BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — Before Katrina tore into the Gulf Coast last August, the town of Bay St. Louis prided itself on its atmosphere — with lovingly restored historical homes, restaurants and art galleries lining its tidy streets. Nowadays, it struggles to rebuild the basics — sewer, streets and drainage systems that were destroyed. With a budget that was also decimated by the storm, the town is doing without some of the niceties.
“Cuts in spending affect normal tasks that are being left undone,” says Bay St. Louis Mayor Eddie Favre. “The grass is six feet tall and ditches have not been cut or cleaned. Potholes are not fixed.” These days, a skeleton public works staff struggles just to keep up with gas and water leaks, he says.
The situation in Bay St. Louis mirrors that of communities up and down the Gulf Coast. After 11 months, clean-up of the monumental mess left by Hurricane Katrina is largely completed. But the cost and complexity of rebuilding has become clear, as has the reality that the path back to “normal” is years long.
In short, the city is broke. Operating with only a fraction of its former staff, Bay St. Louis is now $2 million in debt, finalizing a new $4 million loan, and has authorization to borrow another $10 million.
This is only possible because the lenders waived the town’s debt limit — normally 15 percent of its assets. Katrina dramatically decreased the valuation of Bay St. Louis’ assets – now assessed at $29 million compared to from $87 million before the storm. And the town’s tax revenues are down by about two-thirds.
So, even with FEMA set to pay 90 percent of the cost of major public rebuilding projects, the city is sorely challenged to come up with its share, since it needs to have about 15 percent in hand to get projects under way.
“That’s why we haven’t been able to do a lot of the big projects,” says Favre. Restoring drainage, sewer, streets and utilities will cost the city at least $70 million, Favre estimates.
County going begging
At the Hancock County offices, housed in a row of windowless trailers, County Administrator Tim Kellar is grappling with a similar equation. He says the county is seeking money from a state “rainy day” fund. If that doesn’t work, he’ll go to Washington in search of funding. If that's unsuccessful, the county will refinance its bonds.
“It will cost money in the long run, but help in the short run,” says Kellar.
With so little cash in the pipeline, the local governments are trying to wring every bit of help they can from the federal government before it winds up operations in the hurricane stricken zone. There is constant haggling, for instance, over what remaining debris is eligible for pick up by the Army Corps of Engineers, which is set to pull out of Hancock County at the end of August. Locals are angling for more help in the removal of derelict houses and acres of dead pine trees that were killed by the salt water of the tidal surge — jobs that could cost millions of dollars.
In Waveland, an overtaxed local government has just lost two key employees — the city clerk and a full time accountant — putting ever more weight on the existing staff.
“The stress is just unbelievable,” says donations coordinator Kathy Pinn, who was hired using grant money to help the city after the storm.
She laid out some of the frustrations in a July 17 article for the online Gulf Coast News: “Can you imagine working in the Public Works Department where every day pumps go down, waterlines all over the city are broken. … Or how about being in the Building Department, where everyday people come in who are frustrated because they can’t build yet; they are confused about what they can build and many have no funds to begin to rebuild.”
Housing boom a modest flurry
For many reasons, the anticipated building boom remains more of a modest flurry. For residents who are trying to rebuild or renovate their damaged homes, the process is slowed by a shortage of inspectors to keep projects running smoothly.
In Bay St. Louis, residents complain that nitpicking by the City Council, and tyrannical control by the chief building inspector are slowing progress to a glacial pace. Rental housing, especially for low-income families is extremely scarce.
Meantime, living in FEMA trailers wearing thin, and some people believe that formaldehyde emitted from wood products in the temporary housing is causing an array of health problems, from headaches to nosebleeds, and could have long-term consequences as well.
On the once-coveted beachfront of Bay St. Louis, none of the commercial properties has been rebuilt, in part because restoration of Beach Boulevard has been fraught with delay, including the discovery at the building site of what Favre calls the “Ramses mound” — containing 3,000-year-old Indian artifacts. At last, the city has permission to build a temporary road and has awarded a contract for construction, which it expects to be completed within three months.
