'Katrina' Victims Support

FEMA on board with housing plan for Katrina victims

2009-04-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is supporting an Alabama state agency's efforts to let a handful of Hurricane Katrina victims remain in rent-free travel trailers and mobile homes past a May 1 deadline, a spokesman has confirmed.

Under a 2006 policy, FEMA can donate such temporary housing stock to states, local governments and voluntary organizations to help disaster victims. The agency is now working with the state to find someone willing to accept responsibility for the donated units, according to the spokesman, Kurt Pickering.

Earlier this month, FEMA announced that 19 Alabama households will have to be out of the temporary housing by the beginning of next month. As the Press-Register reported Tuesday, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs wants to transfer housing ownership to a faith-based community organization.

At that time, another FEMA spokesperson had not been able to confirm that the agency had signed off on the plan.

Of the 19 households, 17 are in Mobile County, according to FEMA. Several have indicated that they already have other housing lined up, the agency said earlier this week.

Bon Jovi returns to New Orleans for 2009 Jazz Fest

2009-02-06T16:40:00.001-08:00

Bon Jovi will rock the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time this year, returning to Louisiana after donating $1 million in 2005 to build homes for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm thrilled," Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis said Thursday, calling the group "one of the greatest American rock bands of all time."

In the wake of Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Bon Jovi gave $1 million to help build 28 homes for low-income families displaced by the storm.

The homes were built in Houma, a coastal community roughly 50 miles southwest of New Orleans, through Habitat for Humanity and Oprah's Angel Network.

"That really says something about this group's sense of humanity and responsibility," Davis said. "It says that they're unique and extraordinary, that they have a spirit and a soul ... to be that generous."

Bon Jovi formed in the early 1980s with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

The group will join Dr. John, Kings of Ten, The O'Jays, Cowboy Mouth and more than a dozen other acts performing on May 2. In all, Jazz Fest spans seven days over two weekends — April 24 to 26 and April 30 to May 3.

Others slated to perform at the festival's 40th anniversary are Wynton Marsalis, Joe Cocker, Henry Butler and Trombone Shorty. They will entertain audiences on different stages April 24, the festival's opening day. Other first weekend acts include Irma Thomas, James Taylor, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Pete Seeger and Etta James.

Performing the second weekend are Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Sugarland, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

Like last year, the Neville Brothers will be the festival's closing act on May 3.

On the Net:
Jazz Fest,: http://www.nojazzfest.com

Pitt, Jolie's first Hurricane Katrina relief homes open in New Orleans

2009-01-02T07:18:00.001-08:00

Survivors of the Hurricane Katrina have moved into the first of the six eco-friendly homes paid for by Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

According to mirror.co.uk, the couple set up the foundation - Make it Right - with 3.5 million pounds of their own money following the 2005 disaster. They will build an additional 150 green properties in New Orleans for the homeless.

Pitt said: "You have no idea what a high it is for me to see the delight on these people's faces when they see how these homes work."

Study finds Hurricane Katrina kids are anemic

2008-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

A new study released by Children’s Health Fund notes many children in Katrina trailer parks are anemic

New Orleans, Louisiana (CaymanMama.com) — Residents of Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Louisiana are still trying to recover from the after effects of the devastating distaster, though some are fairing worse than others.

Sadly, a new study study released Monday by the Children’s Health Fund says that many of the displaced infants and toddlers who lived in Louisiana’s largest trailer park are now anemic due to consuming poor diets, “at a rate more than four times the national average.”

According to the study, nearly 41 percent of 77 children under the age of 4 suffered from the blood condition this year. It is estimated that probably all of the children resided in the Renaissance Village trailer park in Baker.

Anemia is an iron deficiency in the blood and causes fatigue and learning problems. A heightened deficiency in youngsters can lead to an unfortunate delay in growth and development and even cause heart murmurs.

The national rate for kids of that age is below 10 percent. Louisiana leads with one of the country’s highest anemia rates, “with about 24 percent of all children below the age of 5 affected” as per the 2007 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance survey.

“Now it’s more difficult, because they’re no longer in the trailer area. They’re dispersed around the state. So it’s a little harder to get follow-up,” said Dr. Jimmy Guidry, Louisiana’s health officer.

Centenary College fashion show benefits hurricane victims

2008-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

At 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 in the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center, 20 members of Centenary College's faculty and staff, as well as a number of students will participate in a Drag Fashion Show as part of a fundraiser for Centenary's 2008 Centenary College Disaster Relief Trip.

This is the second year that Centenary has held this event to raise funds to benefit those who have been affected by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there was a national call for volunteers to help with rebuilding the Gulf Coast region. In January 2006, a group of 125 students, faculty and staff from Centenary and Drew answered that call, traveling to New Orleans to provide support for the rebuilding effort.

This is now the fourth year that both institutions will combine resources to renovate homes, schools and churches in Louisiana. In addition to continuing the post-Katrina rebuilding, Centenary and Drew representatives will also work with individuals affected by Hurricane Gustav during their upcoming trip in January 2009.
Profits from the Drag Show will be used to cover expenses of this year's trip, as well as tools, building supplies, clothing and food that the volunteers will distribute in January. Although this event is open to the Centenary community only, donations would be appreciated to support this cause. For more information, call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2315.

Starbucks workers help beautify New Orleans

2008-10-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Thousands of Starbucks Corp. employees are helping rebuild and beautify New Orleans neighborhoods as the coffee company seeks to distinguish itself during tough economic times as socially and environmentally conscious and more than just a place to buy designer drinks.

The company, which is holding its North American leadership conference in the city, says more than 10,000 store managers and others are working on dozens of projects in what's considered to be one of the largest outpourings of corporate support, in terms of volunteer labor, since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.

The work on Monday came as Starbucks announced its "Shared Planet" goals, focusing on areas from volunteerism to going greener and buying all coffee from producers adhering to strict standards. The goals, which president, chairman and chief executive Howard Schultz called aspirational, are to be achieved by 2015.

Schultz, who was painting houses in the Broadmoor neighborhood, told reporters that the effort builds on what Seattle-based Starbucks has long stood for. Given the tough national economic times, it's important to give price-wary consumers "real value" and more than the coffeehouse experience, he said.

The company is launching "gold cards," with consumer discounts. It's also stressing community involvement among employees and in-house efforts to go greener — moving to reusable or recyclable cups, boosting recycling in stores and reducing water usage, for example.

Starbucks, in a sign of corporate belt-tightening, this summer announced plans to close 600 stores, including 13 in Louisiana.

"I also think that customers have many choices to make about all different types of products and services and a company that they trust, a company that has like-minded values to their own, is usually a company that they're going to support," he said.

