If you read my last post you should have noticed that it is written in the first person. Therefore, what research do you think I need to do to tell you what I would do?

 

Just enough to understand circumstances.

If you're still homeless 4 years after Katrina, its not the government's fault. Buy yourself a mirror.

 

Perhaps if you travel to the Ninth Ward and see what the folks in New Orleans are up against you may think differently. This is a typical story of the Ninth Ward:

 

Home worth 100K, had a small mortgage (home ownership in the Ninth was fairly good). Storm wipes it out. Bank takes its mortgage, less deductable if insurance truly pays - family has, say 60K now in their hands. Every available builder, contractor, etc. is busy and scheduled out forever, contracts are at a premium. Material costs are above average due to local demand. BUT, new rebuilding laws says house must be on stilts - makes sense, except the old 100k house to rebuild now costs about 130K. So the family has to decide to double their mortgage? In an area that is still under debris removal and no business, school or other society services around? Don't forget the lending limitations of the world now also apply to New Orleans. So do they look for a lot somewhere else? Many are not as homeless as you may think. They are saving their money and living in apartments, etc. Several are working around the whole mess by doing it in their spare time, pay as they go.

 

As a post script, several of the Katrina rebuilt homes have appraised about 20% less than cost of rebuilding.

 

My friend I can tell you first hand, there are people that want to build and build now but their fiscal approach is not the stereotype thinking us Northerners are using to judge them.

Perhaps if you travel to the Ninth Ward and see what the folks in New Orleans are up against you may think differently. This is a typical story of the Ninth Ward:

 

Home worth 100K, had a small mortgage (home ownership in the Ninth was fairly good). Storm wipes it out. Bank takes its mortgage, less deductable if insurance truly pays - family has, say 60K now in their hands. Every available builder, contractor, etc. is busy and scheduled out forever, contracts are at a premium. Material costs are above average due to local demand. BUT, new rebuilding laws says house must be on stilts - makes sense, except the old 100k house to rebuild now costs about 130K. So the family has to decide to double their mortgage? In an area that is still under debris removal and no business, school or other society services around? Don't forget the lending limitations of the world now also apply to New Orleans. So do they look for a lot somewhere else? Many are not as homeless as you may think. They are saving their money and living in apartments, etc. Several are working around the whole mess by doing it in their spare time, pay as they go.

 

As a post script, several of the Katrina rebuilt homes have appraised about 20% less than cost of rebuilding.

 

My friend I can tell you first hand, there are people that want to build and build now but their fiscal approach is not the stereotype thinking us Northerners are using to judge them.

 

Understand what you're saying but statements made on here lend me to believe some people think it's the federal governments fault. I don't see that as being the case in your scenario any more than it's the victims fault.

Perhaps if you travel to the Ninth Ward and see what the folks in New Orleans are up against you may think differently. This is a typical story of the Ninth Ward:

 

Home worth 100K, had a small mortgage (home ownership in the Ninth was fairly good). Storm wipes it out. Bank takes its mortgage, less deductable if insurance truly pays - family has, say 60K now in their hands. Every available builder, contractor, etc. is busy and scheduled out forever, contracts are at a premium. Material costs are above average due to local demand. BUT, new rebuilding laws says house must be on stilts - makes sense, except the old 100k house to rebuild now costs about 130K. So the family has to decide to double their mortgage? In an area that is still under debris removal and no business, school or other society services around? Don't forget the lending limitations of the world now also apply to New Orleans. So do they look for a lot somewhere else? Many are not as homeless as you may think. They are saving their money and living in apartments, etc. Several are working around the whole mess by doing it in their spare time, pay as they go.

 

As a post script, several of the Katrina rebuilt homes have appraised about 20% less than cost of rebuilding.

 

My friend I can tell you first hand, there are people that want to build and build now but their fiscal approach is not the stereotype thinking us Northerners are using to judge them.

 

 

I asked a person who was in security administration and law enforcement in New Orleans at the time of the hurricane about the Ninth Ward. This guy is highly educated and experienced and is no redneck by any stretch of the definition. His information is quite different from yours. Now, keep in mind that he lived and worked in the area for over 20 years.

