WAVELAND, Miss. — Home ownership on the Gulf Coast was not really in the cards for Carol and Michael Cupp before Hurricane Katrina, but a decent standard of living was within reach.
They had moved to Waveland from Gulfport, Miss. to be near his job at Sam’s Automotive here, and were staying in a cheap motel while looking for a permanent place. At the time, his $10 an hour pay and her disability check — about $500 a month — were enough to rent an apartment. And that was what they were planning when the monster storm came through, and wiped out most of the area’s affordable housing.
Today, while large apartment complexes in Waveland stand empty — some gutted or in other stages of disrepair — there is an acute shortage of low-cost housing. The Cupps compete with other working class residents as well as a mob of contractors in the area for what little remains.
Places that rented for $400 a month before the storm go for two and three times that amount. So now, and for the foreseeable future, the Cupps pay $400 a month to live in a cramped travel trailer with their two dogs.
Up and down the Gulf Coast, for myriad reasons, people are struggling to build or find housing in the wake of Katrina. The process is slowed by higher costs, a limited number of qualified contractors, the scarcity of building and zoning officials, stricter regulations and delays in compensation and loans. By most accounts, housing lags well behind expectations.
“You do see some construction,” says Henry Winters, realtor with Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty, Inc. in Bay St. Louis. “But when you think that you lost thousands of homes and there’s only a handful being built ... for whatever reason it’s still very slow coming back.”
Hancock County, which had a pre-storm population of about 45,000, has seen about 35,000 of its residents return, including about 25,000 who are living in travel trailers. By comparison, the business sector looks practically vibrant, with Home Depot and Lowe’s coming on line, joining Wal-Mart and dozens of restaurants and other small businesses along the main commercial strip.
The check is in the mail, still
One reason for the sluggish pace of residential rebuilding is that many homeowners have received only a fraction of what they expected from insurance. Katrina’s tidal surge deluged properties 10 miles or more inland, but most insurance policies excluded water damage from their coverage.
Across the region, those payouts are still in dispute. The highest profile case, filed by celebrated attorney Richard Scruggs against major insurers, argues that Katrina victims were misled by the companies and their agents. It is now in the hands of a judge.
In the meantime, the state has turned its attention to the plight of people whose houses were inundated even though they lived outside the flood plain — as defined by the federal government — and did not buy flood insurance because they were told they did not need it. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour sought federal funds for grants up to $150,000 to homeowners in this category to help cover losses.
By the first of the year, Congress had approved the request, to be funded from Community Development Block Grants under HUD. The plan was finalized and the program opened on April 17.
Applicatons pour in
Applications poured in; nearly 27,000 homes that suffered flood damage in the state were outside the official flood plain.
Kate Solome was among the early applicants for the CDBG money. Her family had received just $12,000 in insurance compensation after Katrina’s storm surge inundated their 2,200 square foot rambler in Waveland, destroying all but the shell of the structure. They had no flood insurance, since they were not in a flood zone. The grants seemed like the answer to their dilemma.
“When we first heard about it, we were thrilled," says Solome, who now lives with her husband and three children in a FEMA trailer next to the house. "We didn’t know what else to do in our situation.”
Then the waiting began.
Haggling over the details — including a bid by mortgage companies to require stricter rebuilding requirements for homeowners who receive grants — delayed the process. Finally, those issues were ironed out and HUD announced it had released the funds on July 10.
The Mississippi Development Authority has been saying for weeks that the money is coming, imminently. Still, the Solomes wait.
“They keep telling us its coming, and it’s frustrating,” she says of the plight her family shares with many other residents of the middle-class neighborhood. “We’ve all gone out and bought things and now we can’t pay for them.”
Last week, Hancock County processed a small number of the grants. But County Chancery Clerk Tim Kellar says that was just a trial run.
“Next week, there will be closings scheduled and we’ll see the real start of that process,” he says, relying on assurances he received recently from state officials. But even then, he says, there apparently will be a caveat: “People will walk away with paperwork to submit to MDA for checks to be cut.”