Kristin Gisleson Palmer, with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, said Starbucks employees will work on various projects, including 31 houses, planting trees and helping to create an urban garden. She and other volunteer coordinators say it's getting tougher to find people to help meet the still-great need for rebuilding assistance three-plus years after Katrina.

"I've never seen this magnitude from one corporation before, I'll say that, in terms of the sheer numbers," she said.

New law may help Amtrak bring back Sunset Limited

2008-10-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Sunset Limited could be on track for full restoration of service in South Mississippi with a new law that gives Amtrak $1 million to study reinstating the line, which was canceled after Hurricane Katrina.

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by James Oberstar, D-Minn., and the railroad subcommittee, chaired by Corrine Brown, D-Fla., inserted the language in the bill.

"This is a big step in restoring the Sunset Limited route, which is so important to communities along the Coast," said U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, who pushed for the funding. "I am thankful to committee chairman Oberstar and subcommittee chairwoman Brown for including this study in the bill, and for continuing their commitment to hurricane recovery."

President Bush last week signed the Amtrak reauthorization bill, H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, a five-year authorization of the national passenger line.

The provision requires Amtrak to report to the House and Senate committees that oversee it in nine months. The law stipulates that "the plan shall include a projected timeline for restoring such service, the costs associated with restoring such service, and any proposals for legislation necessary to support such restoration of service."

The law says that "in developing the plan, Amtrak shall consult with representatives from the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, railroad carriers whose tracks may be used for such service, rail passengers, rail labor, and other entities as appropriate."

Amtrak operated the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Fla., until Katrina tore up the tracks in 2005. The tracks were repaired within seven months, but Amtrak has not continued the route past New Orleans.

High school football documentary 'Walking on Dead Fish' belongs on the shelf of motivational movies

2008-10-10T21:22:00.001-07:00

Fans of such high school football films as Remember the Titans and the Christian indie Facing the Giants may want to add the small documentary Walking On Dead Fish to their shelf of motivational movies.

Created by Franklin Martin and narrated by former National Football League quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Walking On Dead Fish looks at the part high school football played in helping mend lives torn by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The school in question is East St. John High School in La Place, La., a town just west of New Orleans. When Katrina swamped New Orleans and forced massive evacuations, La Place was where some 20,000 refugees stopped and stayed. A high school at capacity with 1,500 students soon found itself pushing 1,900.

A football program headed by Coach Larry Dauterive, “Coach Do” to his players and students, had to deal with 20 new players from different high schools, public and private. More important, Dauterive, principal Debra Schum and the ESJ faculty had to cope with students separated from their families, students whose families had lost homes and jobs, students whose worlds had suddenly and traumatically changed.

In football-crazy Louisiana, Dauterive and Schum decided to use East St. John football to provide stability, unite a divided enrollment and give a release valve for the stress suffered by the hurricane victims.

As Martin records the unfolding story, mixing in disaster footage and interviews of young players, their parents and other adults, it becomes more than a simple motivational film.

Players who see a football scholarship to college as their only way out of La Place fret when their playing time shrinks. Players quit in frustration, then attempt to return to the team. A team seeking unity among old and new players finds itself unexpectedly winning.

In what becomes an important storyline, ESJ senior running back Stanley Jackson sees his scholarship hopes wane when one of those displaced by the hurricane, junior running back John Owen from the private Brother Martin prep school, bumps Jackson out of his starting position.

Martin’s documentary occasionally shows its shoestring budget, but he captures a slice of life whose characters and problems ring true.

High school football isn’t a universal remedy, but as Walking On Dead Fish shows, there’s more to it than X’s and O’s, more than wins and losses.

Katrina survivors help Oak Island residents

2008-10-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Diane Vice was back home, standing outside the church she grew up in. Not that anything else about Oak Island looked like the town she remembered. Hurricane Ike took care of that a couple of weeks ago.

But one thing Vice knows all too well is the damage a hurricane can bring. The owner of Vice Construction in Moss Point, Miss., has spent the past three years rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.

``I was raised here from kindergarten through sixth grade,'' she said as she looked down Oak Island's Oyster Street. ``My father was a shrimper and we lived in a little house down the road. It burned and we moved to Mississippi.

``But you never forget where you came from.''

Vice returned to Oak Island with six of her employees and an 18-wheeler crammed full of food, baby diapers and formula, second-hand clothes, chain saws and generators all donated by businesses in Jackson County, Miss. The much-needed supplies were for the 500 or so Oak Island residents, all of whom lost everything the night of Sept. 12-13.

``We went through Katrina and it (Moss Point) looked worse than this. We have lots of employees who lost homes in that,'' Vice said. ``We're survivors of a hurricane, so we know what it's like.

``I saw a story on Oak Island ... and I just realized I wanted to do something. People asked 'Why don't you just donate to Red Cross?' I said, 'No, I want to go there.'''

The Rev. Eddie Shauberger, pastor of the Oak Hill Baptist Church, the only church in the fishing community about 10 miles south of Anahuac, had been a part-time resident before the storm. Before Ike, he spent only Saturdays and Sundays in the community.

Not anymore.

It was on the basketball court next to the water-logged hull of his church building that Vice and the Mississippians set up shop next to pallets of ice, water and meals, ready to eat trucked in regularly by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As much as they can, the residents of Oak Island take care of themselves. Raymond Anders, the chief of the Oak Island-Double Bayou volunteer fire department, and his wife Vicki took in seven Oak Island families on their property halfway between Anahuac and Oak Island, which was just on the edge of where Ike's 14-foot storm surge reached.

A couple of families were staying in travel trailers, another in the workshop where the Anderses stored some of their farm supplies, others in the family's two-story home.

``It's a small community and we know them all,'' Vicki Anders said. ``A lot of these people lived off the land. There was one grocery store and two restaurants and that was it.''

---

Ernestine Watson and her husband, Jimbo, are one of the families who have been staying with the Anders. She said she was born in Anahuac, but has lived her entire life in Oak Island.

``I like the water. I live by the water. The water's soothing,'' she said. ``If you have a bad day, you can go out and sit on the dock and it just calms you down.''

The Watsons operated Channel Marker 17 bar and grill, a popular gathering place located just a few hundred yards from Trinity Bay, backing up to a bayou that runs off the bay. They lived in a home built on top of the bar.

Water not only inundated the ground-floor bar, but was chest high in the Watsons' second-floor living quarters as well. It gutted the bar and took the back wall off the second floor, too.

Watson said Ike was the worst storm of her life.

``I was born after (Hurricane) Carla,'' she said, ``because of it really.

``My mom had a store and back then you could afford insurance for it. When we got the insurance check, my dad told her they could build the store back or try one more time to have a boy and add a room to the house.

``They added a room and had me. I wasn't a boy, but that's how I got to be Ernestine.''

