Government Paying to Replace Katrina Homes????

The program would only provide repairs and replacement homes that were equivalent to the homes damaged or destroyed by the hurricanes. So, people wouldn't be able to receive the maximum $150,000 if that would give them nicer houses than they had before Katrina or Rita.


I MAY BE THE WET BLANKET, BUT I DON'T THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE PAYING TO REPLACE THESE HOMES.

:truce: :truce: :truce: :truce:

Story at:

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060220/ap_on_re_us/hurricanes_homeowners

I agree with you...and besides "we" ARE "the government"...it is OUR dollars going to build homes that could be washed away next year and they would want more to rebuild again. Nope, sorry... I can think of a lot of better ways to spend MY tax money.

:truce:

Lili said:

I agree with you...and besides "we" ARE "the government"...it is OUR dollars going to build homes that could be washed away next year and they would want more to rebuild again. Nope, sorry... I can think of a lot of better ways to spend MY tax money.

:truce:

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unfortuanllty, we just "think" we are---------------

j2mirish said:

unfortuanllty, we just "think" we are---------------

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Nuff said, backing quietly out of the room.....

SieSie said:

http://www.alynn.net/GRAPHICS/ClapSmi.gif http://www.alynn.net/GRAPHICS/ClapSmi.gif http://www.alynn.net/GRAPHICS/ClapSmi.gif http://www.alynn.net/GRAPHICS/ClapSmi.gif

Nuff said, backing quietly out of the room.....

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I'm right behind you--- its so sad...............

The article said they had to rebuild them higher, get flood insurance or relocate, to get the $150,000.

The government did not properly keep up the levees of the major port/commercial hub in the country. On the other hand, people in obvious flood areas should have had insurance.

Marthatex said:

The article said they had to rebuild them higher, get flood insurance or relocate, to get the $150,000.

The government did not properly keep up the levees of the major port/commercial hub in the country. On the other hand, people in obvious flood areas should have had insurance.

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You have hit the nail on the head Marthatex, and I can't understand why many of these people did not carry flood insurance. As of today (2/21/06) my brother and his family have yet to move back into their home after hurricane Rita put a mere 6" of water inside. They are almost done with renovations, but still have a few odds and ends left to complete. All this time-and that's WITH flood insurance.
The only way to overcome a hurricane's desctruction is by planning ahead.

Marthatex said:

The article said they had to rebuild them higher, get flood insurance or relocate, to get the $150,000.

The government did not properly keep up the levees of the major port/commercial hub in the country. On the other hand, people in obvious flood areas should have had insurance.

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It also said that 150K is the cap, meaning that if your preivous home was worth 50K, you ain't getting 150K, maybe 75K, tops. Also, they would be buying back the house of those who do not wish to rebuild at 60% original price before the storm. While this isn;t a perfect resolution, it's what has to get done to start clearing the city of blocks of abandoned/unreclaimable houses and get things rolling.

BillyGoatGruff said:

It also said that 150K is the cap, meaning that if your preivous home was worth 50K, you ain't getting 150K, maybe 75K, tops. Also, they would be buying back the house of those who do not wish to rebuild at 60% original price before the storm. While this isn;t a perfect resolution, it's what has to get done to start clearing the city of blocks of abandoned/unreclaimable houses and get things rolling.

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Right, they can get back the worth of the house up to 150K. Only 60% if they don't rebuild. An old friend of mine is Rep. Richard Baker who proposed a plan to buy back the houses. I don't know if his plan is what they went with, but he's a good guy.

Marthatex said:

Right, they can get back the worth of the house up to 150K. Only 60% if they don't rebuild. An old friend of mine is Rep. Richard Baker who proposed a plan to buy back the houses. I don't know if his plan is what they went with, but he's a good guy.

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Of course, this is also on top of whatever insurance payments they get, so it's not that bad. However, most of the people displaced from the 9th wards did not own their homes, but rented. Then again, if your house was worth 80K and isn't worth dick now, 48K will at least be enough to make a down payment on a condo or house elsewhere, or pay rent for a year or two.

