I still find it hard to beleive,but just keep the faith.God don't make no mistakes. he will help you to overcome.you all just dont let the government and big business run you all out.

2 years ago a 20 foot storm surge in Gauttier destroyed our new house with me, my wife and our dog in it. We moved into the house 3 days before the storm, (bad timing I think lol). We lived in a Days Inn located in Greenville Alabama for 26 days. After many long talks we decided to come back to Mississippi, we did so because of the quality of people that live here. It would have been easy to leave we lost everything. To date our total recover is $14.750 from FEMA (suprise Flood Insurance doesnt cover you for damage in the first 30 days of the policy). The decision to return may have been the best thing we have ever done. One year after the storm we started a Internet Marketing business and it is booming. We have purchased a damage house (far from the water) and we figure in 3 or 4 years we will no longer be on concrete floors). The storm washed away alot around here but the great people of Mississippi picked themselves up and went back to work (with the help of many volunteers) but in the end it was the heart and soul of the people that live that brought us back from Katrina. If you ever want to find the spirit that made America great come to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Thank you to MSN for acknowledging the Mississippi Gulf Coast as being damaged by Katrina. I have looked on several web cites that only mention New Orleans. The national television media only talks about New Orleans. Once again, THANK YOU for not forgetting the Mississippians who are still working hard to recover.

This letter is very controversial to many Americans. We feel we should just use the big stick for our immigration policy. However, there are other forces. The Mexican drug lords are very strong. They can find many illegal immigrants to recruit form. I feel our immigration policy should also provide the carrot approach as well. We need to create economic opportunities south of the US-Mexican border. However the Mexican government needs to work positively with the US to keep corruption out. What will be saved in less expenditure for services such hospital emergency room visits. We create an incentive for immigrants to migrate back south of the border with economic incentives and services. We will all win.
We need to partner with top brains at our leading universities to create logical economic incentives and services south of the border. We need to make sure we do not spend more than what would be saved on services this side of the border. One such economic partnership with Mexico is to help rebuild New Orleans. We should only use American citizens to rebuild New Orleans. However many materials such as plywood, nails, and other building materials would be required to rebuild New Orleans. We could partner or create building companies south of the border to make and provide such materials.
With this type of partnership with Mexico, the US would save on services on this side of the border. In addition, building supplies could be made south of the border to rebuild New Orleans. Then later more materials could be made for our aging infrastructure.

The struggles still continue. Insurance companies don't pay. If you had insurance, whether good or bad, you don't get assistance from any other source. My house was a total loss. We recieved $22,000 from my insurance company(ALLSTATE), $1500 from FEMA, and $2000 from Red Cross. How do you tear down and rebuild a 2000 sqaure foot house for under $22,000?

Keep your heads up and pray each and everyday. Continue to have faith and everything will come together. Time heals all wounds and in time you can look back and be thankful and grateful at how far you've come.

It great to hear some optimistic news two years after Katrina. Everyday, we here in New Orleans, hear about how the city is struggling to come back and our crime is growing. It's good to finally hear something positive come from all we have gone through. I wish our neighbors to the east the best of luck. Continue to rebuild and strive to become the great community you were Pre-K.

Thanks for the update! It's heartening to read about the progress that has been made in Mississippi but I was sorry to read about people's insurance issues and the fact that school in Bay St. Louis and Waveland is still being held in portable buildings that are deteriorating. And I imagine other Gulf Coast communities are having similar problems. Would that the Bush Administration would redirect some of those billions being spent in Iraq towards the Gulf Coast to use for such things as building schools--the $116 billion that's been mentioned clearly hasn't been enough to do the job.

It's time the candidates of both parties and any serious third party visited Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and other communities in the area to see how recovery has been coming along--both the good and the bad. Because, while the progress that has taken place is better than nothing, there should have been more in the 2 years after Katrina. This needs to be a campaign issue. And I don't mean the candidates should have photo-ops like Bush has had on his trips to the storm zone--they should bring concrete plans with the means they will use to implement them if elected. Mayor Favre is right to be keeping his shorts on.

Having had the special opportunity to assist in the aftermath of Katrina as a Chicago police officer I must echo the statements made by some of those above. The treartment we were extended by the people we came in contact for the sixteen days of our deployment was the epitome of unselfishness in the face of unimaginable personal tragedies. To say we were treated as family does not even approach the sacrifices they made for our well being. We were made to feel as one of their own. This when the uncertainity of their own very existence was weighing upon them. I shall forever consider it an honor to have walked among such people. May God Bless you and protect you.

THANK YOU BAY ST LOUIS FOR ALLOWING US TO SERVE YOU.WE CAME DOWN 3WEEKS AFTER KATRINA TO HELP FROM BRUNSWICK,GA.WITH THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION DISASTER RELIEF TEAM.TO HELP.SINCE THEN A GROUP OF US FROM NORTHSIDE BAPTIST HAVE BEEN BACK 4 AND 5 TIMES.WE ARE COMING BACK NOV 3RD-9TH-07.WE STAY AT THE 1ST BAPTIST CHURCH THERE.EVEYONE HAS BEEN SO NICE AND HAVE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS THERE AND WE LOVE YOU ALL.I KNOW GOD HAS DONE MANY THINGS THERE.PLEASE KEEP UP THE FAITH
SEE YA SOON.GOD BLESS

I just want to know if anything is being done about these insurance companies. It seems that they can always find a loop hole to keep from paying people who really need it.

I've gone down as a volunteer for the last two summers and have seen the remarkable recovery. But do not let this article fool you, there are still too many living in FEMA trailers and still much to be done to improve the human condition. This article focused too much on business, which is critical to the coast's recovery, but leaves one with the impression that things are back to normal. They are not.

We in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, thank each and every volunteer for the selflessness they have shown to us here in the storm-ravaged area. Yes, New Orleans always seems to be at the forefront, and I for one would like to thank MSNBC for recognizing that fact and continuing to cover our struggles. We would not have made it thus far with out the volunteers and the dissemination of information through the media. We still have a long way to go, but things are beginning to look somewhat better. Just don't forget us.

I guess I am a lucky person between the flood insurance, Road Home and SBA. I can build a stronger and higher house. I work for the city of New Orleans during and after big K, Driving around I stopped many times and thanked those who where helping others gutting houses etc. I was amazed at the numbers of people who came and helped those in need. Thanks to those who have come and are comming to help.

Myself and my husband moved to Dayton Ohio 8yrs. ago. We still have family in Mississippi and New Orleans. Jenise who owns Clay Creations is a very good friend of mine. I worked for her when she just had a cart at the River Walk in New Orleans. My house has many of her clay pieces and I always give the story behind them. Last year I brought home switch plates for friends. When we go home I always try to get to see her and her family. Enjoyed seeing her mom Nancy in April of this year. Jenise was on vacation. That is one woman that has a true passion for what she does. I admire her for getting up and running after the storm with of course help from her husband Mark and her parents. Her daughter Devon will become a strong young lady by having such a devoted mom. Keep up the good work and see yall next time we come home.