Oak Island's population is diverse. English, Spanish and Vietnamese are among the languages spoken there. Crabber Lam Huynh came to Oak Island from Biloxi, Miss., in 1996. He says there about 30 to 40 Vietnamese families who support themselves by fishing.

Ernestine Watson says many of the Vietnamese were taken by surprise by Ike.

``A bunch of them can't speak English. They don't watch the news,'' she said. ``The guys at the store usually get on the phone when we have bad weather coming and let them know.

``I've been tying boats down before a big storm and they'd be getting ready to go out to fish. I'd have to wave them down: 'Big blow. Big wave.'

``All they think is work. They don't care if it's raining.''

Lam Huynh, with help from Oak Island resident Maria Acosta, said his business is ``all gone.

``I still have one boat, but motor's no good,'' he said. ``About 24 to 30 traps left.''

Lam he had two boats before the storm.

``One now,'' he said.

Originally, he had over 200 crab traps.

``Most of them in the bay. I lost them,'' he said.

His family, which includes two children, has been staying with a friend in Sugar Land and the routine this time reminded him of 2005, when Hurricane Rita blew through.

``Last time, I came back,'' he said. ``Not much to repair (then). This time, nothing. Nowhere to live.''

Marvin Curtis was a fisherman, too, though at 89 years of age his fishing was more recreational.

``He lived down on Main and Jackson for 60 years,'' said Liz Anderson, his daughter.

Anderson and her brother and several other men were trying to rescue Curtis' small flatbottom boat from the wreckage of a home roughly a half-mile from where it had been moored before the storm.

``We came down Tuesday after the storm driving around looking,'' Anderson said. ``I saw the black and red motor. ``It's damaged. But when you're 89 and you've lost everything, you want your boat.''

Alisha Rogers was initially excited to get back to her Oak Island home with her husband John and 3-year-old daughter Mahaylee.

``We evacuated by bus to a Red Cross shelter in Canton and the people there were really mean,'' she said. ``We were really happy to get home.

``Especially because we were told by neighbors that our house was fine, that some tin had pulled off the roof, but that was all. Well, it looks all right from the outside, but inside it's destroyed.''

Diane Hart, Ernestine Watson's sister, found the roof of her home, along with her bedroom dresser and walls, a mile from where she left it Sept. 12, in a stand of trees.

But she and her husband had Steve had electricity and a borrowed travel trailer and plans to build a shed out of scrap wood to store the few belongings they could salvage.

``What I'm doing now is picking up glass,'' she said. ``I'm finding heirlooms, four sets of glassware from my mom and grandma.

``I had a piling missing from my house and when I dug the sand out of the hole, I found a kerosene lamp and one of my mother's wedding bowls unbroken.''

Mostly, though, Hart is finding her heirlooms by the slivers, pouring sand through a sifter to see what's there.

``The east eye wall came right over Oak Island,'' she said. ``The center of the eye went up the bay and the east eye wall hit us.

``I was like a monster reached out of the bay, stuck his arm out for four streets and wiped it clean.''

Gas cards help the helpers at Meals on Wheels

2008-09-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

We all have our favorite things -- our favorite restaurants, TV shows, sporting events, sports teams, movies and other activities that we profess to "love" so much we cannot imagine our lives without them.

But what about the things we take for granted, like food and shelter, our families and friends? Our love for the basic necessities of life has been tested and brought to the forefront of our minds with natural disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Ike, and tornadoes and earthquakes that can destroy our homes and strip us of our worldly possessions in a flash.

It is during these times of unexpected hardship that we are forced to face our vulnerabilities, to rely on each other, loving our neighbors as ourselves by reaching out and taking care of those who need our help.

That is exactly what 11-year-old Dylan Seefeldt, Fishers, did when he heard about the crisis with high gasoline prices and volunteers who deliver meals to the elderly here in Hamilton County.

Dylan stepped up and solicited help from his friends and neighbors. His random act of kindness started with $50 seed money from St. Luke's church. The student at Riverside Intermediate School was challenged to match it for a worthy cause.

His family and friends rallied their support, and Dylan raised $425. His dad drove Dylan to Riverview Hospital, where he presented 17 $25 gas cards to Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County. It was truly a gift of love from a special young man who cares so much about others. He wanted the gas cards to be given to volunteer drivers who deliver meals most frequently to the elderly, disabled and homebound senior citizens in our community. Thank you, Dylan, for caring.

Bill Eaton, Noblesville, is one of 225 volunteers for Meals on Wheels of Hamilton County. Bill dedicates two hours of his retirement each Monday to deliver hot meals on a rural route that takes him through Cicero, Arcadia and Atlanta. He also delivers meals on a Noblesville route every Wednesday.

The isolated, homebound clients look forward to seeing his friendly face, and Bill understands that the human connection he makes each week is probably more important than the food he delivers. His donation of time and gasoline is a selfless act of love for those in need.

Putting more than 150 miles on his vehicle each week, Bill's community service is rewarded with an occasional gas card donated by the Hamilton County Co-Op. The Co-Op has pledged its support to Meals on Wheels by donating 10 gas cards each month for volunteer drivers. Food is one of those basic necessities that we often take for granted, except when we are relying on someone else to bring it to us. A tank of gas becomes a gift of love when it helps reduce hunger among those at risk. Thank you, Bill, for your gift.

Ike's aftermath: The return of $4 gas

2008-09-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Gas prices are poised to shoot back toward record highs after Hurricane Ike's direct hit to the heart of the nation's oil refineries, analysts said.

In addition, Hurricane Ike could turn out to be the third-most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, according to preliminary forecasts from a firm that does loss estimates for the insurance industry.

Experts say it's too soon to know exactly how much damage the hurricane - which slammed into Galveston, Texas, early Saturday - did to the refineries.

Some early reports suggested that the damage could be limited despite the nearly direct hit.

But the output at the refineries, which produce nearly 25% of the nation's gasoline, could still be affected if it takes weeks or months to restore full power to the region.

The uncertainty left experts projecting everything from a nationwide gasoline spike above $5 a gallon to a jump to just below the $4 mark.
Gas prices already climbing

Many consumers throughout the Southeast have already started to see sharp increases in gas prices before the storm even hit. The latest nationwide survey by AAA conducted Friday showed that prices were up nearly 6 cents a gallon to $3.733.

Some areas, particularly in the Gulf Coast and South, have been hit with a more than a 20 cent a gallon overnight increase. For example, the price of gas jumped 27 cents in Knoxville, Tenn., to $3.924.

"This is a fear factor among station owners," said Kevin Kerr, editor of Global Commodities Alert. "They're worried that they're not going to get any more supply or if they do it's going to be a lot more expensive."

Gas prices soared three years ago in the week after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans. Prices jumped 17% to a then-record high of $3.0569 due to damage to refineries and pipelines.