Meantime, the Solomes have also applied for a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration, and qualified for up to $210,000, but that money has been stalled for many weeks since approval. Until the cash comes through, they refurbish their house one doorknob and light switch at a time, relying heavily on loans from friends and family.
Scramble for land
If there is a bright spot in Hancock County, it is on Union Street in Bay St. Louis, where more than 200 volunteers from Chicago are helping to build seven Habitat for Humanity houses for local residents.
Habitat, a 30-year-old organization popularized by former President Jimmy Carter, launched its biggest single initiative ever in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, vowing to build thousands of homes in the Gulf Coast region. The homes are made affordable to qualified lower-income applicants through Habitat’s no-interest loans, volunteer labor and homeowner “sweat equity.”
The city has agreed to dedicate one of its overtaxed building inspectors to help keep the project moving smoothly.
The slow pace of inspections has been another source of aggravation for people trying to get their lives back together.
School teacher Kimberly Martin is one of the successful applicants, and is watching her house take shape, albeit a few months later than she originally expected.
“Everyone is positive and energetic and we’re all out there sweating together,” she says. “It’s great … that they came down to help us. It’s a blessing.”
“The process is speeding up,” says Wendy McDonald, who is Habitat project manager for Hancock County. Her goal is to build 100 homes in the area within 18 months.
But getting to this point has not been easy, even for an organization with a long track record of providing housing.
Habitat has a history of building in blighted city neighborhoods or depressed areas, often acquiring property through donations. But here — in one of the great ironies of a hurricane disaster zone — lots are expensive and Habitat is competing with deep-pocketed developers to acquire them.
“People with high and dry land have decided to double their value,” says Christian Enterkin, land acquisition specialist for Habitat International. “We have to meet a budget. It’s very difficult.”
At the same time, the cost of all standing houses soared, even if all that remained of the structure was exterior walls.
“People right after the storm started fixing and trying to sell, and the prices went through the roof, because there was no supply,” says Winters, the real estate agent. He says a gutted house after Katrina was typically listed for 30 percent higher than the same house before the storm. In a sign of reality creeping in, “price reduced” and “new price” signs are starting to make an appearance on some of these homes.
Riddled with wetlands
Environmental issues also loom large for developers in this area. Many properties are technically “wetlands” as defined by the Clean Water Act, and fall under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers. But some properties were grandfathered in, and many individual builders have skirted regulations.
For a large developer, land judged to be wetlands may not be buildable, or at least not without time-consuming or expensive efforts to offset environmental damage.
“Waveland and Bay St. Louis were historically built on wetlands. People filled it in to build — a little bit of dirt here and there,” says Patrick Chubb, who works for the environmental consulting firm Covington Associates.
Habitat found this out the hard way when it discovered that some of the 17 lots it acquired in Waveland, were not buildable. Those properties will be dedicated to a nature conservancy.
McDonald now spends many hours tromping through the woods with Chubb, who analyzes the soil, foliage and drainage for Habitat. He’s seen many people discover wetlands violations after the fact.
“Some of the higher ups at Habitat kind of overlooked the wetlands. … They came in thinking land is plentiful and cheap. I think they were slapped in the face with reality.”
“It’s slow and expensive,” McDonald says of land acquisition in the wetlands-riddled area. “It’s very sensitive and everyone is trying to tiptoe around it. We’re trying to take it head-on.”
Read previous stories on the housing situation:
Housing boom on the horizon
A beacon of hope in Waveland
Dueling over dead pines
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My daughter and son-in-law are with Habitat for Humanity helping to build the 7 homes in Waveland,Miss. this week. I'm so very proud of both of them and all who give so much to help so many. How sad that people are preyed upon who trusted others to help repair their homes. How these crooks can take advantage of others is way beyond anything I can understand. Someday they will have to answer for their cruelty.
Margie Mazzeo, Auburn, New York 13021 (Sent Jul 26, 2006 9:55:00 PM)
the sad thing , is there is no affordable houseing....unless ya wanna live in a slum
andy,ms (Sent Jul 26, 2006 10:28:33 PM)
Hi Andy from MS. The sad thing is there aren't even any slums left standing.