 

He states that the Ninth Ward was an extreme slum area filled with unkept and decaying structures. He states that anyone implying, as has the above poster, that it had a number of $100K homes is, to be nice, wrong. He says most all of the houses were rented or occupied by panhandlers. Small mortgages? Ridiculous, he says. The overwhelming majority of those living there had no ownership upon which to base a mortgage. Few had employment. Almost all lived on public assistance. In other words, the above poster's statements are completely incorrect and he should know it.

 

If you doubt this, check out pictures of the Ninth Ward on the web. Take a good look at the houses. It is quite easy to see what they were before the storm. They were slums.

 

So, since these people had no investment in the structures before the storm, they were certainly not burdened with any mortgage and were free to relocate.

 

We can feel sorry for these people. However, let's not paint an untrue picture just for the purpose of condemning others and creating sympathy. As my source said, "It sounds bad but the truth is that the Ninth Ward, overall, didn't look a lot different after the hurricane than it did before the hurricane."

What is there to be vilified for?? There are still people without homes in Louisiana, this storm hit 5 days ago and has continued non-stop until yesterday and FEMA has already shipped hundreds of generators and they have people on the ground already.

 

During Katrina there were several days warning before the storm even hit and the federal government was unable to respond appropriately and did not respond for appropriately for weeks, while people were stranded in the superdome.

Reaching at its best

 

And its the federal govts fault that no one listened and left town?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18334.html

 

President Barack Obama’s first federal disaster response to ice storms across the heartland netted mixed results for an administration that has pledged after Hurricane Katrina to “never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.”

 

More than 40 people were killed, and millions were left without power across Appalachia and the Ozarks in the wake of severe winter weather that began last week. Kentucky was the hardest hit, with 12 people killed by the storm.

 

A federal emergency was declared in the state Wednesday night as Obama began working the phones and pushing for a rapid response, but help to victims in some areas was slow to come. Vast areas of the state remained without electricity Monday.

 

“It took quite a bit of time” to get additional aid, said Randall Smith, the emergency management director for Grayson County, Ky. “The response in the first four days was very unsatisfactory.”

 

All of Grayson County was without power through the weekend, and by Monday afternoon, only 30 percent of residents had regained electricity. The biggest problem for local officials was getting enough water for people in shelters and caring for local residents with special needs.

 

“I know there is always disorganization, but it has taken some time for these efforts to get moving,” Smith said.

 

Although Obama quickly became involved in the response to last week’s ice storm, many residents across the region still lacked essential services on Monday, five days after the storm struck. Emergency officials said power could be out in some areas of the state for another week or longer.

 

“President Obama was on the phone with the governor of Kentucky within an hour and a half, and the regional response effort was up and running Thursday morning,” FEMA spokesman Kurt Pickering said. “An ice storm is a different animal. With a hurricane, you have days of warning; with a tornado, you have minutes; and with a earthquake, you have none.”

 

Asked if he thought the federal response in some areas was slow, he responded: “Slow is a subjective term.”

 

“I do know that we moved as quickly as possible,” he said.

And its the federal govts fault that no one listened and left town?

 

You don't expect them to have personal responsibility in this day and age do you?

Why take the blame yourself when you can blame someone else.

A question - Some people use public transportation. If you didn't have a vehicle and there were few buses leaving town, how would you go?

A question - Some people use public transportation. If you didn't have a vehicle and there were few buses leaving town, how would you go?

 

Didn't the mayor and governor tell them a week or so before it hit to leave? Seems that is time to make plans.

 

When the flood hit our town, many people walked out. MANY PEOPLE.

Didn't the mayor and governor tell them a week or so before it hit to leave? Seems that is time to make plans.

 

When the flood hit our town, many people walked out. MANY PEOPLE.

 

A hundred miles?

 

Secondly, there have been many hurricane warnings that didn't pan out. A lot of things change a week out.