I am also glad to finally see some news on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Personally, I think New Orleans has received much more media attention because they have barked the loudest. Maybe the politians on the coast need to recognize this. If you are running low on volunteers, stand up and say it. I was raised in Long Beach for 18 years and I was devastated to go back to Mississippi 3 weeks after the hurricane and see my love distroyed. The people of Southern Mississippi are a resilient people and I am proud to call myself one of them. For the short time I was able to volunteer, I met people from all over this great country, but truely, America is defined by the strenght and courage of the people from Southern Mississippi. God Bless

Denial would be a better description than optimism. There is very little progress; Eddie Farve is a pariah, not a hero. Bay St Louis and Waveland governments are corrupt mockerys of democracy living a delusion. $23.5 billion has gone to the MS coast with very little to show for it on the western half.

I want to know why it's taking less time to rebuild the Gulf Coast than it is taking to rebuild Ground Zero.

For the billions we have spent to rebuild post Katrina I certianly hope there is optimism.

After living for 26 years on the Gulf Coast, My son and I have moved to Arkansas from Pascagoula, Mississippi here we owned a video game store before Katrina. It wasn't the storm that took everything--it was the looters AFTER the storm. Every day, in spite of 4' by 7' grids wired over the doors(that someone had broken out and started the looting during the storm), more and more product was stolen. They even brought in shopping carts and loaded out everything. I have been a widow for 13 years and was just trying to make a living for my son and myself. We could have recovered from the storm; but, not from the betrayal of the people who were probably our very own customers. You can not live where you can not trust.

My ENTIRE family was hurt from hurricane katrina...we are all new orleans and my heart goes out to everybody along the gulf coast...mississippi, louisiana, and alabama.

What a huge difference between a CAN DO city like Bay St. Louis and the CAN'T DO CITY OF ENTITLEMENT that is New Orleans.

I LIVE IN KILLEEN,TX IAM ORGINALLY FROM NEW ORLEANS AND NEED HELP FINDING OUT HOW THE RED CROSS IS ASSISTING RESIDENT IN COMEBACK TO THE CITY WHO WANT TO COME BACK.

All the politcians in Mississippi and Louisiana must be investigated regarding contracts awarded since Katrina and Rita hit.

Why isn't this happenning for News Orleans. Is The Fed Gov't practicing favoratism? Is this because of the racial makeup of the Ms. Gulf Coast and New Orleans? What's going on. Why can't we see this kind of progress in New Orleans.

To Paul from Richmond Va... Groud Zero, or the World Trade Center, is a building. The Gulf Coast includes several cities and communities, perhaps that is why. These people need a place to live not just work.

I can't say I understand what all those affected by Katrina are going through. However I can say that my heart goes out to every single person involved. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We are lucky enough to live in part of the world which has not seen the likes of a storm like Katrina, but who can sympathize with those who have suffered extreme despair and loss.
I wanted to let people know that as far away as we are, our love and support goes out to all those touched by Katrina.

When Hurricane Fran went through Wilmington, NC, a resident of Wrightsville Beach, standing in front of his pretty much devastated house, was asked how he felt about it. His reply was, "well, it was nice the other 364 days this year". A fine upbeat attitude, but one that will lead to further chaos and destruction. Humans have a brain that we seem, somehow, to be able to turn off at any time. Hurricanes do happen, and they recur. The same Wilmington NC had seven in four years. When folks rebuild in these disaster-prone areas they bank on those "other 364 days", and easily forget the Big One. It seems to me that if your house is in a flood plain, or a tidal surge zone that intelligence says "move elsewhere". I, for one, don't think that my tax dollars should go to pay for stupidity. Everybody is at some risk, no doubt, but to place oneself in a very high-risk setting and then expect government to bail you out when "it" happens is a real and serious imposition on not only intelligence but on our collective tax dollars as well. Let's leave the beaches bare, for sunbathing, swimming, fishing etc. Let's leave the flood-prone and tidal surge-prone areas for the floods and tidal surges, as the grand designer of nature intended.

Almost two years ago, my life was forever changed. I lived in New Orleans East with my spouse and three kids.Within in a matter of days we were homeless, hungry, and forgotten about.My kids attended four schools within a two month time period.I was born and raised in New Orleans and lived there all my life until August 29, 2005. I have never been so disappointed in not only our local goverment, but the federal goverment as well. Now two years later and my city, our city still looks as though Katrina hit yesterday in some areas. I think it's really, really sad that there are still people out there with no jobs, or a stable place to live.I can honestly say that it will be hard to move back to a city where we are looked down upon even today. Treated as though we deserve to live a certain way. I never lived in any projects in that city nor did any of my family before me.But, these days I count my blessings. GOD has blessed my family trmendously. I have a beautiful home in a newly developed subdivision. I'm attending school full time, and I have a new job in law enforcement.So, for me Katrina was a good thing. I will continue to pary for all me fellow New Orleanians. GOD BLESS!!!!

Things here is Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs are starting to show some real progress. And best of all we are starting to see smiling faces from the locals on a daily basis! We know we still have a long way to go, but for many of us the 2 year anniversary is going to mark how far we have come rather than how far we have to go. MSNBC - thank you for remembering us in Mississippi!

"Two Years After Katrina, optimism returning to region"??? Are you kidding???

"SENSE OF OPTIMISM TAKES SEED"

It is certainly not my intention to come off as sounding negative, but I absolutely do not sense that optimism is taking seed here, especially not so in the New Orleans region.

There is a great majority of our population that still does not see a glimps of light at the end of the tunnel. As a result, mental health decline has become a dangerouly worrisome issue throughout our society; in addition, it is clearly not being dealt with efficiently, nor effectively.

Sorry, but I feel that the headline title of this article is a Pseudo Truth. Hopefully one day the title of this article will reighn true.

I have been down 2 years in a row working with Langiappe Church http://www.lagniappechurch.com/ with others from our church www.Westcog.org to help in the rebuilding effort. When I was was there this past July I could really see a huge difference from the previous year. A true sign that christians are doing what it takes to help those in need.

To the lady that has only received $22,000. I would like to know where all the money went to that people donated. I am from Ohio I sent money. there was millions collected. Why hasn't this woman received the donated money. Andrea, columbus ohio

Great to see Miss recovering. Send some of your people to New Orleans to show them the government can't do it all. But then again they re-elect Ray so I don't think there are very many self sufficient people left there.

We here in New Orleans could learn from our Mississippi neighbors. I can tell you down here the criminals are much more efficient at rebuilding their community than the regular politicians (mostly amateur criminals in their own right).

New Orleans needs to stop crying and start working.