There are bright spots, even if they are scarcer than anyone expected as the anniversary of Katrina approaches. One will be along the main drag of Bay St. Louis, where the state Department of Transportation is restoring the lighting knocked out 11 months ago. If all goes well, the city can flip the switch to light up the thoroughfare within six weeks.
Volunteers catalog misery
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What happened to the 500.000.000 dollars that was given to take care of the mess left by Katrina?
John Moyer Blythewood S.C. (Sent Jul 24, 2006 4:49:23 AM)
"Ramses mound" indeed. 3000 years from now somebody may dig up BSL and consider it a marvelous treasure trove. Meanwhile, dig up what you can and move along with the needs of a modern city.
"Giterdone!"
Hardie Johnson, Harrisburg PA (Sent Jul 24, 2006 10:17:25 AM)
Something shameful has been going on in what Rush Limbaugh would call the "drive-by media."
I mean, I've read about the recovery problems still going on in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, and know they're just the tip of the iceberg. Similar things are going on in Biloxi, Gulfport, and other smaller communities along the Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas Gulf Coast, and last but not least, New Orleans and her surrounding parishes.
Then there's the FEMA atrocity of the "toxic tin cans," and the fact that Bay St. Louis (and, I imagine, most other Katrina- and Rita-hit communties) is broke. I could go on and on describing what's wrong in New Orleans and surrounding parishes, after close to 11 months, alone.
One would think NBC Nightly would be able to find enough material on the Gulf Coast to bring back its "After the Storm: The Long Road Back" series, which was inexplicably dropped from its news line-up over a month ago. Now Gulf Coast reports are few and far between, and Katrina's 10-month anniversary passed with nary a mention on NBC Nightly.
It saddens me and makes my blood boil to think that someone at NBC Nightly has stopped caring about Gulf Coast recovery and the many problems standing in its way. I wonder if this would still have happened had a catastrophe equivalent to Katrina hit San Francisco, Boston, or any part of this country other than the Gulf Coast. I think not--NBC Nightly would ahve found a way to continue covering the affected area.
We must find a way to steer NBC Nightly's attention back to the Gulf Coast--where Katrina and Rita are not old news and many storm survivors and their communities, still in desperate straits, are unbale to move on. Any ideas?
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Jul 24, 2006 1:59:02 PM)
What about the MILLIONS of mobile homes that people currently live in all over the world, are these too toxic tin cans? Is this just an excuse for another expensive lawsuit? I have lived in a mobile home that was made from the same materials(and also live on the gulf coast) and have experienced the same health concerns, but at the same time was thankful to have a roof over my head(one that I was paying for)and have no intentions of suing anyone.I did learn how to open a door and a window and let it air out and it did help the respiratory problems. The Sierra Club should go to the manufacurers if they wish to do something about this and not start with our tax dollars and government who are furnishing homes for these people. A little common sense here would help a lot instead of people trying to stir up trouble and biting the hand that is feeding them. I am sorry for everyone's loss, but at the same time they do have a safe place to live for the time being and that should be all that matters. Air it out or buy an air purifier.
dwc huntsvile, tx (Sent Jul 24, 2006 2:42:58 PM)
Yeah, here's an idea, Olivia: Find a way to bring about world peace, end the U.S. occupation of Iraq; find another toy besides nuclear weaponry for North Korea's Kim Il Sung to play with... I could go on and on.
The point being, as much as you or anyone else would like to see Nightly News focus on Bay St. Louis, "stuff happens" in the world that demands attention as well. And though it may not seem like it, even NBC Nightly News doesn't have an unlimited budget.
Be thankful that the top editors at MSNBC.com have committed and FOLLOWED THROUGH on their committment to keep a focus on BSL and Waveland. NO OTHER national news organization in the country has done that. So give the MSNBC.com folks a little more credit and back off throwing rocks at NBC Nightly News.
