I'm emailing from Australia where many people would like to know just what has been done by the U.S. government for the people affected by Katrina. It seems New Orleans has dropped out of the world news well and truly....what about its people?? How are they coping or have they been forgotten??

Some of these photos bring joy and some bring grief. I guess that;s life is'nt it?

Well, I feel better now. This slide show clearly demonstrates that New Orleans has been almost totally rebuilt. I was worried that nothing was being done. Thanks, MSNBC, for setting me straight.

Although it is great to see progress, and much has been made, we must be sure not to give a false view of what still needs to be done in BSL. The few pictures shown might lead those who have not been there, to believe that it is rebuilt and "finished" and no more help is needed. It will take years to bring back this area. So all you with volunteer groups, keep on coming. There is still a long way to go. On this year anniversary of the destruction of so many peoples lives, we remember you all and pray for your recovery. Hang in there, BSL and Waveland, you are the best.....

When do we decide to take matters into our own hands and build homes and communities that can either withstand the types of natural disasters a given area is prone to or move to areas less threatening? What, are we Neanderthals that we can’t figure “Gee, this is a hurricane zone, maybe I should build a home stronger than what my local codes call for.” Or, “Gee, this is a fault line, maybe I should look at the property two counties over.” Is that so unreasonable? Living below sea-level was bad enough without being in one of the most active hurricane regions in the world. And what of Miami right on the tip of FL? Don’t people care to feel safe? What is all this talk of national security when we will likely die from our own stupidity long before any terrorist has had a chance to blow us up.

Instead of trying to out-class our neighbors with extravagant formal living areas (that are hardly ever used), and fancy/decorative exteriors (with things like dormers, staggered rooflines, and garage extensions), we need features that will help us cope during times of hardship and disaster. Homes should have:

A more basic, efficient, and less wind-resistant ‘square’ shape. Decorative exterior features really only provide more places for the roof to leak, more surface area for heat to escape, and a greater potential for severe damage to occur.

A bunk bed visitors’ room sized for four bunk beds to help during mass evacuations.

All bedrooms should be more equally sized for adults to use. This gives close family members and friends a much more permanent and comfortable place to stay if their home was destroyed or if they were let go from their job or got a divorce.

Kitchen, dining, and living areas should all be walled off to prevent a damaged wall or window in one area from adversely affecting the entire home. This is also more efficient, prevents the rapid spread of fire and smoke, and lowers noise levels!

The garage should be sized to protect AND support the service repair vans that many builders and contractors privately own.

Garage closets are needed to help keep valuable equipment secure (in case the garage door is blown out) and to help eliminate the absolutely horrific amount of garage clutter we see today.

There should also be an attic greenhouse to supplement food provisions and rainwater holding tanks to provide fresh drinking water… and so on!

Chris Eldridge
Author of Preparing for a Super-Disaster (www.trafford.com/04-2708)

why did you show the scenes where most of the work has been done? what about the areas where nothing is being done? I saw no pictures of New Orleans. WHY is that???

WOW Chris,
That was a great recommendation, when do you plan tos end crews, architects, and other contractors down to start on this great plan. Everyone has a verbal and written plan, to date no one has any action to carry it out. Talk is cheap. As a resident of Waveland, MS the photos are showing progress in action. We have been working on our home since day one...ALONE. Every now and then we do get some volunteers, most days we are alone. Please keep that in mind when responding so quickly to these articles. Thanks

I am so sorry for the distruction in New Orleans, LA, but what about Pass Christian, MS? So little coverage has been done on the city that I think suffered the most damage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I am a pre Katrina resident of Pass Christian, and I would like to know about the progress there so that I can prepare to return to my hometown.

Pat from Elk Grove; because this is a website about Bay St Louis and Waveland. New Orleans is light years behind Mississippi in the recovery effort. There's more coverage about New Orleans at the "Beyond Katrina" website, and many others. This one is dedicated to the communities of Bay St Louis and Waveland.

There is no conventional residential construction method (including concrete and steel from which our home was built) that will withstand a Katrina. No disrespect to Chris Eldridge but most of that will make no difference. Hotels, condo towers, etc. can be build to survive and be rapidly re-inhabitable.
The isolated house shown above does not represent Waveland and/or Bay St. Louis. It stands as an isolated island in a sea of still astounding devastation. Local politicians, activists are preventing reconstruction. Massive amounts of aid have disappeared in a quagmire of incompetence and corruption! Yes, real improvements have been made mostly by a few determined individuals and volunteers, but governmental incompetence/corruption, activists who oppose everything, etc. are far more prevalent.

Is this a bad situation... by all means! However, those who have lived in these so called "Hurricane Alleys" and really understand what it is like to weather a storm will tell you it is simply one of the costs of living in paradise. People have lived in Florida, California, Texas, Cuba, and the rest of the Carribean for hundreds of years, and that will not change. For most residents of these area's, Hurricane's flattening their homes is about as common as a Tornado doing the same in the midwest. It happens, but its part of life, you thank god you are safe, you rebuild, and you move on!

I grew up in S. Florida, and I remember Andrew being compared to a nuclear blast, and nearly bancrupting the insurance industry. However, Miami survived, and so will the big easy.

Finally, instead of moving out of these area's (especially N.O.), and moving up the chain of evolution, why don't we focus our efforts on improving the safty and contigency plans in place. To suggest that living below sea level is a bad idea, is not that far off base. However, it can be done, efficently, and safely... The dutch have been doing it longer, safer and better, than any one else. Our gov't agencies should be better prepared and equipped to handle these disasters.

In closing, no place is safe from a natural disaster. Floods, Hurricanes, Tornados, Fires, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Blizzards's occur. And as we have since the dawn of time, we will weather this, we will rebuild, we will move on... It's in our nature

TO THE CONFUSED!
This site is about Waveland and Bay St Louis, also called "ground zero", where the eye hit. There are many people still leaving in FEMA trailers not sure if they will ever be in a home again due to the insurance debate that is causing them to NOT receive monies due. Some have money to build and repair but are on a long list waiting for contractors. The volunteers are now back with their lives so they are gone mostly.
We have no city bldgs left, one store for groceries, nothing for teenagers or young children to do for entertainment. NOTHING (one skate park - that is it).

It is the same as always, you need to see it to believe it, to understand it.

How many refugees (numbers and percentage of population of former city) are still not back in thier homes in New Orleans. This may be the true measure of the "rebuilding efforts".

To what extent, if any, has the most serioucly low lying redidential land been expropriate and removed from the residential zoning, with or without replacement on higher less flooding prone land?

I do not understand why New Orleans is such a focal point for Katrina, You know Mississippi was hit has had and has damage that was worst then NO, what about Florida where I live we get damage nearly every year and yet we rebuild with or with out Fed help. It's very hard for us in Florida to feel sorry for the residents of New Orleans, if they would take some responsiblity and actions I would be more likely to feel for them until then please stop crying.

Thank You Bay Waveland Citizen for posting a comment. What readerd don't seem to understand is that the media has the ability to spin a story in any format in which they please. If it had been desired to convey a city torn and ruined they would have visited areas where little rebuilding had been done.

Fellow readers, please do not for a second believe that cities are "mostly" rebuilt and that people's lives are back to normal. You can always do some investigating of your own if you want to know the TRUTH. My prayers go out to Hurricane Katrina victims, because "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is becoming the statement which best reflects the state of so many storm battered towns.

Hope is not loss, but as long as we continue to believe WHATEVER we find on a website that makes us sleep better at night hope will be sleeping in the distance.

why is it that the upper class areas are being rebuilt but the lower income areaa arent. These people are still living without,why? I sadens me and upsets me that there are many still that dont have anything!! Their homes havent been rebuilt,neighborhoods are ruined,seems to me that the upperclass citizens,have there lives back on track,in the mean time others seem to be forgotton about,like just b/c these poverty areas,there is not a concern. I couldnt imagine what these people's lives have been like since Aug 29th,the Government and FEMA haven't done what they should have done!!! My heart goes out to all that have endured this,who are still without,it is a shame,may GOD bless you all,my prayers go out to you all

I admit that I have never thought kindly of the United States government, but see the so called "progress" of the re-building of New Orleans disgusts me. Why is it, a year later, people still cannot return to their homes? Why is the Superdome scheduled to re-open September 25, yet students are still in portable classrooms? Nice to see the government has their priorities straight.
Debris in the streets, toxic land and water,and what appears to be a general lack of interest from your government, the future of New Orleans and its citizens looks grim.

I for one will certainly think twice about who I donate money to if another horrible catastrophe such as this strikes my neighbors to the south.
I wish mayor Ray Nagin and the citizens of Louisiana the best of luck and a speedier "recovery"

Wow. I never knew how much damage the hurricane did in Mississippi. And Bay St. Louis was a good-sized town! Praise God that they are starting to thrive, and people still have hope!

Although our Gulfport, MS, home was not completely destroyed by Katrina, it was basically uninhabitable within just a few hours of Katrina's landfall. We stayed four months after Katrina but finally made the extremely difficult decision to start over in a new location. We are still devastated by the losses of so many along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Leaving solves some problems, but creates others. Unless you were there, you cannot fathom it. Actually, we WERE there and cannot fathom it! Only the grace of God sustains us. We pray for all affected by this storm and for the physical & emotional recovery of all. We help when we can, but I can tell you from living in a new area, most people don't realize how much help is still needed. The churches have been the most pro-active in helping with real-world needs. Bravo!

I am pleased to see continued photos and updates on Katrina and it's victims. Unfortunately, I have to agree with some of the others here that things are in no way back to normal. My family in Ocean Springs, MS has been battling contractor after contractor trying to get work completed on their home. They say it still looks like a bomb hit down there and it is very depressing. My sister cries everytime she drives onto hiway 90 in Biloxi. Strange plants/weeds have started taking over where once was beautiful landscaped beach area. They have nothing to do there, and are too sickly/old to rebuild themselves. Thank God for all the volunteers, especially the different church groups from all denominations who have helped people try to get their lives back.

I lived in Gulfport and was stupid enough to stay in our apartment during the hurricane. Recently, I moved back to Indiana, but I still feel very much attached to the coast. It angers me when I watch the news and there is any coverage at all about Katrina. The only place that gets mentioned is New Orleans. Why does the whole nation act as if New Orleans is the only place that got hit?

You people just crave failure. Complaining that there is one story out there to show some success???? You want stories of failure? Well, you can find more on the web about NO than you can of any other place.

You want to know why there is "nothing being done in new Orleans"? I can tell you why. In New Orleans you have a city with generations of welfare babies. they know nothing of doing for themselves. they sit and wait for the government to bail them out of another problem. that's all they know. They have a mayor who does nothing to help the situation. they sit and wait for FEMA. FEMA is not a rebuilding agency! They are for disaster response.

The people need to take it on their own to rebuild their lives. I have lots of family in the MS and LA area, and I'll tell you that the response between in MS and LA is night and day. In places like waveland you have people doing for themselves and their neighbors. They are not waiting for someone to do it for them. YOu can watch the news interview with Ray Nagen and see that that is not the case in NO. The longer they wait on the feds, the longer they are going to live in hell.

All this carrying on about rebuilding any of the affected areas must beg the question, should they be rebuilt? It's a seemingly valiant thing to say that New Orleans will be rebuilt, but what of the cost? What about the next hurricane to dunder near this sub-sea town? Should we be paying to rebuild something that WILL inevitably be destroyed yet again? And, why should folks sensible enough to live out of harms imminent way pay for the damage to places ultimately and obviously challenged by the very regions they inhabit?

Just to clarify my previous comments, they were meant in sarcasm towards this photo-essay which does not prove demonstrative progress. I also realize that the photos are from MS and not New Orleans, however, I think not enough is being done in either region of the Gulf Coast. The title should be "See the Lack of Progress for Yourself".

I honestly feel for all of you out there that have lost everything! I couldn't imagine having to start all over with nothing and i hope i never have too. Just one question...What about your mayor and govenor? I dont ever hear anyone blaming them or complaining that they are never helping, its always everyone else. I think you guys need to rally together and DEMAND your local government do someting about it! God bless you all and i hope you all can get back to somewhat of a normal life and move on!

Having once lived in Gulfport and Bay St.Louis, it still saddens me when I see that all of the 'Old Hang Outs' are gone. I worked at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, and I have many fond memories of life in Gulfport and Biloxi. (The Isle of Capri used to have the best seafood brunch in town).My apartment building on Beach Blvd. is now only a concrete slab. I hope to return soon and help with the rebuilding. But I will always have a sense of loss when I see a familiar area or landmark. Shine on Gold Coast. I miss you!