I have recently returned from a few days in the Long Beach - Bay St. Louis area, and was shamed at the slow progress being made to return your communities and your lives back to their pre-Katrina levels. You deserve so much more support and less red tape in your battle to return your lives to normal. I feel your pain deeply for I was one of the victims of the Flood of '93 along the Mississippi River, and I too spent countless days and weeks "dancing with the Feds" until the new post-disaster programs were developed and implemented. The tragedy is that many of the programs which are being developed to aid your communities are very similar to the same ones that FEMA, Federal and local governments developed to handle our disaster more than a decade ago. I have never been able to understand why we have to reinvent the wheel everytime disaster strikes.

Keep the faith, friends....I can tell you from experience there are much better times ahead although it will most likely be years before the rainbow appears to signify the end of your struggle. Bless you all and know that some of us are still...and will always be behind you in your efforts to rebuild and return home.

Why is anyone suprised that the Gulf Coast is still in disrepair after Katrina? We still have not recovered fully from Opal or Ivan. Shops that were once thriving before Opal were permanently closed, the same goes for Ivan. Fly over Pensacola and you'll still see homes with a blue roof (although those are falling down for the most part). As with all things the corruption, pointing the blame finger at everyone else, and overall incompitence we allow those we elected is staggering. From the lowest city level manager to the President. All promises for the TV photo-op, but when push comes to shove these people are no where to be found. When I viewed the news reports after Katrina and people were saying how fast the gulf would recover, all I could do was pinch myself because I was certain I had slipped into an alternate universive. Come to find out it was only rhetoric.

It is hard to describe the feelings that come and go since Katrina two years age. I do see progress on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but more would have/be going on if the insurance companies would have set up to the plate and taken care of people like they stated they would. They were trusted and let so many people down.

It's funny to read the comments about how New Orleans seems to get all the attention. Over here in Louisiana the complaint is how Mississippi gets a larger share per capita of the federal dollars than Louisiana because of the Republican MS governor and the Republican White House being in cahoots. I think we all have something to complain about down here when it comes to government efforts. The Gulf Coast region is being rebuilt by good people in both states pretty much by themselves and with volunteers from all over the USA (God Bless Them All).

I have to correct several miss characterizations from previous comments..First, there is no 30 day waiting period if you are closing on a house..and why would anyone move into a house on the coast with a hurricaine in the gulf? I would have found a reason to delay the closing......And the lady in Louisiana who only got $22,000...why didn't she have flood insurance? That would have paid for her loss! If she was in New Orleans (below sea level) it should be criminal not to have the inexpensive policy ...why do we as a society have to keep bailing people out who are irresponsible?

Paul from Richmond Ground Zero SHOULD NOT be rebuilt. It is now the resting place for many americans who died on that tragic day. There should be no building on top of it. Would you put a building on Grandmas grave?

I just recently visited New Orleans and it is a visit that will stay with me forever. I am apalled at how little has been done in the time since Katrina.(by the government, not the people of New Orleans and the countless volunteers) I think any who can, should go see for themselves what has happened since the storm. I agree that it should be a campaign issue. We should be ashamed of what has happened in our own country.

I am going to Mississippi on a Mission Trip to help rebuild in October. I'm glad to see optimism despite the work and healing still left to be done.

The South was hit pretty hard by Katrina, not only New Orleans. But that is where the media headquartered their collective efforts to show the world just how slow the wheels of the United States government turn. If Katrina would have hit another country, the bush administration would have been at the front of the line preparing assistance to send there. The Katrina-hit Gulf Coast is making a remarkable recovery, in some aspects. But the shameful part of it is whenever the actors, musicians, and prominent celebs that are so active in rebuilding stop their support, all that the South will have to fall back on is the same administration that was retardedly slow at the outbreak of Katrina.

Granted Katrina was a disaster but to call it the most destructive hurricane in U. S. history is inaccurate and shows the rating is only based on dollars (i.e. property value). The hurricane of 1900 that hit Galveston, Texas killed over 6,000 people (this number can be verified on the Internet under Hurricane of 1900, Storm of 1900 as they were not named then). Many of the bodies could not be buried as the earth was too wet and were floated out into the Gulf on wooden barges and set afire along with the bodies of horses, cattle, dogs, cats, etc. I realize that the media likes to sensationalize everything to attract viewers ("the worst ever", "the largest ever", etc.) but Katrina comes no where near the Hurricane of 1900 in loss of human life which is the only constant and thus the only logical method to rank natural disasters. Unfortunately, much of the heartache associated with Katrina in New Orleans proper was caused AFTER the storm had already passed by the evil and crime that ran rampant throughout the city.

Hurricane Katrina left many people in ruins! That which was really "eye opening" was the lack of opportunity provided for those living in poverty. And those left behind were truamatized for many days waiting for rescue. Who are the "people" living in the FEMA trailers? Why is it that we are rebuilding in an area where this could all happen again? If I were living in an area where danger lurked so closely, I would not wish to put my family through such a devastating experience a second time. And yet, I have never had to endure such a disasterous experience. For everything that has been mentioned above, what about the people who had nothing to begin with...poverty is everyday, all day. We are not rebuilding for the poor, that's what the trailers were for. However, the trailers are now in ruins because of the area in which they have been placed. If the trailers are in ruins, we can only imagine what this is doing to the health of the people who live there. This area is polluted with molds, destruction beyond the city that has yet to be attended to, the decay of the deceased, the run-off of many types of contaminants (including raw sewage) and so much more! Why not move in land and rebuild, you could still have New Orleans with quality air to breate?
As one of millions who sat glued to the TV when all of this happened, a nation horrified by what had transpired. I am amazed that people are rebuilding this city and how much will flood insurance cost once completed? Will you be able to get flood insurance? And do the taxpayers come to the aid of such a crisis again? We can't control "Mother Nature." So when the next hurricane comes a shore, New Orleans is devastated yet again. Will you be able to rebuild yet again? Why not build below sea level? You will have a city in ruins again, should a hurricane come through again. Are you serious...what a terrible waste of money, when there are so many in America who don't know when their next meal will be.