Brock Meeks (Sent Jul 24, 2006 3:15:32 PM)
yes, what did happen to all of the moonies given to rebuild? we have heard about rampant misuse of debit cards by the katrina refugees; was all of this another "no bid" deal awarded to "connected" companies by our federal government?
leland grant, edwardsville, Illinois (Sent Jul 24, 2006 4:40:30 PM)
$500mill has gone to hairstylists and pet owners in AZ. That was never enough money anyway. Figure a town has a budget of about 5-10 million with revenue generated from property taxes and state grants. I bet at least 50 towns are in need of that money. That's $250 million (the other $250m went to parties and things remember). But to REBUILD, you have to start from scratch. And sadly, the building inspector has the nightmare of identifying every lot and block and actual property lines before people can build properly. You dont' want someones septic on your property? The same applies to business and easements.
Regarding NBC Nightly, media is only interested if there is a conflict. If people don't watch the shows, ratings go down, and this world is all about ratings and advertisements. Everyone pulled together in NYC for about a year or two, then it was back to arguing. Send a letter to our town leaders in the Northeast(NJ, NY, CT, PA, RI, MA, ME, NH, VT)and ask them to help by sending $10,000. 100 towns doing so would get you $1 Mill. Everything counts.
Beau Decker, Vernon, NJ (Sent Jul 24, 2006 5:16:43 PM)
As someone who spent over a year with the Red Cross, I watched as over 10 grand came in under a week, and then all the cheques were deposited. Where did it go from there? Who knows? Thousands of good hearted people took off from work for 1 to 3 weeks to go and assist, came back , settled their expenses and most were never heard from again. Why? Although the Red Cross is been fantastic on a local level, my own experience is they want to be in charge, and without the proper know-how. Mix that with local Emergency Management and you might as well mix Alcohol and Gunpowder. Ask who is in charge, and you will hear “I am “from 20 different voices. This, among personal differences diminishes the volunteer spirit, and increases the skeptics. Maybe it is time to form an Emergency team that knows what to do, when to do it, and knows who to answer to. Where did the money go? Ask the Red Cross and FEMA. We might find out in 100 years or so.
annonimous out of fear (Sent Jul 24, 2006 5:55:59 PM)
First thing everyone needs to do is stop waiting on the federal government to take care of all their problems and get everything back to pre-Katrina status. Move to a socialist or communist country if you want/expect the government to take care of you. Victims of disaster need immediate assistance but then they have to suck it up realize hurricanes happen and they chose to live in an area prone to this disaster. So stop waiting, hoping, and complaining about what you've been given. If you don't like the trailer go get something better. This is the USA where freedom comes with the price of self-reponsibility. These communities should seek alternative solutions such as asking a corporation or activist celebrity to sponsor thier town to attract the resoures they are short. I just read Madonna is sponsoring a Malawa village - why not get some of these vocal celebrities, or a large coporation, with more money than they could ever use in their life to sponsor their town.
Reconstructing this region is going to take years.
Lanie (Sent Jul 24, 2006 6:11:56 PM)
Thank you America. Thank you for sending the clothes, food, water and most of all volunteers to help this still shattered region. I am in New Orleans, and like BSL, we are still hurting. MOST of us are NOT sitting on our rumps and doing nothing. We are doing the best we can with what we have at this time. Tourist areas of the city are fine. I wish the tourists would come back, the city absolutely needs the money. But if you leave the "Sliver on the River" you get to see how New Orleanians are living now. It is not pretty. All that money that ya'll are asking about has yet to be distributed to residents trying to rebuild. That will start in August or September, I understand.
Thanks MSNBC for keeping someone at least on the Gulf Coast. I does disturb me though that when I sit and read some of these blogs, I am still hearing people who just don't get what happened and is still happening here. I did not see any blogs from New Orleanians or Gulf Coast residents chastizing the residents of D.C. or VA or MA when all that rain flooded out their communities back in June. Didn't they know that they were living close to rivers which would make them flood? And I don't see anyone saying that New York and St. Louis people are stupid. Why don't they leave - after all - they have not had electricity now for ONE WHOLE WEEK.
Most New Orleanians STILL have no electricity or sewerage or water after 11 months, yet I hear that Americans are moving on to the next world event. Thank God the rest of the world remembers us. One of the Saudi princes was here just last week, he brought donations and was SHOCKED at what little progress he has seen. He thought America was more powerful and would have begun rebuilding by now. So did the two American senators that came this week, they were clueless which included Sen. Obama.
