Whew

You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from gulf coasts residents

Contact Pelosi

The democratic leader of the House - Nancy Pelosi - needs to hear from you.



Check out this post by Ashley Morris and follow through. There is strength in numbers.

Thank you.

FEMA, jeesh...

b.rox details the never ending bullshit with FEMA.

Claiming a seemingly intact-looking house is slated for demolition because
it "could be an imminent threat to public health and safety".

Unbelievable.

Public Housing

NOLAgrit puts it better than I ever could.

IVAW

Ray has a piece about the recent gutting work of Iraq Veterans Against the War
Thank you twice, guys!

15 Months

Time moves on.

It's been fifteen months since Katrina devastated this area.

450 days. For those out there who haven't lived with the remains
of the storm, it must seem like a lifetime. You probably can go for
days without thinking about Katrina. Not so down here.

Sitting here at work, I can here two co-workers talking happily on their
progress in getting back into their homes. 15 months. Where I work, over
50% of the employees lost EVERYTHING except what they evacuated with.
I work for a company that employs over 2000 people. I am among the
minority here in that I lost very little. Yes, I have survivor's guilt. I cannot
imagine what it's like to live in a FEMA trailer full time. I admire and respect
all of the people out there who've pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and
started their lives over again. Dealing with insurance companies and government
entities.
In my group of a dozen people, six lost almost everything. They lived in Lakeview, Chalmette, New Orleans and Slidell. The past year
has shown the true strength and character of these people. They are a special breed
and I am proud to know them.

Driving home last night past the Northshore Square Mall in Slidell I remembered
how awe-struck I was three days after Katrina when we were standing in line at
Home Depot waiting to purchase a generator (which turned out to be three grueling hours in the 90 plus degree heat)
and I looked over at the mall parking lot. It was full - and I mean FULL - of electrical bucket
trucks from all over the country. I wish I hadn't been so shell-shocked at the time and had
carried a camera around to capture all of the unbelievable things we saw right after the storm. The sight
of that mall parking lot will be with me forever. It served as a staging ground for recovery and stayed that way for
at over a month. The Walmart parking lot turned in to an RV and trailer park for the longest time, housing
relief workers. Walmart, Sam's & Home Depot bussed in employees from Texas and beyond
until the Slidell employees returned home. A lot haven't returned.

link of pictures in the Bayou Liberty area

It's been a long, strange trip and there's a long and I'm sure very strange road ahead.
Thank you, Katrina survivors for showing the world your strength and resilience.

katrina tribute

The Birth of Floodwall

Moved and heartbroken by the profound loss New Orleans would endure for decades to come, local artists Rondell Crier and Jana Napoli attempt to preserve a small part of what the levees could not. What defies death, but the spirit of the city--made up of the vibrant, diverse culture and history of New Orleans that is tied to neighborhoods, material culture, traditions, and most importantly people.

Do you believe?

Bush Renews Vow to Aid Katrina Victims

I dunno why, but I'm somewhat skeptical, Mr. President.

There should be a law

This house on Prytania was demolished last week with no plans for salvage of any of the beautiful details . There should be a law.

What are the odds of this?

Men's Room

Ladies Room

Posts and photos of restrooms on two separate blogs.

I'm looking forward to Maitri's series on The Ladies’ Rooms Of New Orleans.

Scuzzbucket Part Deux

This lovely couple - Delores & Joshua Thompson - were GIVEN an $75,000 home in Memphis after evacuating there after Katrina. They never lived in the house and sold it for $88,000.

I really don’t like this area”, said Delores Thompson. I really didn’t, and I didn’t know anybody, so that’s why I didn’t move in and I sold it.

Scumbags. By the way, the scuzzbuckets are back in New Orleans