To bad that after one year still so much is to be desired especially after the government promised this time to appropriate the funds under the direct supervision of not one but multiple overseers,(e.g. indepependent cpa-firms). It hurds me to see al this especially with my background being Dutch (born and lived there for 23 years) and now living here for about 20 years, see article on msn.com go cheaper go Dutch this weekend. for e.g. for one month of iraq war contributions (10 billion dollars) we could have fixed the new levee system for New Orleans for protection to a hurricane 5 type, not 3 like they thought it would be ending up only type 1 protection.
Why is it that we always help the rest of the world and put ourselves last on the list?
I am a general contractor myself and wished that i could leave everything I got here just so I could help the people in waveland and Gulfcoast in general,
Time will heal every wound my grandmother would always say, only this one keeps being ripped open, there fore it will keep on hurting!!!!!!!

I wish that someone would report on what would happen to the rest of this country if New Orleans and the Mississippi coast is not built back. What will happen if ALL the people in both these places move? You should be very cautious when you make half baked comments like this. I know there is someone out there reading these posts that can set us straight on the real issue --- how would not rebuilding after this hurricane effect the rest of the country?

As a resident of the Gulf Coast, I would just like to say thank you for finally portraying another party of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast other than New Orleans. The media has constantly focused on New Orleans, leaving many other cities and states out of the eye of the camera. They are not the only place that is loved down here, and are certainly not the only ones who are hurting. Local government plays a HUGE roll in clean up and hurricane preparation. Maybe people will see what other places are doing now. Instead of pointing fingers, they are trying to rebuild their lives. Thanks for giving them a moment in the spotlight. Just because the rest of the country is just now starting to understand the extreme long-term damage of hurricanes, doesn't mean that the Gulf Coast/Atlantic Coast residents haven't dealt with it for years. We just don't wait around for others to help us. You can look at Florida, Alabama, Miss, and South Carolina (maybe, don't know) and see how differently hurricanes are handled in these areas-- as opposed to LA. It's mind-blowing.

Thank you for posting the photos! So much has been accomplished since I was there just before the holidays last year! It's wonderful to see leaves sprout on the trees - I feared they were all dead.

Please know you are all in our thoughts - not just at this one year anniversary - but all year long. We continue to badger (it IS Wisconsin, after all) our politicians and tell our friends and family that things are NOT all right/back to normal for you. We will never forget your spirit and determination - and will use it to inspire others into action.

Thank you again for sharing your lives with us-

The storm took 1800 lives. The people who survived will never forget this tragedy. How many of them need counseling but have not recieved it. How many have had to endure shame, humiliation and unnecessary grief from racists who will not allow them to live in their neighborhoods? How many have had to endure terror from gang members/thugs, determined to hold on to a battered "hood"? Where is the help they need? Why is Mayor Nagin criticized and ostracized by the media? Why? Why? Why? And the main question is: Where is our PRESIDENT AND WHY IS HE NOT FIGHTING CONGRESS TO HELP HIS CITIZENS!!!!! WHY???

I would like to know if what I have heard in the wake of the levee destroying New Orleans (not the hurricane) is actually true. There have been reports that the real estate prices have increased and that many of the people may not be able to return because they can not afford to.

Considering the fact that New Orleans only sustained flooding due to the levees breaking and these towns were literally blown away, I think that for once a report is focusing on the appropriate area. Yes, New Orleans was affected; however, the damage that they received was nothing in comparison to what Pearlington, Waveland, Clearmont Harbor, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, MS and yes even Mobile, Alabama received. Homes and business were literally either blown or washed away by storm surge (you know the big wall of water that came in with Katrina) areas 30 miles inland received 17 ft of water. Yes, New Orleans was affected by Katrina, however, the majority of the damage occurred on the MS Gulf Coast. Interestingly enough no one is making a fuss over the fact that New Orleans was given millions of dollars in grant money to fix the levees over the course of several years and instead of fixing the levees they spent the money on water fountains. Come on people wake up and smell the corruption. Also, New Orleans is now going into bankruptcy, hello, one of the largest cities in the Nation why are they filing bankruptcy. Sounds like some politicians got a little too greedy.

For Frank in CA:

I'm no expert, but here's my attempt to answer your question for Mississippi.

Let's say that every property that was unlivable after the storm became part of a national park - that's roughly 130,000 houses and associated property. I'm not sure of the percentage, but let's say that makes up 50% of the houses on the coast. There is not enough land in the towns and counties for these people to relocate within their same local tax-base, so they would have to move elsewhere. That means that the three coastal counties and associated cities would lose 50% of their tax base. And they would lose 50% of their retail stores and small businesses.

And who would pay off the 130,000 mortgages? And pay for the equity in those homes? And what about the commercial properties? What about the Wal-Marts that have to move because the communities can't support them?

The major employers that can't relocate (like shipyards, oil refineries, etc) still need the same number of employees. So if half of their labor force lives 50 miles inland, there would need to be new highways built or maybe a light rail system. Both of which take time and money.

And how much money would you save? The bridges still need to be rebuilt. The debris still needs to be cleared. But now you need to rebuild smaller schools on the coast for the smaller population AND build larger schools inland for the relocated population. And libraries, court houses, etc. FEMA trailers would still be needed because you could not rebuild houses overnight, they would just be located further inland. (Moving the major industries would be a huge expense - I'd hate to estimate that cost.)

And what is the likelihood of another storm like Katrina to hit the exact same place? The coast had the bad luck to be hit with Camille and Katrina, but there's nothing magic about the area that made these storms hit Waveland instead of Mobile or anywhere else for that matter. Just bad luck.

So why stop with Mississippi? Let's be proactive and make everyone in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida who are at an elevation less than 20' above sea level relocate. Do it now and you can plan for it and save money in the long run.

And what about the tsunamis and earthquakes? Let's move all those people too.

What is being done is that better codes and higher elevation requirements are being put into place on the coast. Build back but build better - that will save money in the long run.

And an unrelated comment - green houses in attics? LOL.

I just wanted to say that I'm glad to see pictures of the MS gulf coast up in reference to katrina. It seems that the gulf coast is forgotten when compared to new orleans, with little or no press. I lived in ocean springs before katrina and lost my house due to the storm surge and know many more who lost everything as well and are rebuilding from scratch. It's frustrating sometimes when it seems your tragedy is overlooked.