So you aren't responsible enough to buy insurance for your house and the goverment pays for the house anyway? I guess I am stupid for acting responsible and wasting money on buying home and flood insurance.:sick: Our tax dollars wasted once again.

Did anyone see the Oprah show today? It was the saddest show I've ever seen. It showed scenes from Katrina & some of the hurricane victims.The government has 33 thousand trailers for people displaced by Katrina. Yet they sit empty, all shiny & new. The people have to qualify for them. Yet nobody from FEMA will tell the people how to qualify.

The government (city state or Feds) hasn't did one thing to lift a finger to clean the streets in the 9th ward. Dead bodies are still believed to be under the trash. The government is lieing to the Americans. Its not just in NO but in Mississippi too. It was beyond belief........I sat crying watching it.

Cooper Anderson stated it was/is the saddest thing he has ever seen in his life. Its still like a war zone in most areas. The money making areas of NO are clean but that is about it. People live in refugee camps its pathetic, out houses, 2 showers a wk. Bugs flying all over it is sickening. I couldn't believe this is happening in the USA. I thought it was under control.......

I've seen it first hand. Folks are living in some FEMA trailors there in parking lots, no hot water, small electric heaters, sometimes 8 to a trailor. There is a wait for everything!! Tent cities are normal. Cars still upturned everywhere, the smell is horrible, barriers everywhere, noisy from machinery. Red tape is rampant, FEMA is a friggin joke, Red Cross is a even bigger joke.

Price gouging out the ying yang, small tiny houses for rent at 3,000 a month, fully furnished! Some homeowners are kicking out tenents to be able to raise the rents they think they can get. And it's not just NO proper either, all the surrounding areas are that way.

As for flood insurance, that's seperate than other insurance and cost more than most folks earn...I know we rent and don't have it. Gotta eat and after paying astronomical insurance for health, we can't afford it.

Y'all don't realise just how poor that city is. You see the glitter of Bourbon street and that's it. That's not the real city at all! Most of them were the working poor. By which I mean they lived paycheck to paycheck and stole from Peter to pay Paul. So you tell me how they are suppose to eat, pay their bills then find extra to pay for flood insurance that first of all they were never told they lived in a flood plane....ever...so it wasn't brought up if you bought a home, or some thought it was included with the other insurance and many who lived in apartments didn't give it a thought...and then they just don't have the money. And who really and truly thought the levees would fail? I for one never thought it would happen.

Yeah so some were on welfare, show me a city that don't have it's share. I just get a little tired of hearing that they deserved it or they are trying to jip someone out of something. Not everyone was, or is, that way.

I caught the special Oprah did yesterday. I sure think these people SHOULD have flood insurance but these cities should MANDATE that, IMO. I was so sick seeing these people living in homes with no roofs, sewer on the ground to where their children couldn't play, living in tents, etc., etc. Being an American, I am truly embarrassed by this...over 5 months later!! There are apparently homes just SITTING in Arkansas (30,000 I think) and what is the hold up. If this were a govt. official instead of a teacher, a single mother, the elderly and the poor...this would not be the case. There are STILL dead bodies amongst the debris, which has not been touched in most cases. My brother just returned from there (getting the phone lines up and running) and he said most places are the same as when the flood waters/hurricane came through. What's the hold up? You can clear the homes and debris of dead bodies and bulldoze the debris and get it out of there....you don't have to have a plan on flood systems or elevating the city to do that. The people make decisions need to spend a month down there (although it wouldn't take a month to see the devastation STILL after 5 months) and maybe, just maybe they would get off their rear and get something done or at least some progress starting. I saw where these sons recovered their mother. They had been in contact with officials on where she was last seen. The officials were "blowing smoke up their @$$" and telling them they had cadaver dogs searching that area in a 10-mile radius and did not find her. The sons walked into the debris where their mother's house ended and walked up on her within 5 minutes. Is this how we want the deceased treated...after 5 months? Ever? Not me! This is not only a disgrace to a human body, but it is VERY unsanitary and can lead to many diseases...carried through the air and the water..not to mention the SMELL. This needs to stay in the news until something is done. There is no reason for this, IMO.

With all the millions of dollars sent to Katrina relief, something is wrong somewhere. People dug so deep in their pockets that I would have thought the government wouldn't have had to pay anything.