Kammy from BSL - Temporarily/Indefinitely in Pensacola (Sent Jul 27, 2006 12:32:47 AM)
Of course they are not building,wait and see when the land is cheap it will be bought and only the rich will live,and of course illedals who can do the yard work and clean house for them.
It is time we stood and told our senators and congress representatives we matter.
Danielle,Little Rock,AR (Sent Jul 27, 2006 8:04:08 AM)
The new FHA/HUD budget is increasing an insurance premium that will effectively kill all new construction projects using this financing vehicle. I traveled to DC to fight the change this week but was rebuffed by my Republican brothers and sisters. May be time for me to change parties.
Scott Neely
Statesville, NC
Scott Neely Statesville, NC (Sent Jul 27, 2006 8:08:36 AM)
I appreciate this kind of reporting. We think that our government and insurance protection is helping (right!) those that got hurt in Katrina. Instead, we have bureaucratic shuffling, and exploitation. thanks to your stories, at least we know about it, which is the first step toward doing something.
Mike Kaill, Friday Harbor, Was (Sent Jul 27, 2006 10:49:28 AM)
My heart goes out to those who continue to be affected by this tragedy. But let us not compound the tragedy by not planning properly for the future; future storms of at least as severe magnitude are to be reliably expected in coming years, so let us be guided by sound judgement, not emotion, when considering the rebuilding issue.
Brian Bladykas Roanoke, Virginia (Sent Jul 27, 2006 1:33:46 PM)
I commend Habitat for finally going to Hancock County...it seems that most folks outside our area forgot that this was the area hardest hit. But even with Habitat working their wonderful miracles, there is still the issue of the "Forgotten Majority". The renting victims of Katrina make up a huge sector that has been forgotten in all the loans and grants. Oh, and just so everyone knows, FEMA is already trying to put us out of our trailers....hundreds of us. My husband is handicapped/disabled. He had to retire due to his health after paying taxes for 43 years. We also have a handicapped son and we're living in a trailer that leaks water up to an inch deep in our hallways, dining room and kitchen. FEMA sent us to a trailer park with no phones, no cable ( that could provide a phone option like Vonage ) and severe delays in getting anything fixed. They borrowed a trash bag from me to patch my roof with until they could order parts. Didn't know how long it would be before they came back, but they did pomise to come back. My family is not asking for a handout, we just want a chance to have our own place again like before the storm. As far as FEMA giving us anything....For the amount of taxes my husband and I have paid....we could've bought tons of these trailers and not had to deal with the aggravation.
M. Swenson Gulfport, MS (Sent Jul 27, 2006 4:03:35 PM)
Yes, the land will be bought by the rich. But, if the rich were really smart they would help rebuild and reap the long term benefits, just as their rich forfathers did.
David Cerone, Chicago, IL (Sent Jul 27, 2006 9:40:08 PM)
It is sad that these people make so little in these towns, but I'm curious why these people don't look into going to areas that are having financial difficulties because they can't find people to man stores. Move and find work, it's harsh, but sometimes the harsh tune is the only one that is gonna really fit.
Dava Hana, Louisville, Ky (Sent Jul 27, 2006 9:47:02 PM)
My eighty-three-year-old mother just got a letter saying that Farm Bureau is no longer selling homeowner's insurance. Now she can get coverage from Farm Burea Casuality. Is this a different company? Her deductible for wind and hail has gone up 30 percent. She lives 90 miles from the coast. So far, we haven't heard from our insurance, but it will be up for renewal soon.
Jane, Southern Mississippi (Sent Jul 27, 2006 10:05:08 PM)
Kammy, I was talking about any where you go....not just the Mississippi coast
andy,booneville ms. (Sent Jul 27, 2006 10:08:07 PM)
Scott Neely in North Carolina, you're saying that the progam to provide $150,000 to the folks who didn't have flood insurance because they couldn't get it is being stopped? When it just got started? How cruel is that, considering these folks have already spent nearly a year in tents and leaky trailers.
