Stones Cry Out

Please advise as to how I can offer our home for a fmaily of Katrina. We could handle a family of 4 easily.

Pat, bless you. Register with http://www.shareyourhome.org/

I think that FEMA and the state governments are taking a somewhat different track: dispersal. Here in Texas, they estimate that we have 250,000 evacuees. Instead of trying to get them together into a large clump, they're trying to disperse them as much as possible.

From the larger shelters, like the Astrodome or Austin's Convention Center, they're moving them to smaller shelters. Many of these are in churches or family homes. Other victims are being transported to small shelters in other states.

Lots of the evacuees told me (I worked in a shelter over the weekend), that they didn't want to go back. They may change their minds, but a lot of them seem to have taken this as a sign, or maybe an opportunity, to start over elsewhere. One man said to me: "I like this place. It looks like it's DRY here. From now on, I'm going to live somewhere that's DRY."

Rob, true! Reality is always different than a plan. Again, I refer you back to the different types of evacuees. The total number of evacuees that will need "interim" housing (up to 3 years) is what I'm dealing with. For the time being, displaced households are being dispersed. Also, many are finding homes and apartments all over the region, which they can remain in potentially for a few years.

Some will not return. Others need to return to help rebuild and get the economy going again. Interim housing will be required. In fact, I heard that FEMA rejected Mississippi's request that it release 20,000 mobile homes it has in storage to meet interim housing needs. The fight is over paper work, but it will be released eventually. They have many many thousands more of these units. Some will be placed on existing lots while homes are rebuilt. Others will require new sites or towns.

Bottom line - FEMA and many others are learning a great deal through this process.

See my latest post for additional thoughts on housing Katrina evacuees.

I'm sure you know city planning, and I have no doubt but that your heart is in the right place, but you have done little more than waste a lot of bandwidth and effort in needless pixelization of your thoughts.

I worked for FEMA from 1996 to 2002 in the Disaster Housing Program and Individuals and Households Program, and was both a Supervisor Case Reviewer and a Supervisor Field Inspector by the time I left, so I know the program within the agency under the roof and in the field. Subsequent to that, I was an independent contractor for both FEMA and HUD from 2002 to 2004, also as a Supervisor Field Inspector, so I know the nuts and bolts from the contractor's side as well.

Furthermore, I worked for FEMA while at the agency in New Orleans as part of a Quality Control Reinspection team in 2002, and for HUD in New Orleans as a code inspector in 2003, so I know N.O. SPECIFICALLY like the back of my hand: I have been inside of literally THOUSANDS of residences there and have inspected them IN DETAIL.

You are trying to reinvent the wheel with your suggestiuon that individual applicants be assigned a speciffic caseworker. Personally, I can't think of anything that could POSSIBLY be more inefficient. FEMA uses NEMIS (The National Emergency Management Information System). Apps enter it when they phone FEMA for assistance and fill out the application by phone. The categorical questions you ask are ALL answered at that point.

Then, if an inspection is required, the inspection is downloaded to the contractor inspector in the field who is assigned to that speciffic neighborhood in that particular zip code. Often, the very same day they apply, the inspector has the inspection in his handheld Windows tablet computer, and if he can reach the applicant, he can schedule the appointment within mere hours of recieving it. Sometimes FEMA has the inspection back the same day, but almost always within 72 hours.

THE VERY FIRST CASEWORKER who opens that Work Packet in NEMIS when it returns from the field can then make an initial eligibility decision. Waiting for a speciffic caseworker in one of the three National Processing Service Centers (Denton, TX; Mt. Weather VA; Hyattsville, MD) would be an unmitigated disaster (Sorry for the seeming pun). Once a Supervisor Reviewer (Like I was) approves the decision, assistance can be forwarded to the treasury, and a check mailed.

Best case scenario for an app who calls at 7:00AM, is inspected by noon, and reviewed by 3:00PM is that the assistance check can be mailed same-day (Obviously, that isn't happening in a disaster of this magnitude). Your idea would totally throw a wrench in the works.

