how sad that our govrnment has FAILED these people so miserably. After nearly 2 years they still have nothing! How many billions have been spent to accomplish this embarassingly small change? I pray for God's mercy on them - the government has none!

none of those photos look too terribly hopeful. i would lean towards memories. sadly.

These photos reflect failures. Yes, the federal government has been and is an abject failure here. However, the local governments except the county board have also failed miserably...money wasted, no rebuilding, etc. A large part of the failure now however rests on us, the citizenry. Many people have opposed everything that would have generated progress...they think that somehow the fanciful delusions of the governor's commission will happen or that somehow magically our towns will reappear the way they were. Thanks to "ashamed California" for your concern, but a lot of the responsibility for failure is now local.

Most insurance companies still reported profits the last two years...Insurance companies refused to pay on most of the claims....Now it cost 2,000 to 3,000 dollars for homeowners insurance anywhere in the six most southern costal counties on the coast...Thats the main reason the coast hasn't been on a better pace when it comes to rebuilding..

Those are memories - not hope. It is appaling how little our own government has done to assist it's own people (and how much it has spent to do so little). How can the USA devote billions to foreign aid and wars but cannot rebuilt one area in its own country?

Having once been a resident of NOLA, I hope the government doesn't waste tax money by attempting to rebuild what's nothing more than an open sewer. Spend the money to help people relocate somewhere else!

It absolutley disgusting that George Bush spends all of out taxes else where but can't help our own which is what are taxes are designed for. Our country should always come first as it is our money that supports it. I am truly appalled

The grant promises from the federal government are a joke. My wife and I were "awarded" a decent amount that would have gone a long way to rebuild our lives and yet, not one cent has been received due to the restrictions put on the grant that has made it virtually impossible to receive the money. I honestly believe the government puts the restrictiions on the awards in order to avoid actually paying out the funds. That way they can say they have set aside billions for rebuilding, when in fact very little is used. After so many months of trying we have given up. Mississippi can be reclaimed by the Gulf of Mexico as far as I am concerned.

Having lived in Miami during Hurricane Andrew (then the costliest natural disaster in US history), these pictures don't even tell 5% of the story. In many places where Andrew ravaged, families picked up and left, taking their insurance and government monies with them, and settling somewhere else.

Was the government to blame for these "failures"? No. the only thing we saw was people taking the easy (and smart) road, and getting out of "Dodge", heading toward somewhere where they could establish themselves anew. those that reamined were able to rebuild.

don't blame the federal government for not "jumping" into action. it takes time to mobilize federal forces. 90% of the blame here should be thrown on the local and state governments, for not mobilizing before and after the storm.

These Photos are very picturesque and they play on your emotions. Some places like these have been abandoned for a better place and a better life. Lets see pictures of the progress that has been made and quit blaming the government for every failure that has ever occurred. Some folks didn't do anything for themselves before Katrina and are doing the same now. We are not a perfect country and we need to help ourselves a little too. A hand up not a hand out.

It's heart-broken to see my family struggle to get back into their homes in New Orleans. The older family members have pensions and Social Security so they can watch and supervise as their homes and lives are re-built. The younger ones have to find trailers to live in, jobs, and get their kids into decent schools. I hope one day, the government will wake up and see the need to help these people. Maybe money will come in once the campaigns start

Chuck, you blame the problems on the locals but you leave the county supervisors out??? They're the ones making the most money out of this whole deal.
My insurance is now equal to what I was paying for a mortgage before the storm. People cannot afford to pay this along with the price of housing.
The other problem is the increase in housing cost. People are asking double what homes are worth for 2 reasons. 1-There are so few available and 2-People still owe mortgages on homes they can't afford to repair. People have to try and get their money out of the house before they can do anything.
There is a lot of blame to go around, and deservedly so, but we shouldn't place it all on our neighbors. We all want progress to be made, but with the cost to do anything, the risk is probably not worth the reward.
We cannot let the insurance companies off on this one. The state politicians are blowing their own horn for saving me $500 on my wind and hail next year. $500? My policy will still cost me over $3000 a year! And that is just for $200,000 worth of coverage. When you add in my flood and my homeowners, I'm paying over $4000 a year in insurance. Many would say to switch insurance companies, but that's not possible. No one wants to write a new policy, so you're stuck with your previous company. These are some steep prices for a state with a median income of just over $40,000 a household.
We cannot just accept the fact that we, the ones who were screwed the most by the insurance companies, are going to be the ones to bail them out. The prices being charged are absurd, but we have no choice.
And to all of you whose answer is to move, I ask you, have you ever fought for anything? These are our homes, our towns and our families. Our jobs are here and our lives are here. This is what you call HOME. I will fight to make my town normal again. I hate to think that many people have this same mentality. I do not think you would have the same answer if it happened to your home.

Rebuilding lives and what you live in have to go together. People will survive if they are given hope and the will to improve. Looking to the government for help only works when they feel the same pain. When the two parties meet for president race they make them have it in the worst area of new orleens.

The problem wasnt the federal government.The people were warned to leave,they knew for years the levees wouldn't hold against a storm like this.The buses that they had to move people sat empty.Then when it happens,they expect the federal government to instantly star trek beam in food and water for 200000 people,it just can't happen instantly and no one seeme to want to admit that.