With the one year anniversary of the storm there is so much on tv and yes here on the internet. Mostly TV shows New Orleans and their suffering after the storm. Yes, MS had water come thru and go away quickly but we have our stories of those who stayed.

I would really like to see on national news the stories of the people living in this area trying to survive and save people in a surge of water 20 feet or more. What about the people clinging to trees, floating on their sofa, the ones south of the tracks all along the coast whose house gave way with them in it or it. I want those stories on TV!!!

Also, I hope the guys in the service (national guard or whoever they were) know what a difference they made in our lives. The daily ice line was more bareable due to their kindness, the information they provided, the smiles and jokes they tried to make when tears were in our eyes. I so wish I could see each and everyone of you personally to tell you how you helped us in our minds and in our hearts just knowing you were there.

Also GA Power, you cleaned our streets as you repaired the lines, we offered you food and water and you took so little but gave so much. You were angels and amazed us too!

Bush was very slow in taking charge,,seems other countries are much more important to him! So many died,,and yet he waited day's to do anything. In his view if we were " somethere else" he would've been on top of it. It all figures,,,Bush and other places,,,nothing new .

these pictures are excellent, however... Where are all the stories on the news? Sure, MSNBC can publish pictures on the internet, but how often do you see stories about the Mississippi Gulf Coast on the news? its New Orleans this, New Orleans that.. Mississippi has taken the backseat to New Orleans. I'm glad that our residents on the coast are too humble to complain... Much has been done, but there's much left to do. Mississippians are sadly forgotten to New Orleans.. Why cant this be changed? Why are we being ignored?

I have a question, what took so long for help to arrive? Whether the residents were in NO, or the towns in MS, there should have been help the very next day. How can we sit around and watch as our own citizens suffer in such extreme measures. Its a mystery how we can travel to the other side of the world and provide food, shelter, and medical attention to victims of devastation but our own people in our own country is left to fiend for themsleves. I appreciate the photos on the progress of certain areas but what about the other areas where it still look the same as it did in the days of Katrina? Media is only showing what they want to be saw. Its time for America to open their eyes and see what is really going on.

Look at it from this point of view. Entire countries have had to rebuild after this kind of catastrophy. Honduras with Hurricane Mitch for example, is not even near to the progress that N.O. has seen. We have to remember that N.O. experienced a high level disaster and the United States, as powerful as it is, isn't immune to situations like Katrina. I'm sure the government is doind everything they can to get things done, but they're aren't God, they're a group of humans like the rest of us and they can't pull miracles out of a hat. Everyone needs to be especially patient tenacious and hardworking, because some of that progress is also the victims' share. Where there is a will there is a way. Things won't be solved in a matter of months, it may actually take years. For those that are so urged to get things done, help out a little more, find other ways to meet your objective instead of pointing fingers and bad mouthing the government and the country you live in. Even if the government is doing a poor job, DO YOUR PART and be glad you did it. Also, the show a little more of the progress the hard hit areas have made. I sense that the general public is leaning to one because they are shown more of one side than both. So, what is being done?

I have posted a handful of times trying to be polite and stick up for my fellow neighbors when these ignorant people come and post what they would do and what we should do, but I have now had it. I just got through watching some videos recapping last year. (Which I was unable to view because I lost EVERYTHING I OWN) I'm reliving the feeling and helplessness that we all faced in the days after the storm. I want everyone of you who thinks that they know what it's like, to do a search for the video of Harvey Jackson on CNN. Walk in his shoes for just a second, I know you can't handle it. On yahoo video right now is a video of the Gulf Coast before, during and after the storm. Spend some time viewing and go and hug your children and thank GOD that you never had to endure the pain that we have felt. We are rebuilding, we are coming back and I can promise you that you wouldn't have made it this far. All the money in the world isn't going to help us. There are doctors and lawyers living in trailers still. I waited in line for ice and water with the rich and the poor. I had insurance and I did quite well. (To all of my neighbors who have been screwed, I apoligize, I just got lucky) But I still live in a damn trailer. I work my ass of both at work and trying to get into a home. My family does not deserve to live like this and we are fighting like hell to get out of here. To all of you who have all of the answers, please mind your own damn buisness. We have made it through the hard part and we will finish this damn race even though we had no intentions of running it.
To all of my neighbors, arguing with these idiots really isn't worth the raise in blood pressure. As much as it sucks to relive those days immediatly after the storm, please spend some time looking at some of these videos. You will all realize how far we have come and what a good job we have all done. Lets take care of our families and neighbors first and forget about these ignorant low life people who feel the need to belittle all that we have done. They have no idea what our lives have been like, nor do they want to.
For the rest of you who offer kind words, we cannot thank you enough. If it weren't for your help and prayers I don't know how we would have made it.

Hey, I got it!!!! We just change our states name to Lebonon and the Feds. money will pour in!!! Or maybe call it Iraq.......Afganistan?.........Shoot I don't know...But I do know American tax dollars are passed out pretty freely to third world countrys whose people HATE our guts!

Another reason nothing is being done in New Orleans:
Only 50 percent of the population has returned. that should answer a lot. there's no one doing the work. Why blame the federal government when the people won't even go back to rebuild their own lives? People have to do it for themselves. If my family is in danger, and if my family does not have a home, I sure as heck am not going to wait for the president to rebuild my home. that would be really stupid. Their own mayor just stands around and places blame everywhere. Forget the federal government, where's the outrage over the state and local government? Where's the outrage that people are not coming back to rebuild their own homes?

I have family in MS. MS has a long way to go, but people are helping themselves and their neighbors. that makes all the difference.

J.James:

I have a question for you. Have you ever been to an area after a hurricane hit? Have you ever been to NO? You don't just hop in your truck and drive on in after a storm of katrina's magnitude. My dad works for entergy, the power company that supplies most of the area hit by katrina, and it took his crews 2 days just to get from jackson, MS to Natchez because they had to literally cut trees off of the interstate. Look at a map sometime and see that that's not long of a drive, and it's a long way from where the major part of the storm was.

The presdient tried to get the governor of LA to delare an emergency so he could send help. hte president can't just come in with the army...the local gov. has control over that, but the gov. would not delcare an emergency until it was too late. think about that.