There is so little concrete information about what the government is and isn't doing for the Gulf citizens, and how the rebuilding is going, even in the weekly news magazines. Considering the area and the number of citizens affected-bigger than any natural disaster in our country-someone in the government should be having at least a monthly news conference and update, for both Louisiana and Mississippi. (I remember reading at one time that there were 200,000 "drowned" cars just in New Orleans. How many are still there?)
When he did a look back at Katrina about a month after the storm, Brian Williams of NBC commented on how there was no communication to the people in the Superdome the night of the storm. Anderson Cooper has commented many times on the lack of communication to the people. Communication shows respect and you Gulf folks deserve some, finally!
To the gentleman with the leaky trailer, if it was up to millions of your fellow citizen-taxpayers around the country, all the FEMA trailers "stored" around the South would be distributed. If you get a leaky one it should be replaced. Don't they still have hundreds of them in Tennessee and Arkansas.
When Larry Lake had the problem with his trailer I sent an email to one of my senators. Probably it's past time for all of us around the country to keep bugging our elected officials to get things more on track down there and hire more bureaucrats to process those applications.
Rosemary, Sacramento CA (Sent Jul 28, 2006 1:22:35 AM)
Yes, the destruction is bad, yes it's all devastating. But not trying to help your own self isn't making your situation any better. The government is not going to take care of everything for these folks, and it's not going to be a huge amount of money like people would like it to be. Low-income housing is like most things by the government, done by the lowest bidder, so it's not the best quality in the first place. It's replacement, whatever it is, will be the same way. Remember that politicians are interested more in what keeps them in office, not always what helps people, regardless of what they may say in campaigns.
Christina S, Chesapeake, Virginia (Sent Jul 28, 2006 9:07:58 AM)
What keeps politicians in office should be the people they represent. It seems to me what helps these people would help the politicians. I have learned to e-mail my senators and representative at senate.gov or house.gov. Everyone should do this, or the politicians will forget we even exist. I am so tired to nothing being done for working people.
Jane, Southern Mississippi (Sent Jul 30, 2006 9:20:23 AM)
I just returned from Waveland after building 7 homes in 5 days and I have to tell you, it was some of the hardest work I've ever done but you are ALL worth it. We have NOT forgotten, our church has been there for a year - giving time, energy and money to help you within your tragedy. I cried tears for you and will continue to encourage more to come. You were some of the most gracious, welcoming people I have ever met. Thank you for letting us come and make a tiny difference in your city. You are loved and you ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. Stay strong and remember... just as a sign on the freeway says - you may have lost your houses but you did not lose your HOME! May God bless you and keep you in the midst of all of your pain. WE LOVE YOU!
Julie Barber, Chicago, IL (Sent Jul 30, 2006 3:36:35 PM)
I am delighted:
Finally an expert I can turn to for advice, The international code council (ICC) is the bible for the building industry. Respect the man, you can learn something. Do you remenber the old days, at school, we used to get hit by our teachers, Now the students can file a law suit for abuse. This person is from the old school. To bad he cannot carry a 2x4 for a whip because some of you home owners deserve it. Sure some building inspectors have attitudes, So what. The older ones with years of experience, are some what arrogant. Show me an attorney that is not arrogant. and besides they a large chunk of your hard earned dollars, a building inspector does not do that, wel none I have met anyway.
Give the building inspectors a break and be kind to them,especially along the Gulf Coast.
johnny Gulfport Ms (Sent Jul 30, 2006 10:54:37 PM)
your right Jane, but 1 in my area has caused several extended or special sessions....costing taxpayers a lot!.....mental illness runs in that family....he's a democrat!
andy,booneville ms. (Sent Jul 31, 2006 10:54:52 PM)
I just want to say that my family and I are praying for all katrina victims. And also for the one's that wasn't physically there but are mentally damaged by katrina. It wasn't until July 31, 2006 that I myself personally felt and saw with my own eyes what hurricane katrina really did. So now my family and I have a whole nothing look on life. You never know what tommorrow may bring. But I want everyone to know that was affected some kind of way by hurricane katrina that all things are possible through christ jesus.We can't look to man we have to look to our heavenly father to give us our strength. So pray everday all day if needed. And I will be praying also. And always know to don't let no one steal your joy.