I have an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering .
Geodetic homes and round buildings ,one style can take a 400 mph wind.Foolish builders and zoning codes won't let the round bulidings built for job security by letting the storms periodically ruin the hurricane areas,and politicians and zoning codes do not think the structures look pretty enough so Geodetic round structures are outlawed in many Southern areas,so I say let the Hurricanes wipe em out like the 1968 205 mph Huricane Camille ,remember if it falls apart it creates jobs for the greedy and geodetic homes are cheaper and safer so I say let em all fall down again if they don't want to build right,bring it on to Orleans again,politicians never will build it right.

as a little girl, my family and i would travel from alexandria, louisiana, during august to the gulf coast for a week vacation. this back in the 50s. i remember the stately mansions, the salt water taffy, sea shells made into lamps (i wish i still had one of those!!) the lighthouse, and the wonderful smell of the salt water. later, i lived in longbeach then gulfport for about a year or so.you could buy fresh shrimp off the boat for 50 cents a pound!
i can't imagine the destruction, it's been easily 30 years since i visited down there, but would love to see the rebuild. my heart cried when i saw the images of the damage, it was so lovely. reading through the comments it was so heartening to 'see' the love and caring for the gulf area that shines through each message.but i wanted to ask something about other regions that have been destroyed by hurricanes...places i am still hearing about that have not yet recovered and people are still living in tents etc...can this be true of south florida..from the destruction that andrew caused in 92? that's 15 years ago....how can this be possible? does anyone know if this is true?

The Katrina volunteers did most of the work in New Orleans gutting the houses as the home owners sat on their porches watching not lifting a finger to help. It was a sad sight to see. New Orleans is a unique city with a culture all it's own. They beg for help but want no controls on how the money is spent while the politicians back pockets fill up with cash. Two more corrupt New Orleans officials are up on charges since last week. And the residents wonder why more help isn't coming. Rebuild the 9th ward. It wasn't worth anything before the storm. The 9th ward is not safe to live in and the rest of the city is following suit with the crime, drugs, murder capital of the USA and on and on...Just tear it down and start over again.

my daughter lives in new orleans and works for habitat for humanity. i visited there in may 2007.the people who remain love this city with all their hearts.but the constant frustration and one step forward, six steps back daily movement is depressing and heartbreaking.the people count on each other, not our government.it is a sorry commentary on the priorities of our elected officials;it's like living in a third world country.God bless all of you.

Maybe if this country were not spending billions in a war overseas in which we should not be involved we could use our military in a constructive role at home. The reconstruction of our own citizens' lives in the hurricane aftermath might be hastened to a level our people deserve, and our country as a whole would become stronger. Our President says he is defending against terror. I doubt the homeless residents of New Orleans and Mississippi are too worried about a terrorist attack.

I feel bad for the people in New Orleans but what about the people in SW Florida??Do you know how much has not been rebuild and how hard it is to fond housing after Charley?? I have seen it first hand, it just goes to show you when the next big storm comes in they will be forgotten about just like the Charley survivors did after Katrina!!!!

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is doing a much better job of recovering from Katrina than Louisiana. Why? Because in Mississippi, which took the direct hit, people didn't sit and wait for government to come in and fix everything. They started fixing things themselves. There appears to be an organized effort going on there which is paying off. In New Orleans, relief money is no doubt being misspent, just as money for improving the levees was for decades before the storm. Plans being made by the Army Corps of Engineers call for the levees in the New Orleans area to be sufficient to withstand a major hurricane by 2015. That's if they get the money and cooperation they need. Fat chance. The Port of New Orleans, the oil companies and refineries, the French Quarter businesses, will stay. I don't know why many other corporations would want to. For goodness' sake, people! Move somewhere that you'll be at least a little safer. Somewhere above sea level. Understand that you're still in a dangerous place with famously awful politics and traditions of corruption. Carry your good traditions to other cities if not other states. Get your family, your church families, whatever - to start thinking of a nice place for everyone to move. Really. Sure, stay together. But don't wait for another storm to flood the city. It won't take one as big as Katrina to do that at this point. And remember, Katrina was NOT the worst case scenario. New Orleans did not take a direct hit from Katrina. That was Mississippi, where, please remember, they're recovering. And you aren't.

GOD BLESS the residents of Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian and the Mississippi Gulf Coast!

GOD HELP the citizens of New Orleans who wallow in self pity looking for yet another free handout with the passing of this second anniversary.

There is not enough love and charity to help a community that does not want to help themselves.

I survived Katrina and Rita, rebuilt my home, and struggled to maintain optimism while the city government did nothing but look for another handout and someone else to blame. Billions in in Federal aid (not to mention the millions in private donations from fellow Americans) squandered away with nothing to show. It is an embarassment.

After nearly two years of failed optimism, I finally gave up and left. Best decision I ever made!

The financial support to Rebuild New Orleans needs to stop! The city either needs to stand on her own two feet or fail! Enough is enough.

I went to Gulport Mississippi to help rebuild Blue Cliff College. After Katrina all that was left was dirt and knowing that the college was located next to the hotel pool which was still standing. I am grateful to the families and students of those students who changed my life forever. Their strength and support for each other was amazing. I held the first graduation after the storm all 75 students were in attendance no matter where they moved to they attended this graduation. The Instructors and students stayed in touch with each other and never gave up. I salute those students and instructors who worked with me to honor these students.

I am glad I had the opportunity to experience undying faith and determination. I am returning back to Gulfport with my new family and have great hopes of helping to again be part of the restoration process.

If I am not mistaken, but I heard that alot of the rebuilding was being done by many Latino's. I don't understand why many of their own, meaning native New Orleans, or Mississippi people do alot of the rebuilding, instead have not returned to help out and see how they can rebuild, people from Kansas seemed to rebuild with out any assistance from anyone, other than their own community. What I have read is that they are wanting to get rid of the Mexicans, Salvadorians and any and all Latino's from South America, if you bring them in, let them have the choice to stay and live. Don't end up like Salt Lake City, Utah, when the Olympics were held there, they wanted all the Latino's to work, and as soon as the Olympics were over, they wanted them out of there. And the truth is, that you find the Latino's very hard working and are even willing to leave the family back home and send money to them so that they can continue to earn a living. George Lopez said it all when he said that it was the Mexican's that are rebuilding New Orleans, I happen to agree with him!!
May God Continue to Bless Our Country!

I WONDER EVERDAY WHERE MY TAX DOLLARS GO. I GUESS THEY ARE IN IRAQ NOW. YES IF I KNEW MY TAXED DOLLARS WERE GOING TO FIX THE AMERICA I THINK I LIVE IN I WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM GIVING THEM. BUT THE MEN AND WOMEN IN OFFICE JUST DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT AMERICA SHOULD BE ABOUT. WHEN WE DO GET OUR MILITARY HOME WHERE THEY SHOULD BE, WE WOULD HAVE MONEY FOR OUR AMERICA AND SHOULD TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN. OUR NATURAL DISASTER DOLLARS SHOULD STAY HERE. HOW MANY COUNTRIES SEND US HELP? THE LATEST STORMS ACROSS THE US AND KATRINA'S FAMILIES, MY HEART DOES FEEL YOUR PAIN. GOD BLESS YOU ALL

MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN VISITORS FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS TO THE GULF REGION, MAINLY TO NEW ORLEANS. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD, I SALUTE ALL OF YOU IN MISSISSIPPI FOR YOUR DETERMINATION AND FORTITUDE. MAYBE THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NEEDS TO TAKE NOTE OF WHAT THEY ARE REALLY HERE ON THIS EARTH FOR - TO SIT AROUND AND COMPLAIN THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT GIVING THEM ENOUGH OR THAT THEY ARE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, OR TAKE A LOOK AT THE CITIZENS OF MISSISSIPPI AND TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND AND SAY THAT THEY TOO CAN ROLL THEIR SLEEVES UP AND GET TO WORK REBUILDING, ESPECIALLY THE MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS!