In a statement to CNN, the U.S. Department of Energy said it "is very concerned about the impact of gasoline prices on American families" and encouraged people to report price gouging at its Web site.

The Department of Energy added that it is ready to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve "when and where it is necessary to ensure refineries are capable of maintaining operations" and that is analyzing the amount of fuel production likely to be lost because of Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Gustav, which hit near New Orleans on Sept. 1.

Kerr said the path of Hurricane Ike was the worst possible scenario. There are about 20 refineries between Lake Charles, La., and Corpus Christi, Texas. All of them saw winds and heavy rain from the storm. Together, they can refine nearly 5 million barrels a day.

Almost half of that capacity is concentrated in the Houston-Galveston area - where the center of the storm hit. In addition to area refineries, gasoline pipelines and other key transportation infrastructure could limit the supply of gas reaching consumers.

"We could see gas go up to $6 in certain states," said Kerr. "I think the baseline will be more like $4.50, maybe even $5."

The ExxonMobil (XOM, Fortune 500) refinery in Baytown, Texas, with a daily capacity of 567,000 barrels, is the largest refinery in North America. And the eye of the hurricane passed right over it.

CNN correspondent Ali Velshi reported Saturday morning that there was no apparent damage to the outside of the refinery, despite extensive damage in Baytown.

Kevin Allexon, spokesman for ExxonMobil, said the company has not yet determined if there was damage that could further disrupt operations.

"There's still some pretty significant weather that affects how safe it is to do assessment work," he said.

Oil analyst Peter Beutel of Cameron Hanover said he's encouraged by initial reports suggesting that crucial oil facilities in the region survived without substantial damage. He's hopeful that if refineries can resume near normal operations later this week, gas prices will remain below record levels.

"Right now it looks like we took a licking and we kept on ticking, although it's still early to get full reports," he said. "As of now, I don't have reason to believe it's going to be a lasting factor. It doesn't look like you'll get to $4 nationwide, but you'll see $4 gas in a number of places," he said.

But Tom Kloza, the chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, which provides the data for the AAA survey, said he's worried about how long it will take to get full production going again.

"Even if we missed the worse of it, it's going to be a mess," he said. "U.S. refineries are really dependent on local utilities. When you hear them talking about power outages lasting for weeks, it's a worry."

The Department of Energy reported that 2.4 million customers were without power as of Saturday morning, essentially everyone in the direct path of the hurricane.

Kloza said fear of a political backlash could keep oil companies and wholesalers from raising prices as high as the market might support in the face of such a tight supply.

But he said that even if consumers are spared the full brunt of price increases, they could end up dealing with limited supplies in some markets.

"You're going to see a lot of stations in some places that don't have gasoline and you'll see some lines," he said. He's predicting nationwide gasoline prices to rise to about $4 a gallon, give or take a dime for the next month.

What's more, production at refineries along the Gulf Coast had yet to return to normal since they shutdown in preparation for Hurricane Gustav, even though the hurricane caused limited damage.

Kloza added that jet fuel, diesel and heating oil prices could sharply increase - partly because they don't get the public attention or political scrutiny that gasoline prices do.
Ike cost may only lag Katrina and Andrew

But Hurricane Ike will prove to be costly even beyond the impact on gas and other energy prices.

Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide Corporation said Saturday that it estimated insured losses to onshore properties would be between $8 billion and $12 billion. The firm said it expected significant wind damage to skyscrapers in Houston as well as to mobile homes and warehouses.

And Eqecat Inc., a firm that makes catastrophe estimates for the insurance industry, initially forecast insured losses from Ike at between $8 billion and $18 billion.

The low end of that estimate would make Ike the fifth most expensive storm in history after adjusting earlier storms' costs for inflation.

But the high end of that forecast would put Ike behind only Hurricanes Katrina and Andrew as the most expensive natural disasters, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Hurricane Katrina cost insurers an inflation-adjusted $43 billion, while Hurricane Andrew, which hit South Florida in 1992, cost the industry an inflation-adjusted $22.9 billion.

Hurricane Ike Rampages Across Cuba, Threatens Gulf Coast

2008-09-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

The state of Florida has received an emergency declaration to assist Monroe County which is currently evacuating residents from the Florida Keys in advance of Hurricane Ike, Governor Charlie Crist announced today.

"Florida is facing a dangerous threat from Hurricane Ike," said Governor Crist. "We remain grateful to the president and our federal partners for this vital assistance to our local and state responders."

The declaration provides for financial assistance for emergency protective measures that Monroe County and state agencies have taken to ensure the public health and safety and property of Keys residents during this storm.

Sunday's mandatory resident evacuation order for Hurricane Ike, set to expire at noon today, will not be extended, Keys officials said this morning. A steady stream of cars left the Keys over the weekend, but many people stayed put, suffering from hurricane fatigue after three previous storms in the past month - Fay, Gustav, and Hanna.

"It is still much too soon to know what portions of the Gulf Coast could be impacted by Ike," according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Still, on Sunday Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued a declaration of a state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Ike.

"Hurricane Ike may impact the coastal parishes of Louisiana with hurricane strength winds, wave surges, high tides, torrential rain and tornado activity," the governor declared.

"The storm may make landfall on the Louisiana coast on or about September 13, 2008, with the expectation that hurricane force winds will reach the Louisiana coast prior to landfall," he declared.

A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning continues for the entire Florida Keys, from Ocean Reef through the Dry Tortugas.

The outer bands of Ike may begin effecting the Florida Keys this afternoon, meteorologists said, bringing wind and rain as the storm continues to cross southern Cuba.

Ike made its landfall on eastern Holguin province Sunday evening as a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Ike is currently hitting the eastern Cuban province of Camaguey on its way to the central part of the island.

Preliminary information from the Cuban News Agency in Holguin reveals a large number of fallen trees; no deaths have been reported in the areas which Ike has hit. In Camaguey, the storm has damaged tourist facilities in Santa Lucia Beach, and caused sea flooding along the northeastern section of the province.

Forecasters anticipate the Lower Keys and Key West will experience sustained minimal to moderate tropical storm force winds beginning late tonight and for most of Tuesday. In the Upper and Middle Keys winds should be just below tropical storm force.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials urged those who have stayed in the Keys to remain inside during the storm. Driving on flooded streets may disable cars and being outside can be very risky with flying debris and downed live power lines, they said.

U.S. Coast Guard officials stress that boaters should remain in port, warning that, "Rough bay waters and extremely dangerous offshore seas can make boating deadly during storms."

Ocean swells from Ike will impact Florida's east coast today, forecasters say. A high risk of strong and frequent rip currents are expected along the east central and southeast Florida coast with a moderate threat of rip currents along northeast Florida beaches.

Numerous flood warnings are in effect for rivers across the state.

Hurricane Ike moved inland over eastern Cuba last night and early this morning was located over central Cuba, about 365 miles southeast of Key West. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 105 miles per hour, making Ike a Category 2 hurricane.

Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center say Ike is moving west around 15 mph, and is expected to continue on a west to west-northwest track across Cuba today and tonight before emerging into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday afternoon then moving northwest into the central Gulf waters.

At this time, tropical storm force winds extend outwards to 200 miles from the center and hurricane force winds extend outwards to 60 miles.

A reconnaissance aircraft will provide a better estimate of Ike's intensity this afternoon, the Hurricane Center said.

In about two days, Ike is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico and travel over warmer waters, where forecasters say some restrengthening is possible.

The Department of Interior's Mineral Management Service reports 202 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico evacuated for Hurricane Gustav last week, are still not staffed, nearly one-third of the 717 manned platforms in the Gulf. MMS estimated approximately 80 percent of oil production and approximately 70 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf remains shut-in with safety valves closed below the surface of the ocean.

Gustav evacuees returning to food, power shortages

2008-09-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of thousands of Gustav evacuees began flooding back home Wednesday to face widespread power outages, food shortages and limited medical care.

Facing rising pressure, officials in most jurisdictions along the Gulf Coast began lifting evacuation orders even as they expressed serious reservations about conditions returning residents would face. In particular, officials warned the sick and elderly to stay away.

"We'd like to say 'welcome back,' but it's not the way we'd like to do it, with no electricity, no traffic lights," Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, told a local television station.

Nearly all of the nearly 2 million people evacuated from southern Louisiana are expected to return in the next few days, potentially overwhelming the area's infrastructure.

Highways and other roads became jammed as evacuees headed home. In New Orleans, early returnees had a hard time finding supplies, particularly gasoline.

State officials said 1.2 million residential and business customers were without power in southern Louisiana. Outages in Jefferson County's sewage plants prompted officials there to asked residents of the New Orleans suburb not to use any water, because it could cause massive sewage backups in homes and businesses.

Of major concern is the number of hospitals operating on emergency generators.

Virtually all of Baton Rouge, the state capital, is without electricity. Fifty-seven percent of customers in New Orleans are without power. In some jurisdictions, utilities have said it could be weeks before power is restored.

Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal expressed frustration at the pace of the power restoration, calling it "unacceptable."

"There is no excuse for delay," he said.

President Bush, who toured the area Wednesday, added to the sense of urgency, asking utilities in neighboring states to send extra manpower.

Philip Allison, spokesman for Entergy, the main electric utility in the region, said more than 10,000 workers from Entergy, its contractors and other out-of-state utilities were at work. He said any delay was caused by the "size and scope of the damage" from Gustav.

Hospitals without power and running on generators either received extra generators or were moving critical-care patients to other facilities, said Jolie Adams, spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Chris Wormuth, a doctor at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales, La., was concerned about the 100-bed hospital and clinic, which is using emergency generators.

"We're open for the moment," Wormuth said. "But how long we can stay open we're not sure."

To forestall looting, 1,500 National Guard troops patrolled New Orleans on Wednesday, guarding gas stations and grocery stores and handing out ice.

At one of the few open gas stations in downtown New Orleans, owner Harry Leslie surveyed a line of cars and said, "I am shocked I'm this busy. ... I'll stay open as long as I have gas, but it is not looking good."

As residents returned to spoiled food and shuttered grocery stores, relief organizations began moving in.

Churches that have power started massive feeding efforts, and the Salvation Army was operating 65 feeding trucks along the Gulf Coast, a spokesman said, with the ability to feed 560,000 people a day.

New Orleans originally had planned to admit evacuees by phases, with major corporations and retailers permitted to return Wednesday and the general populace today.

But after scenes of frustrated evacuees stuck at police checkpoints, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin dropped the phased re-entry system.

HHS Supports Medical Evacuations in Preparation for Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that HHS personnel will assist the states of Louisiana and Texas in evacuating an estimated 900 special medical needs patients today and in providing care for evacuated patients. The assistance is part of HHS' aid to states as they prepare for the expected landfall of Hurricane Gustav.
"Our thoughts are with those potentially in the path of Hurricane Gustav," Secretary Leavitt said. "HHS is working closely with the states and rapidly mobilizing medical personnel and necessary resources to be ready to help those impacted by this major storm."

HHS has activated the National Disaster Medical System, a federally coordinated operation that can assist state and local officials in dealing with major disasters. HHS also is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to provide air evacuation of 500 medical patients in Texas and an estimated 500 by air from Louisiana.

HHS personnel are assisting the state of Mississippi and will assist the state of Alabama to evacuate medical patients by ground to health care facilities within the states. As part of this care, HHS has placed two Federal Medical Stations, each with a 250-bed capacity, setup in Texas and four in Louisiana to provide low-critical care to residents during the emergency. HHS also has caches of medical supplies in place in the Gulf region, with additional caches of medical supplies ready to deploy as necessary.

In preparation for evacuation and for medical care during and post-landfall of Hurricane Gustav, HHS has coordinated with federal agency partners to provide 600 ambulances, 20 air ambulances and 4,000 paratransit seats. Paratransit vehicles are specially equipped to transport people with disabilities.

Patients are moving to health care facilities in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and other areas of Texas. In addition, hospitals in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky that are in the National Disaster Medical System can receive additional patients if needed.

Approximately 1,100 HHS personnel are in place today, including members of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams which provide emergency medical response. An additional 450 Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers have been deployed by Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Joxel Garcia, an admiral in the Commissioned Corps.
Medical Reserve Corps units in southwestern Alabama have been also been activated. Medical Reserve Corps units in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee are on standby, ready to augment the state and local response to Hurricane Gustav.

Medical Reserve Corps units, which are locally based, organize and utilize volunteers who supplement existing emergency and public health resources. These personnel can assist state and other federal personnel with patient evacuations and medical support for the general population during evacuations. They also can provide medical support after landfall.

Teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will support state officials in tracking potential public health issues, including diseases transmitted by insects such as mosquitoes.

Teams from HHS human services agencies will work with special needs populations. For instance, the Administration on Aging has been facilitating discussions with directors of state agencies that aid the aging, to help coordinate preparation to ensure the needs of the elderly are met. Liaisons from the Indian Health Service are working with state officials and tribes to ensure state requests for assistance are met.

Using a human services case management program, HHS experts will coordinate with states to connect individuals with special needs to social services for which they may be eligible following a disaster, including child care. This pilot program is in addition to FEMA disaster services.

The National Institute of Health's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare has reached out to grantee institutions in the Gulf area regarding protecting animals these organizations may house.

