Rebuilding the Gulf Coast

A collection of articles examining the local, state, and federal government's involvement in rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

'It's Time to Play Hardball': Blanco rebukes Bush, challenges lawmakers (2/7/06)
As the special session of Legislature in Louisiana begins, Gov. Kathleen Blanco gave one of her most powerful speeches calling once again for support to consolidate the levee boards and government offices. She also laid out her plan for how the $7.7 billion in block grants will be divided. Giving $4.6 billion to help homeowners repair, rebuild, or relocate; $1 billion to develop affordable housing; $1.75 billion for hospitals, schools, and utilities; and $350 million to spur job growth through business incentives, bridge loans, and work force training. Additionally, in light of the federal government's lack of support for Louisiana's redevelopment, she restated her threat that if Louisiana isn't given a larger share of the oil and gas royalities, she will block the pending lease agreement for offshore drilling in August.

New Policy Links Reconstruction Dollars to Advisory Flood Elevations  (2/6/06)
FEMA has announced that along with their new higher floodplain elevations, there will be mitigation funds available to help build back safer and stronger communities. All public facilities will be required to use the new Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFEs), but although it is recommended for homeowners, it is not required unless they are receiving a FEMA mitigation grant to help in rebuilding. FEMA has release a list of FAQs to explain these new standards and how they will affect the Gulf Coast. FEMA has also released a list of who is eligible for which type of grant.

The Recovery Process (this was first posted 10/10/05, but is continually being updated)
This interactive map leads you to the cities/communities in Mississippi that are rebuiding. Click on each one to see what they are currently working on.

Clear Leader Was Lacking, Report Says (2/2/06)
It is becoming increasingly, clear as the Senate hears testimony, that the biggest cause for all of the short-comings in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina is the lack of a leader to be the direct point-person for the president with the authority to order agencies and gather resources. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report in 1993, after Hurricane Andrew, calling for just this model for recovery and relief efforts, but neither the Clinton or Bush administrations, or Congress, has pushed it forward.

Prepared Remarks of Gov. Haley Barbour to the Senate Homeland Security Committee (2/2/06)
After thanking the committee and those that have helped Mississippi, Gov. Barbour went on to say he recommends that the temporary housing solution be evaluated since it is clearly insufficient for large disasters. He also suggested that an "all risks" insurance should be considered since many didn't have coverage since they felt their properties were safe. He noted his state's record of getting people back to school and work quickly, and said that debris removal could be improved along with communication.

Tough Questions for Blanco During Senate Hearing (2/2/06)
As the Senate's investigation of what went wrong during Hurricane Katrina, Gov. Kathleen Blanco took the stand. The committee questioned why hospital patients and elderly people in nursing homes were not evacuated. Although Blanco stated that it would not happen in the future, she said that there were concerns about moving the frail after the storm hit. A request to transport these people out of the city was made 2 days before the storm and not acted upon.

Miss. Hurricane Payments Near $5B, Says Dale (2/1/06)
Insurance Commissioner George Dale announced that $4.95 billion has already been paid out on the 183,473 claims received regarding damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, George, Stone, and Pearl River counties in Mississippi. $2 billion of that has come from the National Flood Insurance Program. Addional claims are expected, futher increasing these costs.

CSX Not Ready to Decide Yet (2/1/06)
CSX Transportation, a major railroad company, has yet to decide if they will rebuild their rail line across South Mississippi. In the aftermath of last year's hurricanes, it is obvious that this is a dangerously exposed line, and it might be advantageous to work with some of their competitors to enable all to profit. CSX is expected to come a decision within the next couple of months.

FEMA Soon to Weed Out Ineligible (2/1/06)
As is required by law, FEMA must recertify all recipients of aid every 90 days. Therefore, anyone living in a trailer, hotel, or receiving rental assistance must illustrate to FEMA that they are working towards returning to permanent housing. It is unknown how lenient or strict FEMA officials will be, but many more will be needing housing as residents are forced to leave hotels. FEMA stated that they will be rapidly placing people into permanent housing, but they shouldn't expect to stay close to home.

