Still Reeling

More than four months after Katrina, Rita, and Wilma showed that Mother Nature is still boss on the Gulf Coast, folks are still coming to grips with the huge mess awaiting them.

Stuff is a blog by a volunteer helping in the reconstruction efforts in Mississippi. Lots of photos of the widespread devastation and the difficulties in trying to rebuild communities that were shaken to the core.

Random Topics has a series of postings on Gulf Coast reconstruction that is worth your browsing time. Jim Mohar, who set up that blog, also runs the site BonaResponds, which provides still more Katrina relief information.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post is reporting that DHS had been warned a day before Katrina came ashore of the possibility of levee breaches and the potential for severe flooding in New Orleans. That's nothing new or earth shattering considering that most anyone who was following Katrina's path knew that it could cause catastrophic damage.

The Bush administration has been lambasted for its lackluster response to Katrina and its aftermath, including criticism that the government should have known that a hurricane of that strength posed a danger to the area's levees and was unprepared to cope with it.

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said he was not familiar with the documents but that the levees situation likely was one reason the government urged an evacuation of New Orleans before the storm hit.

"We're in the process of participating in a large after-action report," Knocke said. "We're deeply committed to finding out what worked and didn't work, and apply those lessons learned going forward."

And investigations are ongoing into fraud allegations against individuals and public officials.

Habitat for Humanity is gearing up for a massive housebuilding program along the Gulf Coast.

To qualify for a Habitat home, applicants must come up with a small down payment, and have enough income to pay a mortgage on the interest-free loan. But the biggest commitment, McDonald said, is sweat equity.

"It's not a give-away program. It's a mortgage," she said. "The homeowner would have to contribute about 350 hours of work, per family."

But because Katrina forced so many locals out of work for so long, McDonald said Habitat is tweaking its income and employment qualifications for the battered region.

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