Government Paying to Replace Katrina Homes????

[Jeana (DP)]

IMO, that $150,000 is not for everyone and it does not give them a mansion. Has anyone built a home lately? D

Yes I did and not one of your tax dollars paid for it.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

IMO, that $150,000 is not for everyone and it does not give them a mansion. Has anyone built a home lately? SHEESH...it's HIGH! Just think of all the sewer, water, electrity, etc., etc. IMO, it won't go far at all. I feel for these people because they are Americans and we should never allow them to suffer. If we have Public Aid "lifers" put their butts to work on helping rebuild but PLEASE give them meals, running water, and a roof over their head. There is much work after this disaster and the people who are able to work should be put to work and I'm sure a lot of them would be glad to have that purpose or that chance to participate in the rebuilding of their community. JMO of course.

You're right about the construction costs. I think a lot of people talking on this forum haven't had a lot of experience in recently building a home or pricing one. And they seem to have ignored the fact that 150K is the CAP. Not everyone in NO is getting 150K, and only home-owners (not renters) are getting the money to rebuild. And it's not just NO--this money is also earmakred for Abbeville, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, and a few dozen other small towns and parishes you haven't seen in the news.

 

[T'sNana]

I see your point about that.

Yes I did and not one of your tax dollars paid for it.

 

[T'sNana]

Exactly! Also, what really bugs me, is that the citizens of these communities have to trust their officials. The people in office were still living, conducting business and going about their lives in these areas, why would the citizens think they weren't safe enough or their homes weren't safe enough. I bet we can find even the wealthiest of people lacking flood insurance; thinking it would never happen to them. Maybe thinking it's the "Chicken Little" mentality if they did hear anything about it. I don't even know if this post makes sense or not...my brain is tired. :doh:

You're right about the construction costs. I think a lot of people talking on this forum haven't had a lot of experience in recently building a home or pricing one. And they seem to have ignored the fact that 150K is the CAP. Not everyone in NO is getting 150K, and only home-owners (not renters) are getting the money to rebuild. And it's not just NO--this money is also earmakred for Abbeville, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, and a few dozen other small towns and parishes you haven't seen in the news.

 

[windovervocalcords]

Marine Mom, I'll add my :twocents: here if I may. My fiance's daughter had just arrived in New Orleans to start her freshman year at Xavier U. when Katrina hit. Her mom flew down with her to get her settled and had been back in CA only 2 days when Katrina hit. We live in CA.

We are an average WORKING couple with bills like everyone else. We wanted to make sure our baby was comfortable and had all she needed (new laptop, $ for books, rent, etc...). We gladly spent our rainy day money on her and paid for her mom's hotel accomodations. It never dawned on us to get flood insurance because a hurricane would wipe out the entire city. She escaped with the clothes on her back and hitched a ride to TX with a family she didn't even know and she was able to locate a distant family member she'd only met once before. Thank God for that family.

It was days before we heard from her and it seemed to take forever to get on the Katrina missing person sites. FEMA's website was misleading and unclear in it's content and purpose.

We were fortunate that our child was safe and only her material possessions were lost. FEMA said she qualified for a one time 'grant' to replace her lost items, but when she completed the paperwork-it was denied.

I am amazed and saddened by the disheartening comments made by other members that think survivors of Katrina are not worthy of our tax dollars, and I am sure the victims pay taxes too. What happened to humanity??? Yes, these people have been in hotels for 6 months at the expense of the government. If the government would have taken care of the levy, the damage may have been miniimized and these fellow Americans wouldn't need to stay in hotels.

I would much rather OUR tax dollars be spent helping our own country men/women in crises than being spent chasing Saddam Hussein looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction that weren't found, or Iraq warring for the rights of another country where our military personnel is dwindling down to zero due to casualties. My 24 yr old cousin, Dominic Hinton was a casualty.

One poster commented that the victims have been in living in paid-for trailers and hotels for 6 months and added "what have they been doing?" They have probably been trying to figure out where to start life over. 6 months really isn't that long when you have NOTHING and nowhere to live and no job to return to.

In addition to losing their homes, many have lost loved ones and many people no longer have a place to work!! . These people may have had only enough to afford basic insurance for their homes. If 'flood' insurance was not a required home owner insurance and the government was not informing the community that the levy was in despair or making needed repairs, they possibly had other every day necessities to pay for.

It sounds like some of us have never had to experience a humbling situation that makes you take a step back and look at how fortunate you have been to have a job and life's necessities. Be thankful for the life you have and don't kick others when they are down, It could be you one day.

Thank you for your thoughtful and refreshing point of view.

 

[deanws]

If you own a home, the responsible thing to do is buy flood insurance. My home in Baytown has flood insurance. It would take the city itself to be under water before my house would flood. However, freak nature things happen. It is cheap, especially if you are not in a flood prone area. I have paid for flood insurance for 26 years. It is part of the cost of owning a home. I do not feel the government should have to take up the slack for property owners who didn't THINK they needed it, didn't want it, or chose to spend their money on other things. :twocents:

 

[Jean]

If you own a home, the responsible thing to do is buy flood insurance. My home in Baytown has flood insurance. It would take the city itself to be under water before my house would flood. However, freak nature things happen. It is cheap, especially if you are not in a flood prone area. I have paid for flood insurance for 26 years. It is part of the cost of owning a home. I do not feel the government should have to take up the slack for property owners who didn't THINK they needed it, didn't want it, or chose to spend their money on other things. :twocents:

I totally agree. We have flood insurance too and our property in Houston isn't located in a flood zone (or whatever you call it), but you never know when a roof might be blown off during a storm, etc. We have never, that I can remember, been without flood insurance.

 

[shopper]

I totally agree. We have flood insurance too and our property in Houston isn't located in a flood zone (or whatever you call it), but you never know when a roof might be blown off during a storm, etc. We have never, that I can remember, been without flood insurance.

And the rates are a LOT cheaper if you don't live in a flood zone, so there is IMO, no excuse to not have it, just in case. Yeah, you may never need but it's worth the peace of mind.
:twocents: