About the Demolition

I was going to stay out of this argument considering I don't live in the area anymore and I have never lived in the projects. But with all the press, I wanted to chime in. I personally think they should refurbish the existing projects. I also think they should put very large fences around them with metal detectors and drug sniffers at the gates.

I used to work for an electrician who had a contract with the city to re-wire the units that were burnt out. See, after the people who live in these projects get tired of trashing a unit, they burn it out so that they get another, newer unit. Then they trash that one, rinse, repeat.

So, I would travel daily into these war zones to run wire and install new breaker boxes and smoke alarms. My boss had to ride shotgun. He wore a gun on his hip and I was not allowed outside the unit, to get parts for example, unless he was there. That was to protect my life. What a wonderful place to live.

In addition to making new rules that if you burn your unit out you have to leave the projects, I think they should build in tight security with armed guards, cameras, and police offices inside the projects. Bright lights too.

Anyway, I have noticed that this particular story has made worldwide headlines. This is really more bad press for New Orleans that was not needed. If the people who live in the projects WANT to live in them, why tear them down? Fix them, add real security, do real background checks, start arresting the hookers, drug dealers and gang bangers and just get on with life.

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2007-08-01 FEMA Vs La - Money in, money out?

I found a very interesting document at the FEMA site, FEMA Louisiana Public Assistance Global report for July 27, 2007. It is a bunch of summary statistics from FEMA about Rita and Katrina. Some very interesting figures in this document.

Total cubic yards of debris removed:

• Orleans: 14.5 million


• Jefferson: 5.5 million


• St. Tammany: 9.8 million

The article lists more than those parishes. You should check it out if you live in another parish.

According to the paper, the money from FEMA is split in three buckets: Emergency Work, Permanent Work and Admin. The total that FEMA has given to the state is just under $5 billion dollars. The state has paid out about half that amount. The state has paid out 73% of the emergency funds but only 27% of the permanent work.

If I stick with the same parishes I mentioned above:

• Orleans has been designated $1.3 billion but the state has only paid out $516 million (40%)


• Jefferson has been designated $254 million and the state has paid out $150 million (59%)


• St. Tammany has been designated $328 and the state has paid out $222 million (68%)

The worst two payouts are in Cameron and Plaquemines at 29% and 31% respectively. I was surprised to see that Washington parish was designated to receive almost $110 million. Of course, St Bernard was hit bad and they have been designated $736 million. The state has only awarded 49% of those funds.

The paper also has some charts on payouts and funding as well as a table of projects. All in all a very interesting read.

LewisC

2007-7-31 Today’s the Last Day to Apply for Road Home Funds

The Road Home provides funds for those people who were made homeless, or at least had damage, by Katrina and Rita. The Road Home program gives homeowners up to $150,000 to get back into their house and provides some assistance to relocate if you've moved away.

This program is funded with money from the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD). I know this post is a little bit late but I hope that if you were eligible, you took advantage of the program. I know many people did get money, although I don't know anyone who got $150,000.

On an up note, HUD has extended the Disaster Voucher Program (DVP) until September 1, 2007. DVP specifically helps those who were living in public housing when Katrina hit. HUD estimates the 11,400 people are eligible for the assistance.

"As we approach the second anniversary of one of this nation's worst natural disasters, I'm pleased HUD can extend the program for families who still need help," said Jackson, who greeted low-income New Orleans' evacuees living at the facility. "We want all families who benefited from HUD's housing programs before Katrina and Rita struck to continue to get assistance."

For additional good news, the Times Picayune ran a story today that, after 23 months, Lakefront Airport is finally staffing the control tower. The tower required $6 million for renovations due to Katrina.

According to the article, which was written by TP Staff Reporter John Pope,

The tourism industry is pleased about this development, too, because more big spenders will have a place to land and park their corporate jets when they fly in for events such as the Sugar Bowl and next February's National Basketball Association All-Star Game, said Mary Beth Romig, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

[tags]tourism, new orleans, katrina, hud, housing[/tags]

Feds approve demolition of four New Orleans public housing complexes

Today's headline is from NOLA.com and the Associated Press. The headline is Feds approve demolition of four New Orleans public housing complexes posted September 21, 2007 at 9:55PM.

Best quote: Awaiting wrecking crews are 4,500 units of public housing at the four complexes. After all redevelopment is complete, developers will have created 7,000 homes across New Orleans, including 3,300 homes reserved for public housing families and 1,800 available for families using federal housing vouchers or tax credits. The rest will be market-rate rentals and homes for sale.