Now, on to the speciffics of Orleans Parish. Like I said, I HAVE INSPECTED THOUSANDS OF HOMES THERE FOR BOTH FEMA AND HUD. The overwhelmingly vast percentage of them are old and suffer from massive amounts of cumulative deferred maintenance that has piled up over decades. It simply will not be economically feasable to repair most of them. They could barely pass the relatively lax standards for HUD, for crying out loud. They will have to be razed and rebuilt from scratch. Period.

Also, many of the homes in the poor Wards were HUD subsidized and were inhabited by low income or chronically unemployed individuals "benefiting" from a variety of welfare programs: Who in their right mind would want to recreate that environment, replete with all the crime and misery I witnessed there? Recreate housing within New Orleans for the THOUSANDS of residences of the projects? I'm sorry, nobody, but nobody is going to want to do that if they have a brain.

I have no idea what NOLA will emerge as, but I can "gay-ron-tee" (To use a little local accent) it will look and feel nothing like it was before. Obviously, there are good and bad aspects to that eventuality, but an eventuality it is.

Bottom line - I hope you learned a little about FEMA through this post. This disaster happened before Katrina's eye wall ever came ashore, and the blame lies at the feet of the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana for not 1) pre-staging supplies at the congregation points (Dome C-Center) and 2) Not forward-deploying city and school buses there to move the victims when it became obvious they would not be able to return home.

Rebuilding N.O. has to be carefully considered if it is to be done right (And, it MUST be done in some way at some location to preserve the ports for the Mississippi River, which is the economic circulatory system of the Untied States), but I'm guessing politics will screw it up again. Call me a pessimist if you want, but I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than dissapointed.

Regards

Hucbald, thanks for the info and education on how FEMA processes "applicants." That part of my post was directly in response to Hugh Hewitt's suggestion that US Military Colonel's be given the task of finding short-term housing for the displaced so as to avoid "refugee centers." I'm glad to hear that there are more efficient procedures in place.

Regarding your statements about NOLA, I fully agree. Rebuilding NOLA will take a a very long time, and yes, it will look completely different. All the more reason why there will be a substantial need for interim housing.

You said you worked as a contractor for FEMA from 2002-2004. You may or may not know of the initiative FEMA started in 2002 for large-scale catastrophic housing planning. As a Planner II in TAC III, I wrote about 40% of a catastrophic response housing handbook for FEMA.

FEMA told us specifically that the old way of doing things was no longer acceptable and they encouraged us to think outside the box. Basically, they told us they wanted a way to construct mini-cities, from scratch, that could be operational within 60-90 days of a disaster. New cities for 150,000 people. Based on my interaction with FEMA, they had never thought on this scale before. Then, with drafts of our handbooks at their side, they "war-gamed" a Cat V hurricane strike on NOLA. They assumed the entire city would be sunk. The idea was that, although the entire city would be homeless, a good chunk of residents would find "interim" housing (up to 3 years while NOLA rebuilds) on their own or in the existing housing stock. But, there would be some number of residents who will require interim housing relief (i.e., implementation of some of my plans).

The social condition of some of the refugees will no doubt cause second thoughts in some of the host communities. I've already read of increases in crimes in adjacent cities due to the riff raff.

What Americans loved about NOLA was a chance to visit and wallow in its decrepitude. Yet, most of us wouldn't want to live there, with its crime, corruption, and squalor.

So what are we to do with the social undesirables? The permanent welfare class, the petty criminals, the public housing residents, the politicians? Create a trailer park for 120,000?

I'm not sure that's progress.

Whitehall, the "trailor park" would not be permanent and there wouldn't be a single park. Or, at least I hope not. That was the point of my post. But trailor parks there will be. No other way around it I'm afraid. The question is, and no one knows the answer to this yet: how many trailors and parks will be needed?

The plans I developed included space for a range of social activities so that residents didn't feel like "refugees" and could resume as normal a life as possible. Won't be perfect, but it will be progress - from where they are now...