New Orleans is a 300 year old city which spands 90 square miles. Only 10 square miles did not flood and sit in that water for 4 weeks. Imagine New York with the Bronx, Manhatten and Queens flooded; then disperse its resident across the US. If you can imagine that, than you will know what we look like.
I have also seen people saying that we were stupid to re-elect the mayor. I will not disagree with that, I did not vote for him. But a lot of outside forces raised money and marched and bused and got him re-elected. Now they can't find him. He is seldom in the city. He has not issued a plan and we have been left with no strong leader. Even Rudy Guiliani came down here and just shook his head. He said that 9/11 was not anything like this. His first responders had homes to go back to and that terrible, terrible act desimated 6 acres not 90 miles. America, we are still finding human remains here which were swept into debris piles that are just now being looked at. Please don't forget we are still here. Most times we wonder and we continue to work. And we continue to pray as we put a lot of sweat equity back into this place.
Marie Burke, New Orleans, LA (Sent Jul 24, 2006 6:58:18 PM)
Well said Miss Marie.
I am drawn, at the end of my day, to drive around different parts of the City and the lower Parishes. To see up close the almost total distruction of my home town is beyond my ability to describe. The body of an American city dead and decaying before my eyes...Her integrity all but gone.
In my life to see and feel this heartache is truely crushing. But we must carry on as best we can.
Steve George, Mandeville LA (Sent Jul 24, 2006 10:46:08 PM)
I will say to Mr. Meeks that I am glad of the attention paid to BSL and Waveland via this site.
I will ask him to provide more context to the stories. The story concerning us complaining about
the no-seeums made us sound like a bunch of damn whiners instead of doing what we are doing, which is
rebuilding.
R., BSL (Sent Jul 25, 2006 12:09:58 AM)
Very well put Ms. Burke.
My heart goes out to all that are working to overcome their devastating loss. I think we should all remember that ALL of Katrina's victims are people, not points in a political argument.
Usually disaster areas are towns and counties, not entire states or regions. Given the massive numbers of those affected by the storm, it seems reasonable to assume that there are bound to be more than a few storm victims who refuse to take any responsibility their situation, but to condemn an entire region based solely on examples set forth in the media is inappropriate.
I lost my home because of an illness that put me out of work many years ago, and even though I had insurance, it didn’t cover that kind of loss. I lived in my vehicle for nearly 8 months while I saved enough money to start over. I remember how difficult it was to find places to use the restroom and take showers, and the city I lived in had not been declared a disaster area. My heart goes out to everyone who no longer has the luxury of running water, indoor plumbing, or lights that turn on at the flick of a switch.
Thank you for reminding me that I would be a fool to take the life I have now for granted.
You are in my prayers.
Sara, Kansas (Sent Jul 25, 2006 4:21:21 AM)
Bless you, Marie Burke!....better things have to come your way
andy,booneville ms. (Sent Jul 25, 2006 7:51:37 AM)
Hello, Brock. Thanks for the thought-provoking response. Stuff does happen and needs to be covered. But since this is a time when a lot is going on, couldn't NBC Nightly cover the Mideast, Korea, etc. more BRIEFLY so news out of Bay St. Louis, Waveland, New Orleans, doesn't fall through the cracks?
You mention that NBC Nightly doesn't have an unlimited budget. Actually, it costs far LESS to cover DOMESTIC news than overseas news. Were NBC Nightly really interested in economizing, it would keep more reporters and equipment here at home where they're needed to cover the Gulf Coast.
Also, NBC Nightly has aired many "features" instead of which "After the Storm: The Long Road Back" could have aired. Here's an example: Last night there was a "Baby Boomer" piece on keeping tabs on elderly parents. That was interesting.
However, it would have been far more newsworthy and interesting had NBC Nightly instead picked up the following story which ran in yesterday's New York Times. Poor, elderly Louisiana evacuees now living in Houston know that any month now they could lose their federal housing assistance. So, they're anxious to return to New Orleans. Unfortunately, they cannot, because New Orleans has no nursing homes, nor plans to rebuild the housing projects where many had lived.