The HHS Secretary's Operations Center, which operates 24 hours a day, remains in constant communication with federal, state and local emergency management operations in the affected states. HHS liaisons are in place in state operations centers and the federal regional coordination centers in the Gulf States.

The HHS Web site homepage is featuring a link to public health and safety information specifically related to hurricanes at www.hhs.gov/hurricane.

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

A fearful New Orleans prepares for a potential Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-29T11:29:00.001-07:00

Fear and foreboding gripped this still-mending city Thursday as a potential Category 3 hurricane whirled toward the Gulf Coast on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's three-year anniversary. Tropical Storm Gustav, which was lashing Jamaica after Haitian officials said it had killed 51 people there, was still almost five days away from the Crescent City, according to the National Hurricane Center. Projections varied greatly, putting its path anywhere from the Florida panhandle to southeastern Texas by Tuesday.

But Louisiana seemed the most likely place for Gustav to make landfall, and politicians here were acting decisively to prepare for the worst -- a sharp contrast from the response to Katrina, which was widely criticized as disorganized and sluggish. New Orleans avoided a direct hit from Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005, but flooding after it came ashore led to levee breaks that inundated four-fifths of the city, killing more than 1,500 people in Louisiana.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin left the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday and announced that he would order a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans if a Category 3 storm got within 60 hours of his city. Meteorologists predict Gustav will swell into a Category 3 hurricane, defined as a storm with winds between 111 mph and 130 mph.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in my estimation I feel we are ready for this threat," Nagin said Thursday during a City Hall news conference. He added that he did not expect an evacuation until Saturday.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency, activated the National Guard and triggered a government contract that allowed him to bring up to 700 buses to the hurricane zone to help with evacuations. The rising GOP star also said he was prepared to skip next week's Republican National Convention, where he is scheduled to speak.

"We have to take this storm seriously," Jindal said during a news conference in the capital, Baton Rouge. He added that state and federal authorities would ensure no looting occurred following an evacuation. "We want people to know their property will be safe."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator R. David Paulison also traveled to Louisiana on Thursday to coordinate disaster response. Chertoff said during a news conference with Jindal that search-and-rescue teams and other emergency personnel were already mobilizing.

Officials' biggest fear by far was a direct hit to New Orleans, where post-Katrina rebuilding remains a work in progress. Roughly two-thirds of the population has returned and countless homeowners have used their savings to fix up their properties. But many homes still lie in disrepair, and the byzantine system of canals, pumps and levees that is supposed to protect the city from flooding remains incomplete.

"Although we have made strong strides in rebuilding our infrastructure, the levees have not been fully repaired and we have an $800-million budget gap to complete our sewage and water systems," Nagin said earlier in a statement.

Tourists nonchalantly strolled through the French Quarter on Thursday afternoon, and restaurants were filled with diners eating shrimp po' boys and catfish almondine as usual. But the city canceled some of the events it had planned for the third anniversary of Katrina, including a jazz funeral, and in neighborhoods hit hard by Katrina locals were apprehensively watching the Weather Channel.

A report published Thursday found that almost half of the deaths from Hurricane Katrina were people 75 or older, and drowning was the leading cause. Elderly residents may have disregarded warnings, feared abandoning their homes to possible looting, or simply didn't want to leave familiar surroundings, according to the study, which was published online and will appear in the October print edition of the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.

Everyone was making plans to get out of town this time -- so much so that hotel rooms were already impossible to find in Baton Rouge. Some New Orleanians reported having to search as far as Arkansas to find emergency lodging.

"I'm going to tell you right now -- this time I'll be going," said Tom Allen, 46, as he helped rebuild a house on a concrete slab in the Lower 9th Ward, a neighborhood devastated by Katrina that is still largely vacant. Last time, Allen admitted, he thought he could brave it out. He had to rescue his elderly neighbors when floodwaters rose and wound up with thousands of others inside the fetid Louisiana Superdome.

"No use lyin' to you: I've got no faith in these levees," added Allen's work partner, Leonard Jacobs, 75, who had recently rebuilt his own home in the neighborhood. "We're in a soup bowl right here."

The threat of Gustav had already caused oil companies to evacuate more than 1,300 workers from offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, driving the price of crude past $120 a barrel by Thursday afternoon. Another threat, Tropical Storm Hanna, also emerged Thursday, posing a potential threat to the Southeastern U.S.

In Chalmette, a city outside New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish that was also overwhelmed by floodwaters three years ago, neighbors watched Gustav's motions with squeamish stomachs.

A year ago, much of the area was still empty, and many vowed they would not return. There were still a fair number of damaged homes, including one still shrouded with a big blue roof tarp, but many residents had decided to rebuild after all, discovering that they missed the close-knit world of "Da Parish."

Lonney Sciortino leaned over his pickup truck, talking to neighbor Frank Lewis about how he was planning to take a gun with him during the evacuation, in case chaos ensued on the highway.

Both thought about boarding up their homes before deciding there was no use. Chalmette's potential problem, they agreed, would be flooding from failing levees, which is what inundated homes with more than 7 feet of water here after Katrina and after Hurricane Betsy four decades before.

"A lot of people were proud they rebuilt here a few days ago, but right now, it's a different mood," said Sciortino, 57, who lamented that his children, who used to live down the street, were now living in Gulfport, Miss., and Abita Springs, La. "If we get hit here one more time, we're done. Chalmette will be abandoned."

Carter chooses filming Katrina video instead of live DNC speech

2008-08-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Carter said he didn’t want to intrude on the busy Democratic convention schedule

Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that it was his choice not to speak live from the podium at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention and to instead film a video about the recovery in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.

In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carter said he saw the challenge Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama had with trying to accommodate a busy podium schedule.

“Michelle spoke last night, Barack is going to speak Thursday night and the other two nights are for the Clintons,” Carter said from his suite at the Hyatt Regency hotel. “So, I didn’t want to intrude.”

He said he told Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod “to let me do whatever I could to be helpful. I didn’t need to get on the stage and make a speech.”

Carter, the former Georgia governor who was elected president in 1976, said he suggested doing the video from New Orleans.

“I spent a day last week in New Orleans, making the film, meeting with people, talking to people and asking them questions,” Carter said. “That was my choice.”

Carter said he and his wife, Rosalynn, have been to the Gulf Coast four times to build houses. On this trip, he said, he met with people he’d helped before.

“I noticed it was almost the third anniversary of Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast,” Carter said. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Carter said, “didn’t go down there until the following March. For one visit. And then he didn’t go back again for another 12 months. Whereas Obama’s been down there more than I have.

“What I tried to do in my presentation was show the difference in the two parties in their basic attitudes toward people who are in need. That was the message I was asked to deliver and I tried to do it. And I thought the film would be the most vivid presentation, rather than making a speech and telling what I experienced.”

