Mississippi a return favor for helping us last year. We encountered the same can do let's fix it attitude that we in Florida are proud to have. Like us, they wouldn't live anywhere else unless they had to. We accept the laws of nature to enjoy a life style that suits us. Most of the people in Florida don't live in "flood plains" but we still lost homes to storm surges. I applaud the people of Bay St Louis and Waveland and wish them well as they start the long process of rebuilding.

I am 23 feet above sea level and I had 3 feet of water in my home. Did most of you all miss the comment that this is a one in 400 years storm. (Allstate made that statement.)
So I did not have flood insurance because the odss - 1 in 400 years help me decide not to carry it, support my children with the money instead of looking for foodstamps. So.....anyway no one is helping me either. Not having flood insurance is my fault and I am paying for it now. (and guess what, who knows if I will buy it since my home owners has now gone up to $1,200 per year - yeap! - just imagine how much flood would be)
I could fix my home today if I could get a building permit - hey Mayor Longo - home yet to solve this for ALL OF US or should we seek Favre for our help to. (bet you he would!)

Is there someplace that has no chance of earthquake, fire, mudslide, blizzard, hailstorm, flash flood, tornado, duststorm, hurricane, volcano? If so, please explain how the entire population of the U.S. is going to live there. The problem with the world is ignorant, heartless, self-righteous people, not nature.

The God Lord has given me the opportunity to make 2 relief trips to the Bay St Loius, Waveland, and Pearlingon areas. I have met so many wonderful people there, many are still hurting and continue to need all of our help. To many people are pointing fingers and talking down to the victems of this disaster. I have never seen such kind acts of neighbor helping neighbor as I have seen in this region. I would suggest to anyone who has a negative attitude on this board to go and visit this lower section of Mississippi. Try loosing your home, car, job and any and all means of providing for your family and tell me that you would not want your fellow American, Christian, or what ever organization to lend you a helping hand. People help people a whole lot better then the government can.

Just to get the record straight...many people did have flood insurance! Some flood insurance companies are refusing to pay because they say it was wind and vica-versa can be said about the windstorm insurance! Another thing to set straight...people who were told they were not in a flood zone could not purchase flood insurance. That would be like Kansas purchasing flood insurance. Give me a break! Do a little homework before placing comments!