Blanco: No Offshore Signoffs Unless La. Gets Royalty Share (2/1/06)
Although the state has petitioned to receive half of the royalties from oil and gas produced beyond the state's 3-mile boundry, it has never gotten congress' support until now. They currently are receiving 27%, but that is not enough money to support adequate coastal restoration and hurricane protection, which offshore drilling is breaking down. Currently Louisiana supports 80% of the production in the Gulf Coast, and based on this year's revenue of $5.7 billion, just half of this would provide a steady revenue to finance the $32 billion bill for these restoration projects.

Disaster Tour to Get Special Session Rolling (2/1/06)
Gov. Kathleen Blanco has laid out the agenda for the special session that will run from Feb. 5th through Feb. 17th, which now includes 41 items. The some of the highlights are the consolidation of the southern Louisiana levee boards and some other government agencies; setting the Louisiana Recovery Authority into law; authorizing the issuance of bonds from federal money to finance some rebuilding; and placing the state Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Operations directly under the governor's office instead of the military department. 

Hundreds Recognize They Need Help With Katrina Paperwork (1/31/06)
This article is an editorial describing how Mississippi has contracted 40 CPAs to provide professional assistance to ensure that all paperwork is properly filled out. Properly documenting the use of Congressionally appropriated funds designated for Katrina relief and recovery efforts to the standards set by the federal auditors is necessary to avoid any potential fiscal repercussions. So far 850 requests for assistance have been submitted, illustrating the success of this program.

Official: FEMA Still Has More Than 9,000 Requests For Trailers (1/31/06)
In Mississippi, residents still are waiting for 7,918 trailers to be placed on private property and 1,397 trailers to be placed on commercial-group sites. A FEMA spokeman said that although they don't know where these residents are living now, there still is the hotel program which has been extended until Feb. 13th. He went on to say that those who are in hotels should not leave that temporary housing for an alternative one, they should wait until there is a permanent solution available.

Dale was Surprised by Flood Map's Errors (1/30/06)
George Dale, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner, was amazed at how inaccurate the flood maps were. These maps are used to assess which properties must have flood insurance. They are supposed to be reviewed every 5 years, but these haven't been done since the 1980's. They were being reviewed right before Hurricane Katrina hit, but this was too late. Many properties near the beach and 50 feet from the flood wall were deemed outside of the flood area, which Dale stated was unrealistic.

Officials Do Not Want a 2006 Hurricane to Take the Coast by Surprise (1/30/06)
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is warning residents that they need start planning to be prepared for the 2006 hurricane season by: planning their evacuation route and leaving early; going to a local evacuation center if there is even a thunderstorm with high winds if you are living in a trailer; try to secure your home or business if repairs have not been completed to prevent more damage; and decide now what you would take with you (papers, supplies, personal treasures).

Offers to Help Katrina Victims Went Unused, Documents Show (1/30/06)
In the days after Hurricane Katrina hit, although the Dept. of Interior gathered up trucks, boats, planes, and law enforcement officials, none of them were ever used because FEMA never gave them any orders. Additionally, just 3 days after the hurricane, all search and rescue operations were halted due to security issues. Meanwhile, without being given any orders, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rescued 4,500 people during the first week. All of this has come to light during the investigation of the government's effectiveness during Hurricane Katrina being conducted by the Senate's committee. The report will be release in March.

Mississippi's Invisible Coast (originally posted 12/14/05)
This article from the Sun Herald, a southern Mississippi newspaper, summarizes the destruction of the coastline, the role the media has played, and statistics quantifying the toll Hurricane Katrina made on South Mississippi.

Promises Unfulfilled (1/28/06)
This Washington Post article summarizes what President Bush had promised to do for the victims of Hurricane Katrina on Sept. 15th, and what has really been done. It looks at promises he made on: temporary housing and loans to rebuild, cleanup efforts; cooperation with local and state officials to aid in rebuilding the area; reimbursement for the cost of accomodating evacuees; and repairing and reinforcing the levees. In all of these area, some progress has been made, but the results are far less than is needed to bring the area back.

Council Recovery Panel Debuts (1/27/06)
The City Council has now introduced its committee, the Council Recovery Panel. This is the third advisory committee in Louisiana. The other two were put together by Mayer Nagin and Gov. Blanco. The Council's president, Oliver Thomas, stated that the committee would not compete with the others, just enhance their efforts in expediting anything the City Council has authority over. However, they have already voiced some criticism of Nagin's commission's recommendations. At this time, they intend to be looking into how to coordinate state and federal agencies; create strategies for temporary housing; plan placement for residential, business & industrial development; rebuild & improve the city's infrastructure; and improve New Orleans' hurricane preparedness manual.