In response to a comment:

Just because something is valuable is destroyed, it still does not make sense to rebuild in the same areas that WILL be affected by weather/other natural disaster, especially when the rebuilding comes at the expense of taxpayers. I feel for these people, I have lost everything before and had to start over, but I DIDN'T start again right where the disaster occurred. Relocate those folks, those industries; let those who wish to gamble with their futures rebuild if they want, at their own expense. I'd be happy to help anyone start again, ELSEWHERE; it is not logical or reasonable to expect rebuilding to happen simply because you want it to. Like it or not, these misplaced persons ARE beholden to the rest of the country, and many of us do not want to throw good money away. Rebuilding just doen't make sense.

What a shame on federal government is.

Even though it's been said a thousand times throughout this site - AND right on the front page

THIS SITE IS ABOUT BAY ST LOUIS AND WAVELAND MISSISSIPPI - NOT NEW ORLEANS PEOPLE!!!

You want to read about New Orleans - google Hurricane Katrina and 99.99% of all the sites listed will be about New Orleans. Watch the news - it's all about New Orleans. Can we please have this tiny little corner of the www here without having to hear "What about New Orleans" all the time??

Thank you.

To the person who commented on the upperclass homes being rebuilt while low income homes are not is not the reality. In fact the home pictured on this page is the first I have seen anywhere on the coast to be built beachfront in Mississippi. There have been countless middle class homes built and more affordable housing is available everyday. The situation in New Orleans is exactally oppisite in every respect from Mississippi,in that the mansions were on the water and are all but a few gone,whereas the high ground that did not flood in New Orleans is the older french neighborhoods that were settled first on the only truly buildable land in the city. These areas naturally were more desired and historical and as a result those people were relatively unaffected.It is difficult not being familiar with the dynamics of these two very different areas and how Katrina affected them especially when you only here or see a few postings.

Joe,
Sub Sea? We do have a coastline here. In fact Bay St. Louis is the highest point on the Gulf coast between Galveston and Florida some areas are 30 feet above sea level.

To Joe,

Thank you for showing your willingness to donate to help people relocate, but what you are suggesting is not practical.

You would have to relocate:
All the casinos
Keesler Air Force Base
Stennis
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (3 shipyards)
Chevron Oil Refinery
All the smaller shipyards (Trinity Yachts, Noble, Chouest, Halter, U.S. Marine)
Ports of Gulfport & Pascagoula
All the businesses that support these businesses
All the people who work at these businesses
(And this is just the businesses that I can think of, and does not include any in New Orleans)

With the exception of Keesler and the casinos, all of these businesses rely on close proximity to water - where do you suggest they move to? 91% of all Americans are at risk for floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, tornadoes, or terrorist attacks. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1229102-1,00.html)

My new house will be 7' higher than the old one. It will be stronger because I am (hopefully) going to rebuild with ICF. Another storm like Katrina will flood this house with 3' of water, but it will be standing, and it will be repairable. Another storm like Camille should cause only minimal damage. So maybe a storm larger than Katrina is destined to destroy this house sometime in the next 1000 years - I'll take my chances. And by the way, my rebuilding money is coming from my insurance & my own pocket.

Good for you Erica, and it's your risk to take, with your own money and time. Congrats; I wish you well. As far as military bases are concerned, they must locate in places of risk when necessary, and are an acceptable calculated risk for federal taxpayers money. The businesses that HAVE to be close to the water - that's their problem, and their expense; they, like Erica, may feel free to pursue any ventures they wish, at their own risk. If your port areas are your concern, you have a state government; use it, use your own taxes for your own state. In terms of casinos - get real, they can afford to be wherever they want. In terms of the other things you said, it still does not make sense to rebuild in an area prone to repetitive destruction. I never suggested that everyone should move because they MAY be in harm's way, I simply suggest that rebuilding a devastated area IN HARM'S WAY AGAIN does not make economical sense. It's a great emotional issue, but as a practical one it's a non-issue.

.ps Mary, glad you have elevation there; didn't seem to help, though.

So, where do you live, Joe? Fair's fair...how about giving us down here a chance to critique where you choose to live? You seem to be very receptive to the notion of abandoning large geographic areas and entire communities of OTHER people's homes in the interest of "economical sense", even though this is the first time a disaster of this magnitude has happened here in the entire 500+ years of recorded human (European) habitation and it could be 500 more years or longer before it happens here again. Using your rationale, the population would have to keep retreating from all natural disasters, abandoning huge areas, not rebuilding anywhere that was destroyed, until we are all stacked eight-deep on top of each other. Sounds like a "Sierra Club" conspiracy to me.

I think the media has focussed on New Orleans because they still have hotels and fancy restaurants and the French Quarter was not even affected. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was totally destroyed and the media (most of them) are too whimpy to actually stay there for any amount of time to actually do any reporting on the cities and towns on the Coast. They can just stay in New Orleans and the French Quarter and listen to Nagin whine and complain because that is easier. Who wants to get sand in their shoes and have to listen to hammers when they can listen to the Blues? I think the media just get their news from each other and from rumor and their "reporting" is just passing on what they have already heard from an old newsreel.

I would like to ask Joe, since he is responding to remarks, about whether or not ALL coastal areas should be similarly abandoned. How about Florida? Georgia? The entire Eastern Seaboard? Or is it just the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which (as it was pointed out) is quite a bit above sea level?

Erica brought up Stennis. Stennis Space Center was built in its location due to its access to the Pearl River, thus making it easier for rocket engines to be brought there for testing. Over the course of time, new tenant activities have been brought there. The National Data Buoy Center. The Naval Oceanographic Office. Several branches of the Naval Research Laboratory. The EPA has a small office there, as does USGS. All staffed by government employees, many who are not from the area, and would not have come here were it not for this job, a job for which they have been trained.

It would be ridiculous of me to say that, by building Stennis and allowing these activities to occur, the US Government had put people in harm's way.

No less ridiculous than to say to just abandon it all, however.

This rebuilding will happen, with or without Joe. Either Joe can help, or Joe can just go off and yell in the wilderness while South Mississippi continues to recover and rebuild.

How do you want to spend your energies, Joe?

Now now, Mike, you are not supposed to attack individuals here. I figure you would like to indulge in a character assasination, but that is not what this forum is for. I have a right as a taxpayer to help determine where my life's blood is spent. And I still see no economic sense in building things back with taxpayers money that would be better spent helping to restart lives elsewhere. Good luck; with that attitude, you'll need it.