It's disgusting to hear of the shortfalls in the gulf region. All I ever hear about is, woe is me New Orleans. Crime was rampant prior to Katrina there.
The rest of the Gulf Coast seems to have been forgotten by everyone. FEMA has concentrated on New Orleans because that's where the most political pressure has been brought to bear. Someone in Washington needs to wakeup to the facts that N.O. wasn't the worst hit.
All the politicians have forgotten those that lost everything from Katrina. They all need a wakeup call next election. Doesn't matter what party they are either.
To those that didn't get what they should have from their insurance companies. Maybe next time you will read your policy closer.

So far this year I've volunteered twice in New Orleans Lower 9th Ward and will be returning 3 more times before the end of the year.

However, before my first visit, I knew I could NEVER begin to imagine what these people went through. Yet since I was going there to help people deal with their "emotions" in a workshop, I did the best I could at preparing my materials and myself for the workshop for the homeless and long-term volunteers. Everyone I met had a story worse than the last. I wondered if I'd even be able to get through the workshop without tearing up.

Even now I can't begin to explain how difficult it was to survive one day in this city even 18 months since Katrina. Even finding the barest of necessities was a struggle and this was during Mardi Gras!

Most of the national news has not portrayed the people affected by Katrina accurately nor the companies who are receiving payments from the government for work that is supposed to directly benefit the people who lost so much to this horrible disaster. These companies are, for the most part, connected to our political leaders. And if you dig deeply enough at some internet published reports, you will see that the Government Accounting Office (the GAO) is having trouble locating where the money is being spent that has been given to these big corporations. There is very little money directly reaching the people!

However, please let me say that there are rays of hope! You have to look hard but there are grass-roots organizations run by local people and volunteers that come from all over the world to help rebuild this "community." They offer free assistance in gutting houses (since it costs about $10,000 to hire a contractor), they manage homeless shelter residences, open childcare facilities, legal clinics, even a health clinic in the Lower 9th Ward and are planting sunflowers because they detoxify the soil.

So, people don't believe everything you see on TV or read in the newspapers about how the people of New Orleans and others affected by Katrina are receiving all this money.

Also, did you know that the reason the levees broke was because the budget to keep the levees maintained has been consistently cut each year and everyone knew that someday the "Big One" would hit and the levees would break?

Did you also know that there is technology available that has been used by the country of the Netherlands, which also happens to be at sea level, and they no longer get flooded? But since the Army Corps of Engineers didn't have the money to even keep the levees maintained, they, of course, weren't going to withstand a major hurricane.

So, for those of you who believe all you read or see on TV, my only hope is that you delve a little deeper before allowing anyone to brainwash you and you hand over your power to just anyone.

Thank God for the grass-roots organizations and companies who are there working day and night to rebuild from the inside out! And this is probably a much better and healthier way to re-create a town for themselves and their ancestors.

Also, please remember the old Native American adage that says you don't know what it's like until you have walked a mile in another man's mocassins.

I also ask that you send only loving, not negative thoughts to buoy anyone touched by this disaster. They need all the help they can get. Practice daily random acts of kindness and like the movie said, "play it forward!" This will not only help others but yourself as well. Thank you.

Some people may disagree with me, but as a Katrina SURVIVOR ( I hate the word "victim") I feel I can comment with credibility.

As a former resident of St. Bernard, Lousiana, (approx. 7 miles SE of New Orleans) my home, community and way of life were totally destroyed. I too grew tired of all the press and and media attention paid to the city of New Orleans. While the city itself, was indeed, severly impacted, with much loss of life and property... the communities to the south & east (including MS.) were suffering as well.

I actually feel fortunate in comparison to the good people of coastal MS. Yes, my home filled up with 12 feet of water.. BUT.. I at least had a shell, a structure left standing. If I had wanted to , I could have re-built my home and stated over right there.

The people of towns like Bay St. Louis and the surrounding area went home to match sticks. Their homes totally flattened... nothing but foundations , or in some cases, just a big hole in the ground where their homes once stood. Nothing to put back together.

I too, thank MSN for acknowledging the great suffering of all Katrina Survivors along the Gulf Coast. I wish you all the best.. keep the faith.

I lived south of New Orleans and have moved out to California with my mom, dad, twin sister, and little sister.Letting my home go was the hardest thing i've ever done I still haven't really gone back and said goodbye.I haven't seen any of my friends in two years and as soon as I can i'm going back.I hope to help in any way I can to rebuild and I just want everyone to know what things like this do to an eleven year old child.I'm thirteen now but what i'm trying to say is Hurricane Katrina ruined many things that people can't get back and people of all ages should help those who are still grieving because Katrina is something I will never get over and let go.I think about it everyday and it's still hard.If you have people around you who deal with this or anything that's hard, don't blow them off, please help them cope.
-Shelby Victoria

I just return with a group of high school students and chaperones helping the rebuilding in Waveland. These are some of the most friendly people I have worked with and the community was so open to our presents. The people of St. Clare Recovery are doing a great job helping get people back into their homes. There is still much work to be done and I encourage people to remember the people of Waveland and Bay St Louis. Check out the good works at stclarerecovery.com

Steve from Houston. You are incorrect. There is a 30 day waiting period for flood insurance UNLESS the property is financed and the lender requires it.

And you are right, I wouldn't close when there was a storm in the Gulf, but he did say he had been there 26 days. So do you not purchase a house during hurricaine, or do you take your chances as we did. Fortunately for us it worked out fine.

Take it from someone who is still from new orleans. There are several things going against New Orleans. The first being that not all of the residents want to help themselves. They want to wait around for money to be given to them and then spend it on things such as plasma screen tv's. On the other hand, there are local residents who want to help themselves, but without an effort from everyone, (including the former Cox Cable Fleet Lease King himself Mayor Ray Nagin, who already has a history of recieving cuts from large companies, nothing will ever get accomplished like it should. Another example is Interstate 10 where the twin span bridges collapsed. Yes we are having new bridges built as we speak and they are going to be the most expensive public works project in Louisiana history. (roughly 800 million according to the Times Picayune) That sounds great but the bridges are only a total of 14 miles long together. That's much smaller than the 48 mile in total Causeway. Why are the New Twin Spans going to be more expensive? The little guy will never make it in this state (Louisiana) until we get some honest politicians.