These people's lives have been shattered and their spirits shredded by all they've had to endure. The article goes on, "Generally more frail and financially and physically vulnerable, they are also more prone to stress, beset by nightmares, isolated and ill-equipped to manage a new start in a strange city." Their situation is so heart-wrenching it brings tears to my eyes to think about it.
I apologize in advance but because I feel so strongly about this and the fact that NBC obviously had no interest in covering it, I'm going to have to throw a few "stones." How can NBC Nightly care so much about Mideastern evacuees it has aired report on top of report on them, yet seems to care not a whit about poor elderly Louisiana evacuees who really want to go back home but have nowhere to go? Maybe someone at NBC Nightly deems Mideastern evacuees more worthy of Americans' sympathy than poor, elderly Louisiana evacuees.
Lately regarding the whole Mideast mess there's been a lively debate about who's being treated more fairly in the media--the Israelis or the Lebanese. I'll leave that one to the Mideast mavens--but here's my perspective: Both sides are being treated more than just fairly--in fact, preferentially, in terms of quantity of news coverage. Lately, it's Americans in Louisiana, Mississippi, and the rest of the Gulf Coast who are being treated as nobodies.
It is wonderful that the editors at MSNBC.com as you mention have been keeping a focus on the Gulf Coast--would that their first-rate news judgment extended to NBC Nightly. If you still don't agree with my take on news coverage, read Marie Burke's and Steve George's posts--they provide excellent arguments for bringing the cameras back to Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast. I made a mistake in my previous posting--I didn't say that what's wrong with NBC Nightly's not airing news out of BSL, Waveland, New Orleans can be found in 2 adages: "Out of sight, out of mind" and "No news is good news." This coverage's being lacking could convey to other Americans the false impression that recovery's proceeding smoothly and that everything's O.K. on the Gulf Coast when nothing could be further from the truth. For example, New Orleans, large areas of which look worse than Beirut and whose city services are so bad they're in war zone-like conditions. As long as this situation prevailw, I'm going to continue the fight for Gulf Coast coverage so that Katrina and Rita survivors and the recovery effort will not be forgotten.
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Jul 25, 2006 8:03:01 AM)
Marie Burke has written the most cogent and thought provoking piece that I have yet read, and I hope that all those mean spirited people who have written so much vitriol calling the surviving residents idiots for living there, hang their heads in shame.
LNPJP, Wis. (Sent Jul 25, 2006 11:01:41 AM)
Marie,
My heart goes out to you and all of the others who have gone and come back to your homes..this is my first blog (ever) and I am furious !!!. I am from just outside D.C. and I too live in a community surrounded by water. We are not a wealthy comunity by all means, blue collar and local govn't workers mostly. For me to hear that after 11 months there are still human remains being swept into piles appauls me. There was a CAT 3 hurricaine that went thru our neighborhood, 3 miles wide and from one side of the county to the other... in April of 2003 and by Christmas all of the towns debris was gone...cleaned up.....there were people who worked from sun up to sun down to see to it. Our situation was not the same as yours in N.O. I am not comparing your tragety to ours by all means I am speaking of a towns spirit ans varility. We didn't have thousands of people leave our community for other parts of the country and still NOT return to help.
What I am getting at is....SHAME on those people who have gone to other parts of the country from YOUR community 11 months ago and have NOT RETURNED to help those of you who stayed and fought for your livelyhood. Don't tell me that at least a 1000 people.. Hell ..500 people..who usto call New Orleas home have not bettered themselves and DO have the means to come home and help out to clean up THEIR community as well. Sorry if I sound so harsh but those are the same people who still expect the GOVERNMENT to give them a hand out and they don't even live in NEW ORLEANS anymore and obviously don't want to come back untill it is all CLEAN and TIDY ...(MAYOR ??)....imagine that.
Sue, LaPlata MD (Sent Jul 25, 2006 11:55:03 AM)
Miss Marie, I couldn't have said it better. I pray for those that want to "blame" us for living here. Do we blame someone for living in a town that gets a tornado every 30 years.....they will never realize their blindness and we don't need them anyway. We will work to get back and do it with the help of those that still care in this country. (and we will also help them with what little we have left to give in the future - since we know what they face and will return the kindness)
Why rebuild in California - it can get hit with an earthquake
Why build in tornado alley - it can get hit with tornadoes
Why live on any coast or port city - it may have a noreaster, hurricane, or tidal wave there as well.