Jindal Emphasizes State Role in Recovery (1/27/06)
U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal spoke about how he envisions the rebuilding effort as a joint venture by the federal and state governments. He believes the federal government should restore the levees to at least Category 3 strength; share the oil and gas revenues with the state; help businesses for economic growth; and deal with the housing problem since it was the faulty levee that caused most of the distruction. The state government should use the funds from the oil and gas revenues to fortify the coastline; help businesses by eliminating taxes on debts and the purchase of new equipment; and create a more modern city with good schools and well-paying jobs.

Where's Our Cash? Hospitals Ask (1/27/06)
In a hearing held by the Members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce it was discovered that although Congress had passed legislation in October allocating $400 million to be quickly delivered to Louisiana's health-care system, thus far none of that money has been delivered. The Subcommittee was both surprised and angered, especially since they had deliberately allowed for waivers from normal regulations that would slow up the process, and FEMA claimed they had delivered the funds. Meanwhile, the hospitals are facing hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses. Also discussed during this hearing was the lack of preparedness hospitals displayed during Hurricane Katrina, and the lessons learned from this disaster.

Low-Interest Loans Will Help Repair or Purchase Homes (1/26/06)
Hundreds of Mississippi state residents can now appy for low-interest home loans through a joint program of the Mississippi Home Corp. and Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac has pledged to give $1 billion in below-market-rate mortgages to help with the recovery efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana. The first installment of $40 million is now available to Mississippi residents. The mortgage rate is 5.61 percent, with 3 percent of the amount advanced to cover down payments and closing costs to qualified applicants.

Storming D.C. (1/26/06)
A new activist group from New Orleans called "Women of the Storm," comprised of women from all races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds, is coming to D.C.. They will be mailing invitations and a copies of "America's Wetland: Louisiana's Vanishing Coast" to all members of Congress, inviting them to tour the city and see the damage first-hand. So far, 25 Senators and 40 members of the House have visited New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.The Women will be personally approaching the remaining members of the Senate, and members of the House that serve on committees that can aid the region. They will also attempt to meet with Laura Bush's chief of staff.

State-Run Insurer Running Out of Cash (1/26/06)
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is the fourth-largest property and casualty insurer in the state. It is a state-run, last-resort insurer designed for those who can't get traditional home insurance, and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck Louisiana, they have received about 65,000 claims totaling more than $1billion in payouts. JP Morgan Chase will be providing them a $125 million interim loan, with at least $75 million more coming from additional banks, to help while they get state funding from bonds in place.

N.O. Hospital Given a New Lease on Life (1/26/06)
After members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce toured the three downtown hospitals, they announced that tens of millions of federal money will be given to reopen a portion of University Hospital in New Orleans to provide residents a temporary general care and trauma facility by the fall. This hospital is part of the LSU statewide Charity system, headed up by Donald Smithburg. In the interim, LSU is attemping to lease a portion of the Elmwood Medical Center for a trauma center and St. Charles Speciality Hospital as a general care facility for this year. Additionally, Tulane University Hospital expects to reopen their emergency room by Mardi Gras and some of the general care beds shortly after, but currently there is only one adult-care hospital open in the city. The permanent solution is to build a new hospital to replace the two state hospitals, but FEMA must declare Charity Hospital a total loss for LSU to receive at least 70% of the money to replace it. Smithburg is negotiating with FEMA, but expects that it will take years before a final decision will be made. 

Bush Explains Decision on Baker Bill (1/26/06)
In response to criticism from Baker and Blanco, President Bush explained that he feels that this plan would create too much bureaucracy, and that Louisiana has to come up with its own recovery plan. Baker remarked that this was part of their plan. Bush summed up his thoughts by stating that $85 billion has already been committed to the Gulf Coast. This story appeared in The Advocate, and has been moved to their fee-based archive.