OMG people. Get real. Mississippi was more devastated at the beginning, but MS didn't fill up with toxic soup that stayed there for 3 WEEKS! New Orleans will take longer to rebuild its poorer AND wealthier neighborhoods (9th Ward & Gentilly the former and Lakeview the latter) because of the additional damage done by the sheer length of time it took to pump the water out! I think N.O. gets more media attention because, let's be honest here, the damage wasn't all done by Katrina herself but by Army Corps of Engineers' incompetence. Hello? The levees failed! God bless Mississippi and all the volunteers who have come down South to serve missions - but the levee failure makes New Orleans news...

I am tired of always hearing about how bad New Orleans was damaged and how terrible it is there. I don't care! New Orleans suffered because the Democrats keep taking money away from agencies that need it to do their job, ei the Corps of Engineers. Its good to hear from someone on the Mississippi Gulf coast. No one seems to be interested in just how bad things are down there. I know, I a vested interest in the Mississippi coast. Not financially, only emotionally. My wife of 35 years is from Biloxi. I was a young man fresh out of USAF basic training, sent to Keesler AFB for Tech School. I got to Keesler Aug 15, 1969, two days before Hurricane Camille. I was there when the storm came through and saw first hand how that storm destroyed things. In early 1972 I met the girl who would become my wife. And through her eyes and through her family learned how the storm affected them. My wifes home was on the East end of Biloxi and basicalkly had to be rebuilt inside so the family could move back in. The house next door wasnt so lucky. The storm surge from Camille moved it into the street, it had to be replaced. Katrina on the other hand removed houses throughout the neighborhood. The house my wife grew up in is gone! Financially fortunate for her family, the house was sold several years years ago so they didn't lose anything. Emotionally, it's another story entirely. Even though the house no longer belonged to the family, to see it gone upset my wife tremdously. Even though she is now a 52 yr old woman, she still cried like a baby upon seeing the empty lot where her childhood home once stood. She was still upset and despondent several days later when we left to return to our home in SC. And this is just the feelings of one person. There are still thousands of people just like her who lost not just childhood memories, but a life, a livelyhood, family members also. Yet since Katrina all the discussion and sympathy seems to be going to New Orleans. It way beyond time to start thinking about the victims in the towns and cities of the Mississippi Gulf coast and give them some consideration and sympathy.

My heart is softned by the reply's i've read. Please understand that altough some people of New Orleans are waiting for handouts and goverment relief while the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast are not is true in all that we know.
But lets take in consideration where both cummunities have come from. The prodomently White Gulf Coast have all had many generations of having opprotunities to prosper and have not been held back because of there skin color. There abition to suceed has been fueled by countless generations of sucessful oprotunities. When I Black Child is being told that there race is lazy and no good. What do you think he or she thinks of themselves? When that Black child reads or hears these words of hate, whose does he or she look up to for inspiration to have a sucessful life? The same people that we are all beating down with selfish words and all out hatred.
Lets stop for one moment each day and tell a stranger that we care and respect them no matter what there race is. And maybe, just maybe the kind words of a stranger miles and miles away will affect a child when they need a smile the most. Today!

I think that most are forgetting that there was alot more than money at stake. I don't think that giving them all the money in the world could ever possibly come close to what the have lost. When you see something that your whole life has been based on ruduced to a puddle of water, and total destruction, it takes more than money to take that pain away. Not to mention all the millions of people that come from all over the U.S. to marvel in it's beauty and history!! Money is NOT a CURE ALL!!!!!!!

Although I currently live in Peoria, IL, my family had a house on Brady Dr. (right off Beach Blvd.) My nieces got out barely with the clothes on their backs. I had just recently (pre-Katrina)visited the area, accepted a job, found a house in Long Beach and was due to move there over Labor Day. Luckily, I hadn't finalized the paper work. I have seen everything first hand as I left IL to go help with the survivors and to bring my family to IL to live. I still wish to move to this area of the Gulf Coast. It is a wonderful community to raise children. People actually have morals and ethics. I am so tired of seeing and hearing the complaints of the residents of New Orleans. Granted, they too had damage from Katrina, but that evil storm did not strike them head on like it did in MS. Quit laying around waiting for someone to GIVE you something...take examples from the residents of MS and take charge of your own lives. I still plan on moving to the area, just as soon as property owners and landlords stop the price gouging of buying/renting a home or apartment. Those people know who they are and I pity the day they look in the mirror and see that image of themselves and how they have treated their own neighbors. Apartments that used to rent for $500.00 per month are now at $850 to $1200 per month. The house I was purchasing was originally $89,500. That house is now selling for twice that amount. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU and reading this you people know who you are. Karma will get you, in this life or the next. God bless to those who are still recovering and rebuilding and I look forward to soon becoming a part of the gulf coast community to help rebuild.

For the person who thinks we should bring the military home to rebuild the areas hit by Katrina, you need to read any documents you can get your hands on regarding what the United States Armed Forces are for. .

My home was destroyed by Katrina. Yet, almost two years later I have yet to recieve any money from the great "Road Home" program. The parrish forced me to tear down my home and yet I am having a hard time rebuilding due to escalating construction costs which have made insurance payments inadequate. I didn't ask for the money thst has been promised, but I sure need it and, since it has been promised, shouldn't it some day be given - before even the young die of old age? Let me rebuild!

After Katrina and Rita washed away the homes, schools, churches and work places of hundreds of thousands of americans, some insurance companys have determined to pull out with the profits collected over the years on the gulf coast.All need to remember,good neighbors and good hands are sometimes hard to find.

I'm still in NEW ORLEANS, I love NEW ORLEANS and have a lot of good memories of my city.Yes some residents don't help themselves, but I don't know any.Everyone I know is working hard to recover.

My husband and I were here 8 days after KATRINA what we saw and felt still hurt. My son recruited us by boat when he came in to view his home in Jefferson
Parish.

You know what's messed up, having to pay to demolish a house in Lakeview because the Gov't wont step up and allocate grant money. Hello, the main break was in Lakeview, everyone should be allowed grant money to demolish their property, who cares weather it meets the gov't requirements. I guess crack dealers need homes too........Good job Mississippi, you guys are working hard, don't count on nobody except yourself. Take lessons the rest of America

To all the people who want to know why the good folks of the Mississippi Gulf Coast are rebuilding in a zone that will be hit with a hurricane again, there is just one reason. It's home. My house (in which I had grown up in and lived for 49 years) is gone. Only the foundation is left. Yet, I am still paying homeowners and flood insurance on a house that is not there. After the storm, I was afraid to drop them for fear of never getting insurance again. I'm living in a FEMA trailer and waiting to hear on my application for Phase II funding to rebuild my home. But I would never consider living anywhere else. It's home.