Where I live is not relevant; where you live is not relevant either, unless your living there costs me and fellow taxpayers to carry part of your financial burden. If you want to build there, I never said don't do it; I said don't expect taxpayers to repeatedly bail you out. Perhaps there will never be another disaster there, but I'd prefer if you'd bet your money on that, and not mine.

Does anybody know what portion of "my tax money" is going to Katrina recovery? $1/person? $100? 50 cents? Just curious because people sure do get fired up about it.

I agree that Joe is entitled to his opinions, and he has been polite with his comments which is a nice change. I still say that it will cost the taxpayers more to help us restart lives elsewhere than "repeatedly bailing us out". If Joe is serious, then he needs to talk to his congressmen. And do a cost analysis.

Were we bailed out during Camille? I wasn't born yet, and am not a native. Just curious about the nature of repeatedly getting bailed out.

Some specific responses for Joe: For the State to handle the port area - that assumes that federal money was used to rebuild the port area. Is that the case, or did the ports have insurance? If it's all going to be the State's responsibility, then why are we a nation? Why not make each state sovereign?

For the casinos to relocate - if the casinos could go wherever they wanted to then don't you think they'd be more common than WalMarts?

And so on - I have better things to do with my time than argue something that is such a "non-issue". When you've decided it's better to pay me the $200K to buy me and my family out of the coast than to give me the $5K I've gotten from FEMA and the loan of a $20K trailer, then we can talk.

In the meantime: www.mississippibelieveit.com

I'm not attacking anyone, Joe...the Sierra Club remark was sarcasm, and I'm just disagreeing with you and refuting the content of your previous posts as baseless. Just expressing my opinion, in the spirit of a free forum. If you take that as a personal attack that's your problem. You have stated "relocate those folks and industries" and are complaining that you don't see the economical sense in rebuilding areas that may or may not be devastated again, and don't want to see your tax dollars used to that purpose. I'm countering your position with my own; you have not "repeatedly" bailed any of us out with any of your mighty tax dollars- you're acting like we live here with the intention of having our homes destroyed every few years, just so we can 'git some more of dat guvment money'. Like I said before, this is the first time in recorded history this area, and I'm talking about South Mississippi, NOT New Orleans, has been so devastated and in need of federal money to rebuild. (Yes I remember Camille; Camille did not destroy nearly the amount of infrastructure or homes that Katrina did). Since you're not being forthcoming about where you live, that begs the question "have any of MY tax dollars been used to rebuild YOUR community after a disaster?" I further counter that relocating industry and people away from shorelines is unfeasible as well as counterproductive, as the amount of money necessary to complete this massive relocation would be prohibitive, much more than the pricetag of 10 Katrinas. 50% of the nation's population lives within 75 miles of an ocean...are you in that number, Joe? Do they all need to move, or are you advocating relocating just Mississippians? Would tax dollars be used to compensate the people and businesses losing their property, homes and buildings who would be relocated? No? Do you expect them to pick up and walk away from their homes and communities just because Joe from Not Relevent, USA thinks they should? The Federal Gov't has tried relocating people as a matter of convenience before, ask the American Indians how that idea panned out. I'm sorry you don't like my attitude, but it's the direct result of reading and responding to posts such as yours, although to your credit you have refrained from namecalling and inflammatory remarks.

Well folks, you have judged and juried me. Congrats. Hope it helps you.

Thanks,

Joe

Sorry Joe. Didn't mean to be too harsh, but maybe I got carried away. All of the questions in my previous post are genuine, not sarcastic. And I am spending too much energy on this board, and I got a bit frustrated at the end of my post.

I did try to figure out the cost per taxpayer and I think that the money allocated (not spent) comes out to around $1000 per taxpayer. My next questions are - how much to LA and how much to MS? Not to get into the MS vs NO argument, but they are two different situations. New Orleans is unique unto itself as a city built below sea level, while the MS gulf coast is representative of the gulf coast and east coast, in that solutions here should also be applied elsewhere. I digress. My other question is how much money is getting pocketed and how much is getting to the ground. (Maybe from the remote taxpayer's point of view this is irrelevent.)

I think Joe asks a valid questions, but I don't think
he was much interested in our answers.

Additionally his email address seems to point him to
a state agency in Maryland. I dunno. At least I
post on my own dime.

What we've spent in three months alone in Iraq to "bring democracy" would have rebuilt Mississippi and Louisiana. I'd rather my tax money go to America, a democratic republic, than Iraq, which will never be that. Come election time, I'm voting and maybe my vote will be counted. Hope so. Maybe we need to spend money in the U.S. to be sure we are STILL a democratic republic. Let the folks in Iraq step up and see to themselves. It's been four years, hasn't it since our mission was accomplished?

Yes, M, I noticed that about Joe's email address too. I also noticed all of his emails are written between 9:00 and 5:00, Monday thru Friday. You don't think a government employee who's concerned about how his tax dollars are being spent down here is sitting around on the government's time, drawing a salary off us taxpayers, telling us how we are wasting HIS money, do you?

I was indeed interested in the answers; I argued the points found therein, but found no true challenge to my ideas. Thank you to those who tried to rise above the emotional side of the situation to add some ideas of their own. Nice to see that SOME folks doesn't indulge themselves in personal attacks.
I never advocated abandoning anyone, just suggested that it was ill-advised to restore things in areas proven prone to natural disaster BECAUSE no matter what, when the next catastrophe occurs the residents will still expect me to dole out more in taxes. I have seen the houses built with gov't funds in Homestead right back on the beach after H. Andrew, and been to Mississippi valley in areas where homes were rebuilt right behind levees that had already failed.
And, I post from here because it's my official address; I pay for the address, the ID costs me, no one else. I post on my own dime, and on my own time (during lunch and breaks) if it is anyone's business.

Thanks all,

Joe

I helped in recovery efforts on the Miss. coast. After being there and seeing what this place has to offer and how wonderful the people are ---- I will help build it back. Thanks for all the comments to that purpose, just wanted to have them out there in black and white for everyone to read. I hope that anyone thinking things should not be rebuilt will remember that when a disaster happens where they live. Maybe you better start checking out other places to move and you will need to have a job lined up in advance.