I asked a person who was in security administration and law enforcement in New Orleans at the time of the hurricane about the Ninth Ward. This guy is highly educated and experienced and is no redneck by any stretch of the definition. His information is quite different from yours. Now, keep in mind that he lived and worked in the area for over 20 years.

 

He states that the Ninth Ward was an extreme slum area filled with unkept and decaying structures. He states that anyone implying, as has the above poster, that it had a number of $100K homes is, to be nice, wrong. He says most all of the houses were rented or occupied by panhandlers. Small mortgages? Ridiculous, he says. The overwhelming majority of those living there had no ownership upon which to base a mortgage. Few had employment. Almost all lived on public assistance. In other words, the above poster's statements are completely incorrect and he should know it.

 

If you doubt this, check out pictures of the Ninth Ward on the web. Take a good look at the houses. It is quite easy to see what they were before the storm. They were slums.

 

So, since these people had no investment in the structures before the storm, they were certainly not burdened with any mortgage and were free to relocate.

 

We can feel sorry for these people. However, let's not paint an untrue picture just for the purpose of condemning others and creating sympathy. As my source said, "It sounds bad but the truth is that the Ninth Ward, overall, didn't look a lot different after the hurricane than it did before the hurricane."

 

 

Wow:confused:

 

Highly educated?

 

Having been to the Ninth Ward a few times before and four times since Katrina I think I have at least a hands on perspective. Were there run down streets and parts of the ninth? Sure. I can find the same kind of poor, declining houses in virtually every city. For your friend to say there was no homes worth around 100K is simply ignorant. The area between the levy break (where the barge ended on the street) to the retail area of that particular part of town, sat 100's of full brick, 2 to 3 bedroom patio homes with detached garages. Matter of fact, the specific street I personally walked I recall a very nice home, solid wood floors, inground swimming pool and a late model Corvette - all destroyed.

 

Home ownership, I will find the exact figures and I was surprised when I reviewed them. It was below the average but nothing to suggest this was a total slum area. You do realize this area had a very high, commercial business district? Ever hear of Fats Domino? The Steamboat House? (not worth a 100K?).

 

You know I can travel to a few sections of Louisville and take a snapshot of that part and consider the whole neighborhood to be like that snapshot. That would not be telling the whole story. Your friend is thankfully wrong and perhaps a little resentful or biased. Not sure which, don't really care.

 

Lastly, I did not condemn anyone. I suggest you reread what was posted. I pointed out several factors that is standing in the way of many who want to restart and renew. That part is to be encouraged not condemned.

Didn't the mayor and governor tell them a week or so before it hit to leave? Seems that is time to make plans.

 

When the flood hit our town, many people walked out. MANY PEOPLE.

 

Falmouth people walked up the hill. Now take the tiny small population of a little backwater town like Falmouth and move it to say, Dayton, Ohio. Not as easy. You do understand this storm traveled inland over 300 miles and was over 250 miles wide, right?

Gore & crew blamed Bush for global warming which increased the intensity of Katrina and made it worse than it would have been otherwise. (I'm sure the freezing rain is Bush's fault too...)

 

"Chocolate City" Mayor Ray Nagin blamed the feds for not sending in luxury motorcoach type busses to evacuate the people instead of suggesting that they use hundreds school busses already on hand that ultimately were flooded and ruined because Nagin was too proud to put "his people" on a school bus just to get them a couple of hours inland to safety.

 

Louis Farrakhan has accused the Feds of secretly detonating holes in the levies.

 

Apparently, only white male republicans are worthy of blame or responsibility.

 

We've already been taught by a variety of sources that it is not possible for members of a minority to be "racists". It's only members of the prevailing majority who are capable of being racists.

 

 

By this logic, we're not far from a time where only "idiots" will be capable of being racists.

Falmouth people walked up the hill. Now take the tiny small population of a little backwater town like Falmouth and move it to say, Dayton, Ohio. Not as easy. You do understand this storm traveled inland over 300 miles and was over 250 miles wide, right?

 

This and your previous post are right on target. :thumb: If I haven't posted with you in here before, let me welcome you!