The rate of the rebuilding in Mississippi is a testament to the residents taking ownership in their towns. N.O. will probably never rebuild to the extent it existed before Katrina because many of its "displaced" residents (many of them living in low-income, subsidized housing) have moved on to leach off of other communities. They didn't own anything in N.O. to go back to like these people in MS did.

I love you Mississippi People and New Orleans People! God Bless you, I am praying for you! Hold on, God don't make no junk! You will be just fine! Don't give up!

I live in Long Beach MS. I operated a shelter for 400 people during the storm and did not know if my wife--who stayed home--survived. We lost our home but have built another. Our coast has survived before and we will survive this time.

I have to say that the difference in recovery appears to be a very strong "dig out and build back" attitude on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We still have problems, but we will solve them. It helps that we have an institutional memory of Hurricane Camille--I can remember people wondering if we would come back then. We did, and we will this time.

A very large number of us have contempt for the governmental structure of Louisiana--their first reaction was to ask for a ridiculously high amount of federal dollars to rebuild. This bothered us because it could have led to the whole coast being labeled as corrupt as the Louisiana government.

I think we have proved that the MS coast is different.

Note that I said the LAgovernent. We have a lot of sympathy for the people of LA who were so hard hit.

Our coast will be back, you wait and see.

BORN AND RAISED IN MISSISSIPPI, MADE KENNER MY HOME FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS. ANYBODY THAT WAS IN THAT CONVENTION CENTER FOR DAYS WITHOUT FOOD,WATER, AND HOPE, AND STILL WANT TO REBUILD OR RETURN TO NEW ORLEANS THEY NEED TO HAVE THEIR HEAD EXAMINED, ALONE WITH THE MAYOR,GOVERNOR,FEMA AND BUSH. YOU GUYS WERE LEFT FOR DEAD!!! GET A GRIP YOU ARE NOT WANTED THERE!!! TO ANY OF YOU OUT HERE THAT THINK NEW ORLEANS HAS COME A LONG WAYS IN TWO YEARS, DONT BE FOOLED. I HAVE SEEN IT FIRST HAND JUST THREE MONTHS AGO AND SOME PARTS OF IT LOOKS AS IF THE STORM HIT YESTERDAY!!!! MY FRIEND WORKED IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR OVER 20 YEARS AS A NURSE, SHE OWNED HER HOME IN NEW ORLEANS EAST. TO THIS DAY SHE AWAITS A FEMA TRAILER!!!! SHE NEVER GOT ONE!!!! IF THE COAST CAN GET BACK ON ITS FEET WHY CANT NEW ORLEANS? WHERE IS THE MONEY. OH I KNOW ITS IN THE SAME HANDS AS IT WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE BEFORE THE STORM!! WHAT A DISGRACE BEFORE GOD. TO MY PEOPLE IN MISS. KEEP ON KEPPING ON AND MUCH LOVE TO YOU.

On the second anniversary of this horrible natural event we would like to again sincerely thank all of the atheists, agnostics, humanists and others who provided human care, compassion, donations and labor in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

We have come a very long way and have many more miles to travel...but all of you volunteers have made our burden lighter, and we will persevere.

In this one life, all that matters is what we do.

Where there is breath there is always hope.

Steve Schlicht and family
http://humanism.meetup.com/164/

I am a life long resident of bay st.louis for 33 yrs.I am a single mother of a son and daughter.I lost my family home aug.29 2005,on oct.3 2005 I lost my mother.Yes I felt lost and alone through the trying times of Katrina and the loss of my mom,with no other family to turn to I set out for help.Months go by without any words or signs of help or encouragment to move on.Living day to day.Eventually God sent the most beautiful angels to my side.They built a new home for my family.Something I personally never thought would ever happen.From all over the U.S. people began showing up.This organization to that organization from everywhere imaginable were here to embrace us and show us there really truely are angels among us.When you feel down and out give all your worries to God and he will provide as long as you have faith in him.I would like to personally Thank Missionary Supply Network of S.C.,Carpenters For Christ of Pa.,Camp Gulfside of Waveland,Ms.,Everyone who took time out of their daily lives and away from their families to come here to rebuild my families lives because of the love for the Lord!Your continued Love and Support for us and for the many other lives you have all helped to rebuild is greatly recognized not just in our eyes but in the Lord's as well.Bless each of you!!!

All I hope is that a repeat NEVER happens,... I have always felt any money spent,..... would have been best spent moveing them to HIGHER ground !

I live in the Midwest and was here for the floods. It is funny to hear you all complaining about how little funds are given to you. The government and the insurance companies gave a fraction to the midwest after the 1993 floods to rebuild. I guess the midwest just has a different attitude about taking money from someone. We do it on our own and don't whine when someone doesn't do it for us. Good luck and start praying there isn't another storm.

Thank you Salamander!! I was born and raised in New Orleans and am still a resident today. My husband and I live here with our two children. As we all know (although i believe many have forgotten)the damage that was dealt to this city was not that off a natural disaster but of a man made one. Like so many others my husband and I lost our home and all of our belongings. We lived in Lakeview and feel very fortuant that we were able to return (however not to our home). In my eyes the real tragedy is not the loss of possessions but the death of a city. The devastation to the Mississippi Gulf Coast is awful, however they are coming back. When you drive through Mississppi the signs of progress are evident. (I am in no way minimizing the loss the residents of the gulf coast felt) The differennce is they were wiped clean, whereas we were left with structures that stood in water for over three weeks that once dried out remain just an empty shell. When you think of the tens of thousands of flooded homes that remain uninhabitable and left with no one to care for them the devastation is so overwhemlingly and it is so hard to even begin to take a guess at when this city will not look like a third world country. I grieve for the city and the loss of the way of life i knew growing up here that my children will never know. This is truly a tragedy but we will not give up on this city. Having said this, I am also painfully aware that in many ways we have only ourselves to blame when we re-elect people like C. Ray. This sitatution is way over his head!!

Hoping and praying things will get better for all on the gulfcoast!

Most comments on this page are agreeable. However, to those of you who ask why rebuild in these areas I have this to say. Why not? If you were asked to give up your home, your heritage, would you? Most likely not. As a former resident of the MS coast I understand why they need to rebuild. This is where they are from, this is where their families are from, some for more than a hundred years. If it's all you know, and all you love, you work to get it back. No matter what the cost. So, for those of you complaing about the need to rebuild in such areas, stop. Go back to your blessed life, where no problems exist, hide in your shell, and live your perfect life. Mississippi can and will rebuild.

To all those who think that New Orleans should not receive any help with your dollars: think of New Orleans each and every time you turn on your radio - it's contribution to the world is evident in each note of every piece of contemporary music you hear. People from all over the world have come to that sacred city to see and hear the offerings that New Orleans has given to all mankind - freely. Anybody who knows music will back me up. I invite all you complainers of supporting the crescent city with your dollars to back up your complaints by not turning on your radio or TV - don't free ride what New Orleans gives to you - be honest.