Joe seems rather confident that the Mississippi Gulf Coast will be destroyed again before long (say, within his lifetime). Even though this was a "500 year storm" or "1000 year storm." As a reminder, Bay St Louis has never flooded in recorded history--until August 2005. So tell me, Joe, what do you think are the odds of another disaster hitting New York City--natural or terrorist? I hope I never see that happen again, but clearly there is some risk associated with living there, or Washington DC...or what about an earthquake in California? After all, there already was one just 100 years ago...Presumably, you would advocate that these cities also be left to their own devices in the event of another disaster. Or would you? Do tell us. Is the Mississippi Gulf Coast just as deserving of population and industry as the rest of the country? Or do you consider a hurricane do be a different KIND of risk perhaps?
Oh, Joe, I see that tropical storm Ernesto is poised to cross over Maryland. I hope that you don't have your roof damaged or any flooding, but then again, on the Atlantic seaboard I suppose you knew the risks, yes?
Should we expect our government to help in the rebuilding of a disaster area? I say yes, if for simply moral reasons, though I suspect the economics would also support it. We can debate about what rebuilding means, and how to mitigate future risk, but I don't think it's right to simply abandon a town, city, or region. What's our disaster today might be yours tomorrow. The government has already set precedent in assisting in recovery, and I expect it to continue here in BSL/Waveland. You might feel differently, but I bet you'd come around if your city was wiped out too.

And by the way Mike, this is the third personal attack on me from you; please find something better to do with YOUR time.

Thanks to (almost) everyone else,

Joe

Okay, Joe. I give. You appear to be a nice enough guy even if you do seem to have a little persecution complex. Not an attack, just an observation. I didn't think I was out of line and I don't think I attacked you but I will admit my last comment was a little snide. I would like to extend an apology to you, sincerely. You have been quite a gentleman, and though I do not agree with the content of your posts, you have articulated them in a nonconfrontational way. We here at 'ground zero' tend to be a little defensive and easy to rile, as we've been enduring a lot of namecalling and attacks questioning our motives, integrity, work ethic and intelligence. You have not engaged in that, however.
This is why I do not agree with you. The main theme in your posts is to relocate populations and industry from areas repeatedly devastated by disasters so tax dollars are not used over and over again to the same purpose of rebuilding the same area. In my reply, I countered that this area, the three coastal counties of Mississippi, have not been "repeatedly" destroyed. Hurricane Camille in 1969 caused extensive damage I concede, but not anywhere near the massive scale of Katrina. The Mississippi coast was certainly not destroyed. I also said that the cost of such an exodus would be astronomical, much more than the pricetag of rebuilding, as people and businesses cannot be expected to walk away from their homes and property without compensation, and the only place for that compensation to come from would be the Federal Gov't.
The Federal Gov't has accepted the task of rebuilding disaster areas. The responsibility used to fall on private relief agencies and local governments but after a hurricane hit Long Island NY in 1938, killing hundreds, causing massive damage and overwhelming the local gov'ts and relief agencies much like Katrina did to us, FDR mandated that all future disasters would be managed by the Feds as part of his "New Deal", employing out-of-work Depression manpower in the rebuilding. That's how it's been, since 1938. Taxes are a constant; they do not fluctuate in response to years with many or few disasters or expenditures. If the taxes collected are not spent for the purpose for which they were budgeted, like disaster relief, the surplus is re-allocated to other agencies. If the taxes collected are insufficient to fund the purposes to which they are allocated, deficit spending ensues. So, my point is the taxes to which you allude are only partially paying for the rebuilding effort here...the rest is falling on the future tax revenues from our children and grandchildren in the form of a Deficit IOU we are all leaving for them to pay.

To all the people who think that the citizens of the coast should just move because the coast is prone to hurricanes and flooding.
Do you even have a clue about what it feels like to lose your entire hometown, everything you know, everywhere you have ever been, your favorite places, all of your memories, to have everyone you know be scattered throughout the U.S. and to not know if those people you went to high school with are even alive? I know how that feels. Many of us on the coast know how that feels. And its just so sad to me that all you people can do is complain that your tax money goes toward rebuilding someone elses hometown. YOU PAY TAXES EITHER WAY! Your taxes arent being raised for us. What if it were you who was being told to move away from your town,and that Its your own fault that this happened? Could you do it?

If you had read all of the post (Scott), you'd see that I did lose everything in a disaster, and relocated where it is safer. Whatever your opinion of Maryland's relative safety, it is safer than where I was.
And, I never advocated abandoning anything, I simply suggest that money would be better spent elsewhere besides a high risk area - and yes, your area is a whole lotta high-risk. Spend your money there, if you wish, and good luck to you.
I have sent money for relief, and I have precious little to spare; and I have watched my tax dollars rebuild in ill-advised places (READ THE POSTS). I came looking to see if there was any practical response to my concerns. I have received a lot of emotional baggage instead.
Lastly, since the only responses that are coming in now seem to be attacks on me personally, I shall bow out of this lynching, I mean, conversation.

Thought this was America, land of freedom of speech

Keep the faith,

Joe

I think what I primarily dislike about Joe's postings is that there's that usual undercurrent of "you the makers of bad decisions" vs. "me the taxpayer" running through his messages. Like those in MS don't pay taxes. Additionally, where he lives is indeed relevant to the debate. One can think of it as fair disclosure to give his arguments some degree of credibility. Of course now that we know it's Maryland, we can point out the occurrence of Hurricane Isabel and the damage it did to Virginia and Maryland (it, for instance, flooded the US Naval Academy), and apprise him to the fact that he is not immune either to nature's whims, and perhaps suggest that he relocate to some less-hurricane-prone state.

Finally, I thought Erica did a great analysis picking apart Joe's arguments, yet Joe just raised his hands and declared himself the winner. The equivalent of "I'm taking my toys and going home."

The Federal Government didn't build NO the first time: The people did. If the people want NO back, they will have to do it. It will be rebuilt the same way it was built the first time: Little by little, over some time.

The people on the Gulf Coast have hurricanes almost every year, it just so happens that the largest population of Government freeloaders, living in government housing, eating government cheese finally had to think and work for themselves and they couldn't handle the job. Keep up the good work Waveland, Mobile loves you.

Joe mentioned that Keesler has valid reasons to stay on the coast. I'm guessing that he is saying that the location of Keesler is necessary for national security, and thus the cost of repairing the base is a justifiable expense.