Margaret Abernathy,Canton,Georgia (Sent Aug 1, 2006 5:55:55 PM)
I hate to be mean but they can improve their standard of living... slowly but surely. It may take a life change (such as buying fewer GROCERIES, her getting a job/volunteer opportunity based on her disability). We live too much in an instant gratification world where everyone feels they deserve evreything. Sorry to say folks, it takes hard work.
Ray-Rae, working hard for a better life in MN (Sent Aug 2, 2006 12:48:14 PM)
Sh** I hate to go here....But Ray-Rae....might be right-rite
andy,ms (Sent Aug 3, 2006 8:24:23 AM)
AS JANE STATED ABOVE, CONTACT YOUR STATE REPS. AND IF YOU ARE ABLE HANDWRITE YOUR LETTERS,THEY HAVE TO RESPOND TO WRITEN MAIL BUT NOT E-MAIL, SO YOU HAVE SOME ASSURANCE THEY READ IT, AND DIDN'T JUST DELETE. THANKS TO ALL THE NURSES AND LAY PEOPLE WHO WENT TO LA AND MS TO TRY AND HELP. IF EVERY ONE WOULD DO JUST A LITTLE WE COULD CONQUER THIS. GOD BLESS.
RONI JOPLIN MO (Sent Aug 3, 2006 2:07:31 PM)
I was in Hancock County during Camille in 1969. Biloxi, Gulfport, etc. were destroyed. There were no FEMA trailers, there were no federal programs offering checks, the National Guard came in to restore order and then the people got busy. We lived in tents for weeks while we patched up the house, we helped clear the streets of debris so that the water trucks could get closer to the house when they were making their runs and we helped neighbors that had lost more than we had.
Sure there was help, but the people worked hard to restart their lives and get on with the business of life. I don't see that anymore. I see people waiting for the government to decide when to leave and where to go, I see people waiting for the government to provide food, clothing, and shelter. I see people complaining about the help that they are getting and expecting more. I see people expecting that the government is somehow responsible for putting their lives back exactly as they were before, if not better, because they faced adversity. Yes, people should help, from churches to the Red Cross, people have and it's a great testament to the people of this country. Involving the federal government (and most state governments) in a problem has seldom if ever solved the problem.
Steve, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Aug 4, 2006 2:41:41 PM)
I must say that what Steve said sums up the big picture. People have to take responsibility for themselves, their lives, and then their neighbors. Community, action, and responsibility....key ingredients to many of our problems of today. This hurricane is just bringing part of our problem to light. It starts at the top and works its way down doncha think?
Matt S Portsmouth, NH (Sent Aug 4, 2006 4:32:45 PM)
I've been n Hancock Co. since Oct 2005.The damages to the gulf coast area were truly terrible. yet the media sensationalized on New Orleans. The cities of Waveland, Bay ST Louis, Gulfport and other smaller communities were devastated. Once the large scale clean up was finished by out of state contractors (majority of easy money) the area is largely being ignored. The church groups that still come to lend assistance are the best help most families get.
On another note having worked for FEMA at one of the travel trailer sites in FL. it is easy to understand how ineffective the system works. The waste of tax payer money would be be better spent providing materials and labor to rebuild houses. The average cost for a travel trailer from purchase thru setup and removal is close to $35,000.00. This is more than I paid to rebuild a 1400 sf home in the Diamondhead Ms area. No cost saving ideas are encouraged by FEMA -
I was told that if the government wanted to save money they would let the employees know!Waste was and is rampant with most programs dealing with FEMA.
David E Atlanta,GA (Sent Aug 6, 2006 11:25:46 PM)
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