Why live in the north - where winter ice storms make it impossible to get necessities and many trees fall on houses (and quick snow melts cause floods or mudslides)
Why live in the Mountain time zone and get burned out by wildfires and hit by avalanches
Why live in the west and have mudslides?
THere are fault lines volcanoes and natural disasters (known as the "big one") just waiting to happen.
Where are we to live (in bomb shelters under the ground?)
Just keep working hard and pray for those that helped us.....
Dee, Metairie, LA (Sent Jul 25, 2006 1:02:04 PM)
Dee, your right....but you left out tsunamis....I just thought it was a drink till a year or so ago
andy,ms (Sent Jul 25, 2006 7:45:18 PM)
I also wanted to thank Ms. Burke for her insightful post. As a former resident of New Orleans, now relocated to DC, I track the progress along the Gulf Coast daily, and my heart remains heavy. When we experienced all that rain and flooding last month, I wondered if the nation would take notice of how aberrations of nature can affect anyone no matter where they live, and reconsider their opinions of how foolish Gulf Coast residents are for wanting to remain where they are. I read the articles about FEMA's new policies for reducing disaster assistance, and I hope that those of you with supposed Katrina fatigue who nodded in agreement will not have to go through a natural disaster to realize how unfair and disastrous those changes will prove to be. I've always balked at the comparisons to 9/11, although I wish that the administration's response to Katrina would be as far reaching and entrenched as the response to 9/11 was. Admittedly, I was one of the lucky ones when it came to Katrina; I lived in the 10 square miles that did not flood, I had a car and was able to evacuate before Katrina made landfall, and I was able to eventually go back and retrieve most of my possessions before I relocated to DC. I am an attorney, so I have been able to get back on my feet financially a lot sooner than others. But I always want to emphasize that the hurricane affected an entire population of people with various incomes, backgrounds, financial situations, family situations, etc. A lot of my friends were scattered around the country, some of whom I have still not been in touch and cannot locate. Although I was able to retrieve my personal possessions, I left behind all of my furniture, my clothes, and one of my pets. Compared to what I was paying to live in New Orleans, where before Katrina a one bedroom apartment in the Lower Garden District where I lived cost $425 a month, my cost of living more than doubled when I moved to DC and I struggled for months to get back on my feet. I'm glad that MSNBC is following the progress of the coastal towns in MS, both of which I drove through in April, because I still feel that people don't realize that not only the poor, the uneducated, the unprepared, the African-American, was affected by this storm. Such a position allows the rest of the country to maintain distance, to say to themselves that they would have left, or they would have gotten insurance, etc. Reading these articles, you can see for yourself that both rich and poor, black and white, young and old, Republican and Democrat, are still trying to rebuild their lives. I don't know if I will ever go back to live, but I do think about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast every day, and pray for its people.
Melissa Pleasant, Washington, D.C. (Sent Jul 25, 2006 8:54:43 PM)
Miss Marie,
I am one of those people in Virginia who were impacted by the flooding in June. 158 homes in my neighborhood sustained damage. While we have been recovering from this and dealing with cleanup, insurance companies and just living, you, the victims of Katrina were and are, on our minds. We, the residents of the Huntington Community in Fairfax County, VA share your grief and frustration. Please don't give up - continue to pray and work to make it better.
Chris, Alexandria, VA (Sent Jul 26, 2006 8:59:18 AM)
If the Bronx Brooklyn and Queens all flooded, it would be a TAD larger than NO - You'd be trying to find housing for over 6 million people.... Vs under 1/2 Million for NO proper..