Keesler is an air force base - it needs runways, not water access. Of all the businesses I mentioned, Keesler is the easiest to relocate away from the coast. They choose not to presumably because the cost of repairing the base is more economical than relocating it, even with the risk of future hurricanes. The water based businesses would have a much harder time trying to relocate and without federal funding would probably just have to shut down. Or they would shut down if all the workers left, as Joe is suggesting. Either way, this would not be good for taxpayers.

I have a question for Joe - when you relocated after losing everything, did you sell your house/land? Because that would not be an option for us if the coast was to be abandoned.

I have been looking at Joe's questions as retoracle and as what we should plan to do different (if anything) for future disasters. One year post-Katrina is too late to do things different on the Gulf Coast. It's not fair for the government to tell us to rebuild and move out of our FEMA trailers, and then tell us to relocate. Nor is it a smart use of taxpayer money.

I welcome the dialog on this thread - but I think it's time for some facts on why we should abandon the coast - not just statements saying that we will get hit by another Katrina.

I can't resist one last comment to/concerning Joe (even if he's no longer following this). Joe's argument about rebuilding seems to boil down to risk. He doesn't want money to go to rebuilding in high-risk areas. I think we need an honest assessment of risk. As many others have posted, the Mississippi Gulf Coast has not been destroyed "repeatedly." This is the first time in recorded history that Bay St. Louis was flooded. Again: what is the risk that NYC or DC will be hit by terrorists? Is this risk higher or lower than the risk of another Cat V hurricane and/or 30-foot storm surge hitting Bay St. Louis? Is this risk higher or lower than the risk of a major earthquake hitting California? What about, say, Tampa Bay? Tampa was last hit by a major hurricane in 1928; some experts say it's number is almost up for another major storm. Do we talk about risk over 10 years, 100 years, 500 years? What about severity of risk? A Category I hurricane is far different from a Katrina. We've spent how-many-billions after 9/11, over a physical destruction that encompassed a few city blocks? (I concede I am purposely avoiding the emotional and national security issues here.) I think the short answer is that (1) nearly every place in the country is at some risk for destruction, and that (2) I would suggest it is nearly impossible to compare these risks against one another. Therefore I don't see how you can quantify which areas are more deserving of rebuilding, so you're either committed to either assisting all or none. Joe, I did post that we can discuss HOW to assist and HOW to rebuild to MITIGATE future risk, but I still stand by my comments that BSL/Waveland is no less "deserving" (and will add, at no higher risk) than any other place.

Seeing these new photos was interesting. Most made Waveland and Bay St. Louis look good. So from afar I received the impression that for the most part recovery was proceeding rather well and lots of progress was really being made.

Then I got that sinking feeling when I read the comments of those familiar with what's going on in Mississippi, who say the towns actually don't look as good as they do in the pictures.

This made me wonder--how many Americans far from the Gulf Coast might have viewed the pictures, but not taken the time to read people's comments? Perhaps they would have come away thinking Waveland and Bay St. Louis are close to being back to normal and don't need help. Which would be an easy mistake to make in light of the fact that there is little if any news coverage from Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

However, I liked seeing the shot of the Fire Dog Saloon--which I've read about and also seen a picture of in Douglas Brinkley's The Great Deluge.

And Grand Rapids--Please don't slam people in New Orleans as "welfare babies" who "sit and wait for government." Rebuilding a city as big as New Orleans is a massive undertaking, that, no matter how much a city's people would want to be able to do it themselves, there are so many big-ticket items--infrastructure, etc., (and in New Orleans, add the levees and other flood protection) that would make the cost of such a project astronomical. So, out of necessity, they'd have to go the the feds for assistance.

Have you really been to or read much about post-storm New Orleans? Her water, power, and sewerage systems are in war-zone conditions. Except for the French Quarter and a few other areas that escaped flooding, much of the city looks worse than Baghdad.

And later you mention the fact that 50% of her population has not returned--it could be due to the lack of reliable infrastructure--you can't do much in the way of rebuilding or repairs without water and if the power keeps going out on you. In fact, you can't even get a FEMA trailer if you don't have power and water on your property.

Or it could be due to the fact that evacuees in Houston and other distant cities just can't afford to return.

The job of rebuilding not only New Orleans but also Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and other communities in the storm zone is so big that a Marshall Plan is really needed to get the job done. I've read where Mississippians are so proud of being self-reliant and working together to rebuild, which help, but after such a major disaster even those won't be enough to bring the communities back.

So, asking the government for help after Katrina (or a similar catastrophe) is nothing to be ashamed of--it DOES NOT make you a "welfare baby". I wouldn't be surprised if, were a massive swarm of tornadoes to wipe out Grand Rapids, your city officials would be asking the feds for help, too.

Oh, and if you aren't crazy about the thought of the goverment helping New Orleans and the rest of the storm zone, how do you like this: President Bush recently announced a $230 million donation to LEBANON. Wouldn't you rather see your taxpayer dollars used at home to help New Orleans, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, and other AMERICAN communities in the storm zone rebuild?

Just for kicks, I taped some of the Katrina shows that aired on & around the 1 year anniversary. I watched one of them this weekend and I think I see where Joe was coming from.

This show was supposed to be on the "science" of Katrina, but had hardly any science in it, mostly just a reconstruction of events. 90% of the show was on New Orleans - the coverage of MS was "unlike Gulfport, where Katrina caused total destruction, the damage in New Orleans came from failure of the levees...". If I new nothing of the Coast, I would have thought that the entire MS Gulf Coast was wiped out, and that the rebuilding was from scratch.

The show also went into the gloom & doom global warming and something about a 1500 year hurricane cycle. It did not differentiate damage between NO (below sea level & protected by levees) and the MS gulf coast (above sea level, protected by elevation & building codes).

The final analysis of this "scietific" show lumped NO and MS together, stating that it was a question of when, not if, the area would be wiped out again. Now I see why so many people complain that MS should not rebuild the parts below sea level.

The type of damage, risk, and solutions are completely different for the two regions and the media does everyone a disservice by trying to lump them together and condense it to into an hour long show.

I just wanted to say that I have enjoyed reading the different posts.
Gulfport MS is my home town and I can honestly say that it really gets to me to keep hearing about New Orleans in reference to Katrina. We were living in Las Vegas when Katrina hit, but came home soon after. The destruction is unbelievable, pictures do not show you everything! It has been over a year now and I am still finding it a challenge to navigate the streets in the town I grew up in. It is unreal.
I want to thank all of the different volunteer groups who have come to help; you are all wonderful.