Call me naïve.

As a side note...I got a telemarketing phone call asking for donations for a particular charity. I asked how much of the money actually goes towards the charity. An astounding 15%. :waitasec: Is this what the Red Cross did?

This is the first of I've heard that bodies are still in the rubble.

As someone else said, this is America. Well, dang it, I think we should show the rest of the world how it's done.

Once again, call me naïve.

Up until today I have loved coming to this forum, but you see I am from Mississippi and I and alot of other hardworking people lived through Katrina and if you have never lived through one GOD forbid you ever have to! Maybe not everyone can afford flood insurance, maybe alot of people lived in places where they paid rent, so therefore they did not have the option to buy flood insurance even IF they could AFFORD it.SOOO you naysayers say "why didn't they have renters insurance"? Yup in a way that is a luxury too.These people lost EVERYTHING..not just the house.The nights here are getting down to 30 degrees and people with their babies are sleeping in tents!My family and I had to stand in line for 3 hours waiting on a bag of friggin' ice!No power for 2 weeks!Good grief it is a sad world we live in when we take everything for granted! Ya'll have a nice life!And like I said hopefully the rug never gets jerked out from under your cozy feet.:furious:

Ms. Pooh, people have fires in their homes. People have their houses destroyed by tornadoes and earthquakes. Its NOT the government's place to step in and replace everything they owned. The government can, IS and should help out, but we can't expect them to come in, wave a majic wand and replace everything people loose in natural disasters. There are STILL people in hotels SIX MONTHS later. What have they been doing all this time??? I'll tell you what they've been doing, waiting for the government to HAND them something more.

MsPoohI understand what your saying, flood insurance is atronomical & its a luxury not many people can afford. Hang in there sweety & don't be dismayed, I know its hard on you all. Until Oprah I sincerely think people thought all was well in Ms & NO.

Most people here are thinking the WTC how quickly the government stepped up. Plus all the help that was given to the families. Nobody realizes how dire bad the conditions are for you folks. It truely sickened me.......BhamMama said it best!

I've written my state senators, about the deplorable conditions. It is a total shame to know our people are being treated so so BAD! Every American needs to step to the plate & scream from the roof tops. The news media needs to show these conditions everyday until its taken care of. The world need to know how our government is treating there people!

GWB is no better then Saddam, anyone thinking he is should check this out for themselves. Anyone here can bash me all they want its the truth & totally sickening.......go back read BhamMama post she said it ALL!

MsPooh said:

Up until today I have loved coming to this forum, but you see I am from Mississippi and I and alot of other hardworking people lived through Katrina and if you have never lived through one GOD forbid you ever have to! Maybe not everyone can afford flood insurance, maybe alot of people lived in places where they paid rent, so therefore they did not have the option to buy flood insurance even IF they could AFFORD it.SOOO you naysayers say "why didn't they have renters insurance"? Yup in a way that is a luxury too.These people lost EVERYTHING..not just the house.The nights here are getting down to 30 degrees and people with their babies are sleeping in tents!My family and I had to stand in line for 3 hours waiting on a bag of friggin' ice!No power for 2 weeks!Good grief it is a sad world we live in when we take everything for granted! Ya'll have a nice life!And like I said hopefully the rug never gets jerked out from under your cozy feet.:furious:

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MsPooh,

It helps educate everyone when there's someone on the inside (you) giving the real scoop. There may be some here that you feel are overly critical--sort of like blaming the victims for not having insurance, getting out, or whatever. Please tell me more.

The biggest thing holding New Orleans back is the fact it's New Orleans. It has a history of being slow (if not unwilling) to deal with change of any kind: social, economic, physical. The entrenched corruption of the power structure and staggering incompetence on every level of local government is impossible to explain unless you have lived there. I'm not really surprised it's still this bad (although Uptown, Downtown, Algiers, and Jefferson Parish are functioning pretty well). The cold hard fact is that New Orleans will never truly "get back" to where it was pre-K and it will probably be 15-20 years before it fully recovers-- minus New Orleans East, Lakeshore, a good portion of Mid-City & the 9th Ward.