YOU IDIOTS AT MSNBC....WHAT OPTIMISM?...READ THE RESPONSES....YOU INSANE, LEFT WING IDIOTS...N.O. HAS THE HIGHEST MURDER, RAPE, ROBBERY & ASSULT PER CAPITA IN THE USA....HEY, MSNBCV... READ THAT YOU JERKS.

I was on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans this past July and could not believe the MS Gulf Coast had not recovered more rapidly. I expected to see more tourist type operations, since I would think that would be a huge revenue generator and tax base for the State. Yes, the debris was cleared and roads passable, but since I'm not a gambler, there wasn't anything to tempt me to stay. I understand it takes major financial commitments for rapid recovery, and I agree with all the comments regarding the southern hospitality of the people of this region. I grew up in Mississippi and know first hand of this trait. Since the French Quarter is the revenue generator for New Orleans and it wasn't damaged to the extent the Gulf Coast was, tourist are filling some of those hotel rooms on a regular basis. I could not believe the destruction I viewed as we drove East out of New Orleans to Florida! Will those residents ever return?Who's performing their jobs? Or, do their job not exist any longer? To some of the comments of "why would you continue to live in a flood prone location", I ask, "Have you ever been forced to make a decision as to where you would want to live?" "Are you close to your family and wouldn't want to move away from them?" And for some to assume because residents didn't have insurance they are ignorant or stupid, makes me ask, "Have you walked a mile in their shoes?" Maybe they couldn't afford it. I understand that's why a lot of the residents in the Ninth Ward didn't leave, was they either didn't have a way out or didn't have anywhere to go. I agree with the person that questioned why we have to reinvent the wheel everytime a disaster strikes. How many times has FEMA been through this? To not have a logical, organized procedure for handing out funds and verifying information with the technology available today, is ludicrous! I agree that "politics" and politicians should be held accountable, and I would pray that it would be an honest campaign issue. The people of Mississippi and Louisiana deserve it and should demand it. God Bless each of you the citizens and the volunteers. One of my favorite things about a trip back home to Mississippi is to cross that river and see that sign "Welcome to Mississippi" Not only does it Feel Like Coming Home, I am Home!

Hey it seems as though alot of places are flooded these days (OHIO) are they getting alot of money to fix their houses. $116,000,000,000 dollars were did that all go? A laborer still only gets paid $10-$20 an hour. When did things change to the Billions. I am 34 and I can remember the word Billions wasn't being used till Clinton introduced his education bill of 60 Billion and that seems to never have worked. Where does all this money go (really). This seems like another BIG DIG! Well I am sure some politician got something new. Oh yeah I loved the episode of trading spouces were the family was helping someone rebuild their house and they (the homeowners) were sitting around watching them work.

But why are environmentalists not concerned about this factor as much as the destruction of wetlands:

That despite the number of category 5 hurricanes (hitting the Gulf) doubling in the past 30-something years, and despite 2007's worldwide weather (England, Germany, China, the mid-east, the north pole, the U.S...) breaking hundreds of all-time records in ever corner of the globe,
still no one connects the severity of Katrina to massive human pollution of the environment, and global climate change ?

I guess you can only hope New Orleans can resusitate itself; however, the odds are against it. New Orleans is battling an ingrained corruption problem where politicians and leaders believe it's their inalienable right to rip-off the city. The police force is just as corrupt and incompetent. New Orleans has become a shooting gallery more than any other city in the country. Major companies are fleeing the city to stay above sea level Finally, mother nature is working against the city, it's still in a bowl and eventually the same thing will happen again. Only downtown New Orleans will remain as a adult Disneyland.

Mississippi recovering? Not like it should. I have a Brother-In-Law that lived in Pascagoula, Ms. After the Hurricane, when we finally got there it was the most terrible site. He was sitting in a lawn chair in front of his house, that he had lived in for 30+ years,on the bay. Water had risen ten feet over his house destroying everything he had. He had insurance, but like all of them they were not there when needed. It is not right for them to be able to pay 30 Cents on the dollar, when this man paid his premiums on time for 30 years. He has now moved inland some, to a used mobile home, because that is all he can afford. The devastation the storm and the insurance companies have put on people is unbearable to most. Our Government allows this to happen and the insurance companies prosper while the people suffer.

How is it our government can spend billions and billions of dollars on a lost war, yet they won't take care of our own? I think it's a disgrace and a sin that U S citizens loose thier homes, and jobs to a natural disaster and money the government pledges to help is wasted and paid to incompletent agencies and thier directors.

I would Love to see the entire Gulf Coast be rebuilt form TX to FL, However i think the media get the ratings and then they disappear. The government on the other hand rather republican or democrat should be delt with accordingly, We suppose to be the richest country, but i think personally that we have too many interest in too many places.Lets do our country 1st then reach out to other countries..People of the storm hit areas be stedfast in what you do, you have to start helping yourselves 1st then the good lord will see that, and start making things go your way trust and believe that...GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!!!

Many comments have been made since Katrina that people should not take the risk of living in a flood prone area and then expect the goverment or insurance companies to pay for damages incurred by storm surge and strong winds. As a former long-time resident of the Ms.Gulf Coast, who still has family living there, I can testify to the fact that a large majority of the homes that were severely damaged from flooding or were washed away were in areas that did not even flood during category 5 hurricane Camille. My family stayed during Camille and we thought there would never be another storm that could do worse damage than what Camille did. Thousands upon thousands of homes all along the coast that weathered Camille and had little to no flooding were flooded in Katrina. Katrina was not a category 5 hurricane as Camille was either. Based on what Camille did, many residents who could not evacuate felt they were safe to stay during the hurricane because they based things on what Camille did in the area they lived at. However, thousands of people on the Ms. Coast were finding themselves struggling to stay alive during the hurricane because of storm surge flooding places that never had been flooded before in previous hurricanes. Many could not survive the onslaught of storm surge and died. In Camille, the storm surge went three blocks inland where I was living. My parents live 4 blocks from the beach and was relatively safe from flooding, or so they thought, until Katrina occurred. My parents yard was flooded but their house was not; however, neighbors across the street had 3 ft of water inside their homes. My aunt lives very far from the beach but lives 3-4 blocks from a small creek which overflowed and put 3 ft of water in her home. She lost a lot but was able to recover. My uncle lives about 4-5 blocks from a Bayou but was far enough away that he and 17 of our relatives used his home as a shelter during the hurricane and thought they would be safe. They had to evacuate his house and wade through deep water to the two-story home across the street during the hurricane because of severe flooding in his home - 8 cars parked at the house were ruined from flooding and my uncle/aunt lost everything. Other cities, such as Waveland, Pass Christian, Diamondhead, etc. were wiped off the map because the storm surge went very far inland to places where people were told they did not need flood insu