In Which the Skirmisher's are Out-Flanked

Sadly, Poor Men blog into territory best left to insurgents with WMDs:

My Katrina Experience ...

(originally posted in comments @ Whatever It Is, I'm Against It)

I live in Pass Christian, MS. My Mother lives in Pass Christian, MS. My brother lives in Bay St. Louis, MS. My home was completely destroyed (along with my business and most of the town). My mother's and my brother's homes were severely damaged and remain uninhabitable.

The Feds "wrote a check" to HUD for billions. HUD developed CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) programs to be administered by MS Republican Gov. (and former RNC head) Haley Barbour. MS Phase I Katrina Housing Grants have been applied for by (reportedly) 17,000 families. Approximately 65,000 homes in MS were either destroyed or severely damaged by Katrina. Of the 17,000 Phase I applicants, less than 50 have seen a dime of Phase I money. Less than 50.

Phase I only covered homes with insurance outside the designated FEMA flood zones. As you can see, only about one-quarter of the homes destroyed or severely damaged by Katrina in MS even qualified for Phase I money and less than 50 have so far received any money at all.

My brother qualified for Phase I. He has yet to receive a dime. My mother and I did not qualify for Phase I. We applied for Phase II, but Phase II is vapor-there isn't any plan for Phase II yet, just an empty promise.

Homeowner's Insurance has turned out to be a cruel and expensive joke (or a racket run against policyholders). If a drop of floodwater can be documented in one's neighborhood, one is denied any coverage by one's homeowner's insurance carrier.

The reality down here is unless a Katrina damaged MS homeowner had the maximum amount of federal flood insurance (which very few did), then their chances of having any reconstruction or repair underway depends almost entirely upon their being able to self-finance (again very, very few can manage that) or getting lucky (akin to being struck by lightning) and having a volunteer group build or repair their home (a few have been that lucky), meanwhile they are living in a 8' x 28' FEMA travel trailer which rocks and rolls in every strong breeze.

The lucky among us have a job and aren't paying a mortgage on a slab.