Come on - we just had 100K people without power in Queens last week - for 10 days. No disaster area, we just got the job done
The problem is, between the Feds, the States, and Local Govts in this country (NOT only in NO) we have become a bunch of "you can't do anything without permission" and "you can't offend anyone"
The say a holdup is the building department and permits - tell the darned Govt to shove it - change the darned law, and BUILD. It's a disaster - tell the red tape folks to get the heck out of the way. "Here's my property lines, I'm building, TOO BAD if you don't like it" If the folks in Government won't change the law - throw them out of office (By force is necessary)
You notice how fast the railroad got their causeway rebuilt? Because they said "we're doing it", instead of endless handwringing "Perfection is the enemy of good enough"
Annon for a reason (Sent Jul 26, 2006 10:09:26 AM)
I think people on both sides need to put this into perspective. There are sides to every story. Although it is human nature to lay blame on someone else, and often times rightfully so, we all become victim to something called mother nature. Although we as humans and U.S. citizens are often used to being in control in our own lives and other areas, there are sometimes that we are going to face things that are beyond our, or anyone elses control.
For my own sake, I would like to interview some of the hundreds of thousands of people not only dead, but displaced through the Tsunami in Indonesia. or the other recent earthquakes and natural disasters that have been occurring around the globe. I wonder if people are blaming government, media, themselves for the disaster that plagued their country. It would be interesting to see how their government responded to the disasters in helping their citizens and if shelters or housing was established etc. Many of our U.S. Companies have profits that exceed the entire GDP of these countries. Many of them ask for help from other countries just to meet basic needs. Until we are the ones coordinating the relief, we will never know the capacity it takes. No matter how hard you work as the coordinator, there are going to be things that are missed, overlooked, and open to criticism. No amount of help is enough.
Sue, in the same breath, you cannot blame people for leaving. Just because you decided to stay, doesn't mean the elderly person with no family, or the young parents that have no money for their kids can stay and rebuild. There is something called survival, and just because people leave, doesn't mean that they are no less noble. Everyone must do what is necessary to survive. Louisiana is fortunate there they have someone like you that can stick out the storms and survive amidst turmoil, and I admonish you for that, but you cannot blame those that left, because you don't know their situation.
There are people starving to death and millions of homeless children in some countries, and we sit here crying that our town isn't getting media attention. I'm sure if you asked the children that are homeless on India's streets if they cared whether or not the media was covering the current status of people involved with Hurricane Katrina, they wouldn't care, and they would be just as stern about lack of media coverage and help for them. They would gladly take those shelters instead of having to live on the streets.
No matter how bad you have it, there are people around this globe that have it worse than you, and if we can stop blaming others for our situation, and do what we can to move forward, we will be a lot better off.
We will never know the magnitude of coordinating relief efforts for disasters of astronomical proportions, and hopefully many of us will not become a victim of these disasters either.
It is up to us to make a positive impact in areas around us. For those complainers, you should not complain because there are millions of people that have sacrified their time and money to be able to help others that were affected by this disaster. We can't negate those sacrifices, but appreciate those that have made the sacrifice and do what we can to improve our situation.
Kevin S. Thornton, CO (Sent Jul 26, 2006 1:37:56 PM)
Annon for a reason,
Your argument about Queens being without power is missing one thing (the people didn't lose their homes cars and everything else - it was over in 10 days not 10 months and counting- wow that must have been REAL hard to live thru up there in Queens for 10 days)
I see your point, and yes NYC is much bigger, but the example of loss and discomfort is comparing a grape to a watermelon....
THe rest, I agree with as well, they could even bill for permits after the fact with taxes once the house is rebuilt to cut the red tape on the front end and get things moving.
Surely the area can speed the casinos back up to get a tax base again...for cash flow issues.
Jon, Metairie (Sent Jul 26, 2006 5:17:58 PM)
Mr(s?) Annon for a Reason.
The reason why there's problems with red tape is that
1) building officials would not sign off on a rebuild
until you follow the rules
2) we can't sell our homes until we have building
officials sign off.
And you guys in other parts of the country enduring
10 day power outages (my house was without power
in the hot Mississippi summer for two months!) want
us to leave so we don't continue robbing you of your
hard earned dollar, and we can't leave until we
sell, and we can't sell until someone signs off, etc.
You see where this is heading, Mr(s) Annon.
On the other hand, my email address works.
J. BSL (Sent Jul 26, 2006 10:21:01 PM)
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