There's already housing available for them over a 3-state area and it would be preferable to placing them in camps. Many have said they're never moving back so FEMA should simply cut them a check for the value of their house (if any) and lost possessions to start over and wish them well. Really doesn't require much more than that - medical assistance and help finding jobs and that's about it.

I think it's a very positive American thing that a lot of the displaced citizens are planning on a new start in new states. This hurricane may have broken a cycle of poverty for thousands of people. New Orleans can rebuild and be better. I see great opportunities for renewal and rebirth from this disaster. Only in America.

Orion, thanks for the comments. Certainly MANY will relocate permanently. If you read my post, you will see that I include that possibility. If you follow the link to my subsequent post on the subject you will see that I suspect a vast majority of displaced persons will relocate on their own elsewhere. However, this will not be everyone and the devastated areas will certainly need housing for a very large labor pool over the next few years. "Camps" will not be what will be created (perhaps in the near-term, but not in the interim). "Interim housing" in rapidly developed mobilehome parks will likely be required.

We have an open room for a single mother and child in Orange County, CA. It can be used as interim housing or if they are interested in relocating, we would like to help them get a place of their own within a few months. We will also help with finding a job, transportation, day care/ schooling. Thank You.

WE ARE BASED IN TUSCALOOSA, AL. WE FRAME HOUSES, DO REPAIRS, REMODLING, BUILD PRIVACY FENCES, ADDITIONS, ETC. WE HAVE LOADS OF REFERENCES. WE ARE AVAILABLE TO COME TO THE GULF TO BUILD HOUSES WHEN NEEDED. PLEASE CONTACT IF INTERESTED. THANK YOU,
TOMMY STEPHENS,
OWNER

we have been building insulated concrete homes for several years in earthquake country has anyone in hurricane zones thought of building with this technology? in a massive flood surge the siding and interior finishes could be replaced without any mold concerns and it would stand against any wind and storm surge. the costs for this type of structure is slightly (10-15%) higher than typical frame construction.

I own a trailer park and have several vacancies in it and would like to have someone from FEMA contact me regarding the lease of the lots. A representative was in the Winnsboro, La. area and left his contact number, but this was misplaced and I am attempting to contact the rep.The local officials have not been able to help as no one has a contact name or number in the Winnsboro area. Please E-Mail me at this E-Mail address if you can provide assistance in this matter. My E-Mail is afc064@yahoo.com or fcowart@fmc-cares.com

I have a Motor home I would like to sell.

I have land I would like to offer for FEMA's use.
Does anyone have a contact number? If so please email me at wjduckworth@bellsouth.net
Thank you for your help.

I am among the category "all others" in regard to Katrina and subsequent help. I understand the urgency of getting evacuees out of hotel rooms. I was offered that type of assistance by the Red Cross and turned it down. I was fortunate enough to have someone to stay with. I did receive the initial $2,000 emergency assistance check and the subsequent $2,358 housing assistance check. However, that is all gone now. I have been paying rent and buying food, had to buy a few clothes since I left New Orleans with 5 pairs of shorts, a few shirts, and a pair of sandals. I have been looking for a job the entire time, have registered with unemployment, done everything I could think of. Lack of real information is one of the biggest problems all displaced people are facing. I keep reading that people are eligible for up to $26,000 but I don't see any of it coming our way. What is the deal with FEMA and the federal government? Do they really think we have the resources to start over in a new place with no resources? No furniture, no clothing, no nothing?! I don't want to sound like a whiner, but all of us need the maximum amount of help we can get. And forcing us to find a landlord who will agree to a 3 month lease, etc. etc. is not realistic. We should be respected for having the ability to plan and control our own lives, with just a little help. I don't think I can assume a landlord is a trustworthy recipient of FEMA funds for my housing! What world do these people live in?

Am a freelance writer working on an essay regarding Katrina's diaspora offering a future for those displaced peoples who decide not o go back to New Orleans. Would appreciate insights ffrom any who care to tell their story. Thanks.