Thank you for your support, Sen. Landrieu

2008-08-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk lately about how our basic constitutional rights are slowly being chipped away. The concern extends from everything from the right of habeas corpus to the right to bear arms. Now there is another challenge to our way of life, and that is the right to a free press.

Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Senate failed to muster enough votes to continue debate on Senate Bill 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act. At this point, the bill is dead until the next session of Congress.

The bill would protect journalists from going to jail if they refuse to divulge the names of their confidential sources. For over 100 years, journalists have gone to jail for not divulging the source of their information in courtrooms. The most famous of these is the recent case involving the exposure of a CIA agent. A New York Times reporter spent several days in jail because she would not tell the court how she found out the current administration had something to do with the outing of the agent.

Forcing journalists to divulge their sources is putting the American press in handcuffs. One of the nicknames for the American press is The Fourth Estate because, even though we are not a part of the government, we are needed to keep track of the actions of the three branches of government. The Legislative Branch keeps an eye on the Executive Branch, while the Judicial Branch reins in the Legislative and Executive branches. The press keeps an eye on all three. It’s all part of the checks and balances envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Without protection, journalists cannot really dig into stories and reveal government waste and corruption. If they are forced to reveal their sources in a public courtroom, other sources will stop passing much needed information to the press so that the people can see how their government is operating.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, who voted for the Free Flow of Information Act, expressed her chagrin at her fellow senators who voted against the bill. She said without the freedom of the press, Louisiana would never have found out about the government’s failed response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We would have never known about the U.S. Corps of Engineers cover up of a flawed levee system. All this was found out by confidential sources who talked to journalists.

We thank you, Sen. Landrieu for fighting for our rights, not just for journalists,but for everyone.

We are also a little puzzled as to why our other U.S. senator, David Vitter, voted against the bill. We hope he has a good explanation for voting against this important matter.

Worship Music Publisher Donates $65,000 to Archdiocese of New Orleans to Support Recovery Efforts

2008-07-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

OCP recently donated $65,000 to the Archdiocese of New Orleans to aid the ongoing rebuilding efforts of several parishes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The funds were distributed to 17 churches in and around New Orleans. Including this recent donation, OCP has given $150,000 to faith communities throughout the Gulf Coast since the storm ravaged the region in 2005.

"I write to you as I learn of the remarkably generous financial support you are offering to a number of parishes in the Archdiocese in support of our work of recovery," wrote Most Rev. Alfred C. Hughes, Archbishop of New Orleans, in a letter to OCP. "I want you to know how much this means to me and those whom you are assisting. Integral to our response, of course, is the restoration of good worship. Your grants will help to make this possible. May God bless you abundantly for this sacrificial generosity and support."

OCP has already received letters of appreciation from several of the parishes.

"We are all deeply grateful to you and OCP for the generous grant to improve our sound system for our parish church," wrote Rev. Quentin E. Moody of St. Augustine Church in a thank you note to OCP. "This is a blessing to our faith community and I express sincere thanks on behalf of the parishioners and myself for this very special gift to us."

The following Catholic churches received grants:

The Center of Jesus the Lord, New Orleans
Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell
Assumption of Our Lady Mission, Braithwaite
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Belle Chasse
St. Francis of Assisi, New Orleans
Sacred Heart, Lacombe
St. Augustine, New Orleans
St. Anthony of Padua, New Orleans
St. Jerome, Kenner
Our Lady of the Angels, Waggaman
Most Holy Trinity, Covington
St. John the Baptist, Edgard
St. Dominic, New Orleans
St. Margaret Mary, Slidell
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chalmette
St. Anthony of Padua, Luling
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Westwego

"We continue to be inspired by the resilient spirit of the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina," said OCP Publisher John Limb. "However, a long journey remains in the recovery process. It is our sincere hope that this contribution to the Archdiocese will help in the restoration of the Gulf Coast region."

For more information on OCP's commitment to serving faith communities, including the annual OCP Parish Grants program, visit OCP.org or call 1-800-548-8749.

About OCP
OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for more than 80 years. Worship materials produced by OCP are used in two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide.

The Continuing Chronicle of Katrina’s Tragic Aftermath

2008-07-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

July 8th, 2008 by DAMOZEL

Sometimes you don’t know whether to cry or scream. There are many forms of corruption and waste in the government’s fulfillment of its functions, and most just make me furious. But the story of Katrina’s aftermath is one long chronicle of incompetence piled upon a degree of bureaucratic cluelessness that just boggles the mind. The waste here is of money and goods designed to alleviate the misery of our own people.

First, let’s review recent events. These illustrate one kind of problem: a tragic failure of communication between federal agencies and state agencies, and between state agencies and relief organizations that actually do the work of getting supplies to victims.

On June 12, CNN reported that FEMA had given $85 million in supplies designed for Katrina victims and subsequently designated surplus to federal and state agencies.

The material, from basic kitchen goods to sleeping necessities, sat in warehouses for two years before the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s giveaway to federal and state agencies this year.

James McIntyre, FEMA’s acting press secretary, said that FEMA was spending more than $1 million a year to store the material and that another agency wanted the warehouses torn down, so "we needed to vacate them."

"Upon review of our assets and our need to continue to store them, we determined that they were excess to FEMA’s needs; therefore, they are being excessed from FEMA’s inventory," McIntyre wrote in an e-mail….

Photos from one of the facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, show pallet after pallet of cots, cleansers, first-aid kits, coffee makers, camp stoves and other items stacked to the ceiling. (CNN)

In the meantime, the head of an agency that is still trying to care for the displaced ALMOST THREE YEARS LATER said that these were all items that they were desperately seeking.(CNN)

CNN invites those who wish to do so to ‘watch the dismay‘ over ‘out of touch FEMA.’

On June 13, 2007, Louisiana officials who’d previously, I suppose, had other things on their minds noticed the story and demanded that FEMA give back what it had given away — i.e., 121 truckloads of ’surplus property’ that FEMA (still doing a heckuva job) didn’t realize people still might need. FEMA officials eventually did send some of it back to Louisiana.

But — because it’s not fair to blame only FEMA —

FEMA Administrator David Paulison on Sunday defended the agency’s decision, telling CNN that Louisiana had been offered some of the stockpiles, but that state officials had declined the goods. (CNN)

Community outrage ensued.

Today CNN reports that articles destined for Mississippi victims were accepted by the state, but never distributed to the victims. Instead, loads of household goods went to state agencies, which were happy to receive new coffeemakers, pillowmakers, cleaning supplies, and other such basic items. (CNN)

CNN’s investigation showed that Mississippi was one of the 16 states that took the FEMA supplies, but it did not distribute them to Katrina victims.

Jim Marler, director of Mississippi’s surplus agency, failed to return repeated phone calls over several months to explain what happened.