There just aren't huge stores of food and water sitting there waiting to be moved into the city.It took time to drive and fly it there,and then when it did get there you had citizens shooting at the troops and helicopters that were trying to deliver it.I wish people would get off the governments back,it was not totally George Bush's fault which is the popular thing to blame everything from a runny nose to Katrina's aftermath on.

Maybe the millions spent on downtown New Orleans so that they could have the Saints play again and have Mardi Gras on time should have been put into the neighborhoods.

Carol Johnson, many, many people in Bay St. Louis and Waveland ARE working to help themselves. Please remember that "God helps those who help themselves" was Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible. This could be any of us due to any number of things, and I have been blessed to meet a lot of people down in BSL and Waveland due to work in the area. They have a fighting spirit that won't quit, and they are working very hard to build new lives as the old are completely gone.

Is it the government's responsibility to fix every problem created by nature or man's ignorance. Bad weather happens on the gulf coast in flood plains.

When you move every couple of years (not by your choice) and all you have is your mother, father, and brother as the constant things in your life, that is HOME.

Federal government gives the money to local governments and does things on their say... so put the blame where blame is due...

look at all the natural disasters in our country's past, what did the feds do for all of those victims in the past? not much. why is this so different?

Its a sad sad thing, very tragic. But it was an act of God that brought this hurricane about, a natural disaster plain and simple, so quit trying so hard to place blame with every breath. If any humans should be blamed its the insurance companies, not government.

You want the area to hold a future? Pick up that hammer and nail and build the future and quit looking for someone to blame.

If you want the government to pay for damages caused by natural disaster, maybe you should consider a different form of government. Unfortunately, in a capitalist society, the government doesn't bear the responsibility for the living costs of its citizens. We should be grateful for anything we get from the government, because our lifestyles force them to focus their attention into endeavors that can generate income. In order to rebuild NO, as a society we would have to make many sacrifices, starting with the way we drive our cars. The government simply cannot afford not to spend their funds fighting wars in the Middle East, because by God if the oil stops flowing to the US, the whole country would be in an uproar. I agree completely with whoever it was that said the responsibility for rebuilding rests with the citizenry. No matter how much we want to criticize the government we must all be willing to face the truth that all of the actions the government takes are in order to facilitate the extravagent lifestyles that we as a society demand. If you want to spend money to help the populous when it is in need, we need to consider what sort of government is designed to do such a thing (ahem..socialism..communism...ahem) Unfortunately there isn't enough money for us all to drive shiney new cars and live in beautiful homes and still be able to spend billions of dollars to aid displaced victims of natural disasters. My sympathies for the people of new orleans, but if you want to point the finger of blame, point it at your fellow americans and yourselves. The government only does what it thinks the population demands, because thats how elected officials become elected. The congress and presidency are, after all, a reflection of the needs and desires of the society which they serve. That is the beauty of democracy and the ugly truth about the american populous.

i must also say Kudos to the ones who are staying behind and picking up that hammer and nail and rebuilding. Kudos to the ones who are fighting the money hungry corrupt insurance companies. They should be the ones getting the direct help.

Remember these images when you go to vote next election........

Honestly, if the US government would have accepted even HALF of the foreign aid that was offered, things would be a heck of a lot better there than they are now. Millions of dollars in cash and oil were turned down by the government for no good reason other than pride, and now the money that was offered has been spent on causes within the countries who were willing to provide aid. Unfortunately, it is a huge loss to those people who needed the help...

To Rob, Excuse me but I lived in Louisiana for 30 years and during that time every election time the poicitians campaigned that they would "FIX THE LEVEES", however, after they were elected they never did one thing to repair the levees. This is the government! The buses sitting empty an not being used to transport the residents to safety belong to the government! When other countries have earthquakes, sunamies, droughts, flooding, or whatever - the US government always comes up with food, water and clothing to send instantly! We cannot expect the same for the people of our own country? GOD HELP US IF WE FEEL THEY ARE ASKING TOO MUCH IN SUCH A DESPERATE TIME! They are only asking to be treated fairly, with respect and loving care and to be treat as Citizens of our beautiful country, the United States of America. I will pray for you too!

As a survivor of Andrew, some 14 years ago, I can empathize with your plight. It’s true; many people did sell-off and leave, just as I believe many from New Orleans will do too. After Andrew we had no federal funding unless you were poverty stricken.
FIMA was a joke and would only supply a 2 person trailer for a family of 5 or more.
Unlike Katrina, Insurance companies paid but our wonderful legislators allowed payments to be made to any company willing to do the work, without any local or State licensing. Now, many of us are dealing with those mistakes as we try to sell and leave Florida because insurance is 500% more than what it was back then. Open permits and poor construction plague many of us now. Yes, 15 years later, Miami-Dade County is just finishing up publishing open permits. Try to sell your house when you have a 14 year old open permit on a system that has been twice replaced or a roof that was replaced 6 years ago. Miami-Dade wants you to hire a structural engineer to prove the newer roof is newer than the one you have an open permit for at a cost of almost $3,000. This on top of the almost $800 per month I have to pay for insurance that probably want have sufficient funds in it’s till for the next Andrew. $800, that’s $200 more than my Mortgage.

Learn from our mistakes in Miami – POST Andrew

Hi, It is sad, heart breaking that us the USA goverment is dead in red ink to help these people and others in USA. Love Dean