Buyouts Torpedoed, Not Sunk (1/26/06)
In light of the current views of the Bush administration to not provide federal funding to help homeowners receive 60% of their home's pre-Katrina value, those working on plans to rebuild in Louisiana are still fairly optimistic. It will be more difficult and take longer, but they feel it is still possible. Using the $6.2 billion already allocated to Louisiana would provide homeowners 10% of their home's value, making the idea of accepting a buyout not very attractive. The state is currently working on developing a $3 billion program that would be a sort of gap insurance that would help bailout the less fortunate. Meanwhile, Baker and Blanco continue to try to push legislation to pass a bill to fund buyouts. With the shortage of money, the task of trying to determine who is the most deserving of financial assistance will be an extremely difficult one.

White House Accused of Gag Order (1/25/06)
As the Senate investigates the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, they are finding that although they have been given hundreds of thousands of documents and access to 230 government witnesses, those witnesses have been instructed not to respond to any questions about communications with the White House. Even without responses from these witnesses, it is clear that the government didn't responded adequately and there was serious fault in the administration's preparation and response to Katrina.

White House Against Baker Bailout Bill (1/25/06)
The Bush administration spoke out against a bill that would allow Louisiana to payout 60% to homeowners whose homes were slated to be bought out. This came as a surprise to supporters of the Baker Bill since the president's administration seemed to be backing this bill at the end of 2005. Donald Powell, Bush's appointed person to oversee the recovery efforts, felt that the grant money that was already appropriated to the area was enough based on their estimates of 20,000 qualifying homes. In order for a home to qualify it had to be destroyed, designated outside of the flood zone, owner occupied, and uninsured for flood damage. Even with all of these restrictions, The Louisiana Recovery Authority has calculated that there are 77,340 homes in this category. Here is a map of this designated area. The plans to rebuild New Orleans have been reliant on this additional funding.

AP Interview: Blanco Says FEMA Maps Holding Up Housing Repairs (1/25/06)
Homeowners are waiting for FEMA to release the new federal elevation standards for rebuilding in hurricane- and flood-prone areas, but the preliminary set of standards for New Orleans isn't due until March or April, with the final guidelines to be released in August. It is likely that homeowners who do not comply with the standards will not be able to get insurance, so they are hesitant to rebuild.

April Ballot in New Orleans OK'd (1/24/06)
Due to Hurricane Katrina, the November elections, including the mayorial election, in New Orleans were  postponed. They are now scheduled  for April 22nd, with May 20th as the date for a run-off if necessary. The legislatures and governor are working on solutions to bring polling sites and canidate information out to the people, wherever they are living today.

State Not Ready to Pay FEMA Bill (1/24/06)
Although the federal government is responsible for some costs at 100%, some programs require states to cover up to 25%. FEMA presented Louisiana with a bill of $156 millon due on Monday, the highest ever issued. The state has asked for documentation to verify these costs about a month ago, and FEMA still hasn't responded, but promises to do so before Monday's deadline. Meanwhile, the state is scrambling to find creative ways to pay its share, which is expected to reach $1 billion in the end.

Federal Report Predicted Cataclysm (1/24/06)
It has been revealed that the White House was warned by the Dept. of Homeland Security  just prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast, what was likely to happen. The report sited results from a mock hurricane-preparedness excercise conducted by hundreds of local, state, and federal disaster experts earlier in the year. Additionally, the report notes that  Michael Brown, who was later fired from his position of director of  FEMA, had urged his colleagues to disregard any bureaucracy that impeded helping people.

Henderson Point Fears New Elevations (1/24/06)
Residents of Henderson Point, Mississippi are worried about the results of FEMA's new flood-plain maps. They will determine the new height standards homeowners are required to build at and if they will be eligible for flood insurance and how high their rates will be.

Real Planning and Flood Maps (1/20/06)
This editorial comments on the need to acknowledge that not all citizens of New Orleans can be satisfied with realistic city plans. The reality is that there will be areas that will be cost-prohibitive to rebuild in. The writer does not mind that there is criticism of some of the recommendations, but feels that alternatives should be suggested with those remarks. The author also urges politicians to pass the Baker bill, or a modification of it, because many peoples' lives were tied to their homes, and they need federal assistance.

'Dream Team' to Help Plan Rebuilding (1/20/06)
Gov. Blanco put together a team of national planning firms to help south Louisiana rebuild. They are estimating it will take about 5 years to complete the planning, and 25 to rebuild. Their efforts mirror what the Bring New Orleans Back Commission is doing in many ways, but their focus will go beyond the city of New Orleans. This team will be paid from the private donations made to the Blanco's Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Fund.

Nagin Panel Seeks Leaner Government (1/20/06)
It is the recommendation of the Government Effectiveness Committee, of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, that the city needs to have a government that is transparent, ethical, well-funded, consolidated, and efficient without catering to petty politics. Their key recommendation are bulleted in the article. Some critics spoke out against some of the government consolidation proposals, but Gov. Blanco supports these views. 

Insurance Panel OKs Rate Increase: It's likely to be the first of many (1/19/06) 
The Lousiana Insurance Rating Commission approved its first post-Katrina increase in homeowners insurance rates for ANPAC Louisiana Insurance Company. Homeowners rates will be increasing an average of 41% statewide, with much higher rates in New Orleans. Surely other insurance companies will be requesting increases as well in the next few months. The Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit financed by the industry, announced earlier this month that Hurricane Katrina and Rita claims in Louisiana totalled a record $12.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 25 years of homeowner insurance premiums and all of the profits ever earned in the state.

Lawmakers Dismayed by State of Gulf Coast (1/18/06)
As the senators continue their tour of the Gulf Coast region they talk about how amazed they are at the lack of progress that has been made and the amount of debris still present. They note that their views are a far cry from what President Bush declared when he visited just 5 days earlier. AP article

Senator: Federal aid still not enough for Katrina victims (1/17/06)
As more than half-dozen senators toured Gulfport, Miss. and New Orleans, it became very clear to them that although almost $70 billion has been set aside to be given to the Gulf Coast, the federal programs have not done enough for this region. It has been totally annihilated in some areas, and recovery will be slow. The legislatures are also concerned about the lack of power Donald Powell actually has. He is the federal official that has been given the task of coordinating government plans to rebuild the Gulf Coast. AP article

Tom Ridge: Leadership Needed to Rebuild N.O. (1/17/06)
Tom Ridge, former Homeland Security Secretary, spoke at a national disaster preparedness conference telling attendees that if New Orleans has a viable plan, then they'll get all the money they need. He told them to have patience, it was going to take time. He also said that he thought that the government should take more of a regional homeland security approach because you can't prepare for a disaster or secure an area from Washington, D.C..

An Agenda for Reform (1/17/06)
Gov. Kathleen Blanco is to put forth a bill that would consolidate and streamline several government offices in the New Orleans area, including creating a single, unified levee board. The public wants the bill to include language that ensures that the board is professionally run and savy.

Storm Victims Can Stay Put in Hotels: Inns put in bind as Carnival nears (1/13/06)
A judge ruled that storm victims can stay in hotels until Feb. 27th everywhere in the country, and Mar. 1st in Jefferson and Orlean parishes if they have checked in with FEMA and are approved or have not heard back yet. Those who are deemed ineligible must leave by Feb. 13th. Although FEMA is footing the bill, it is making it difficult for hotels to accomodate tourists for Mardi Gras and give the economy the boost it needs.

Rebuilding Proposal Gets Mixed Reception (1/12/06)
After details of The Plan were announced, many citizens of New Orleans were upset with the recommendations, feeling they were too drastic. Some critics argued that a four-month time frame to assess the vitality of a neighborhood was too long to wait, while others felt it was too short to assess. The two most controversial issues were to stop issuing building permits to those in the most devastated areas to prevent citizens from wasting money on rebuilding if the neighborhood is ultimately assessed to be destroyed. In that case, the homeowners would be bought out with the use of eminent domain (as a last resort) if that neighborhood did not show signs of rebirth. Although the mayor has not adopted any plan yet, he did indicate that he supported the idea of a four-month waiting period, but not a moritorium on building permits.

The Plan (1/12/06)
This article summarizes all of the key elements proposed by the Urban Planning committee of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission. This is the first of several committees' recommendations to be given to Mayor Nagin by Jan. 20th. These committees include Education, Cultural, Health & Social, Infrastructure, Government Effectiveness, and Economic Development.