Agency spokeswoman Kym Wiggins said, "There may be a need, but we were not notified that there was a great need for this particular property." (emphasis added)

As critic said, ‘"You would have to be living under a rock not to know there is still a need."’(CNN)

So how did the surplus agency fail to notice this?

Wiggins said that nonprofit organizations must meet federal guidelines and register with the state and that no such groups helping the needy or homeless were registered with Mississippi’s surplus agency.

"There is no specific designation outside of a disaster period that says we have to have sustained properties going to
the disaster area," Wiggins said. (emphasis added)

CNN interviewed the leaders of eight nonprofits helping Katrina victims at a Biloxi, Mississippi, church used as a staging area for community groups. All said they had no idea these items were available, and most had no idea the surplus agency existed.(CNN)

Do you wonder if, after all this time, people who suffered loss during the hurricane really do still need these supplies? Look no further.

As I said, that’s one kind of problem.

A colleague of mine has been chronicling the bungling of Katrina off and on for quite some time. Here’s a sampling of pieces that address the ongoing, endless tragedy of Hurricane Katrina — the tragedy of the wealthiest nation in the world, populated mainly by generous people, tragically and massively failing to get the job done.

Some of the story is about communication failures as seen above, but there is also another angle: the struggle to get for-profit companies hired by the government to do its job to deliver the promised goods at the promised price.

It’s easy to get the impression, and some people have this impression, that there’s no point in any sort of government ’safety net’ or welfare because those programs never do any good anyway. I’d urge those who think this to look not at the outcome — which, as Katrina illustrates — is all too sadly true, but at how we get there.

The money is there and it doesn’t just disappear down a black hole. Contrary to belief, it’s not all lining the pockets of bureaucrats or lazy people who don’t want to work

Quite a lot of it is lining the vaults of a few companies who have had huge helpings of our — that is, your and my — tax dollars but who have not in fact delivered, or been compelled to deliver, on their promises. Some of them got these contracts as a result of their influence over certain officials who had a say in who and how many for-profit businesses get to feed at the government trough.

In addition, some of it is being spent by those administering the funds for inexplicable purposes or being used to pay ridiculous sums for goods and services that could be procured at much less cost to taxpayers.

And then there is just plain old inefficiency and red tape as well, often due to the fact that everyone hates ‘big government’, so the government doesn’t have enough competent people to administer its programs. Maybe the solution is fewer and better bureaucrats or maybe we really do need more people with contract management and oversight experience at management levels. .

Here are some of the low points of Katrina’s aftermath, as chronicled by my colleague:

New Orleans Still Suffering After 2 Years & Billions of Tax Dollars (August 15. 2007) Yes, where did all those tax dollars go and why didn’t they make anything better?

Katrina Tax Breaks Go Toward Luxury Condos in Alabama (August 20, 2007)

She wrote:

Last week, we learned about slow progress in rebuilding New Orleans and protecting the city from future storms (Time and BN-Politics).
Today, I found an article (Aug. 13) about abuse of tax incentives by investors seeking to give college football fans luxurious places to crash during ‘Bama games:

Hurricane Katrina’s Second Anniversary Compels Cynicism (August 30, 2007)

Cynicism is understandable, given the current state affairs in the Big Easy:

"Only two-thirds of the pre-Katrina population of New Orleans has returned to the city, and storm damage remains visible. Only 40 percent of the city’s public school students have returned, although sales tax receipts have climbed to 84 percent of pre-storm levels" (WaPo).

Last week, we learned that not enough money was alloted to rebuilding the gulf region and that much of what was alloted hasn’t even been spent yet — i.e., the money hasn’t made it to the people who really need it.. ..

Post-Katrina Aid: Not Enough, Not Going Where Needed (August 24, 2007):

Last week, we learned that investors are using tax breaks meant to encourage post-Hurricane-Katrina rebuilding to provide luxury condos for ‘Bama Tide football fans. A week before that, Time Magazine ran a series of articles indicating that two years and billions of dollars after Katrina, New Orleans is still not ready for another hurricane.

Today, Alternet cited an Institute for Southern Studies report indicating that not enough money was budgeted for post-Katrina rebuilding, and some of the money is sitting somewhere but not getting to the people who need it.

FEMA: Poor Management or Corruption? (November 16, 2007)

Judge for yourself. Not that the two are mutually exclusive. My colleague wrote:

In one case, FEMA spent $229,000 on contracts to support one family in a single trailer for one year. Wouldn’t it have been more cost effective to build a modest house? Today’sWashington Post reports:

"By not awarding work to contractors with the lowest bids, FEMA misspent $16 million, said the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s [non-partisan] audit arm. The agency misspent an additional $15 million on inspections that it could not prove were performed, preventive maintenance for which contractors falsified documents, and emergency repairs on trailers that FEMA did not own….

"The GAO report listed numerous examples of rigged bids and overpayments. In one case, FEMA could have spent $32.5 million instead of $48.2 million if it had awarded maintenance work to the five low-bid vendors instead of to all 10 pre-selected contractors, according to the report…."

"After FEMA paid a company $1.8 million to clean septic systems for a 61-trailer site, the contractor pocketed $1.5 million in profit and paid $300,000 to a subcontractor to do the work. FEMA did not exercise an option it had to reassign the work to a cheaper company.

"FEMA also awarded maintenance contracts to two companies that falsified bid proposals, shared pricing information, and had the same people serving as president and operating officer. In another case, a FEMA officer awarded a $4 million contract for paving a trailer site, which GAO said could have been done for $800,000, one-fifth the cost." (Washington Post)

Supreme Court Backs Insurance Companies Against Katrina Victims (Feb. 20, 2008)

Bush Administration Still Bungling the Katrina-Rebuilding Effort (March 31, 2008)
A note on this Newsday story.

Katrina Contractor Indicted (May 18, 2007)

It’s the only case of criminal wrongdoing that the Justice Department has prosecuted so far relating to New Orleans levee work. I wonder why. Given the confluence of motives and opportunity, surely the rebuilding of levees in New Orleans is rife with illegal acts….

Naturally, this story is a reminder of other abuses (or crimes) stemming from the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding of the Gulf states. Remember when FEMA rushed to buy 150,000 trailers via no-bid contracts to house Hurricane Katrina victims? Many of those trailers were uninhabitable: some were tainted with formaldehyde….

Back in November, we learned of the following abuses (or crimes):

- FEMA spent $229,00 on contracts to support one family in a trailer

- FEMA mis-spent $16 million by engaging in rigged bids for contractors

- FEMA didn’t bother overseeing contractors to prevent waste or fraud….

In 2006, the House Oversight Committee produced a report stating that 19 contracts worth $9 billion were "plagued by waste, fraud, abuse or mismangement." Some examples from the report:

- FEMA paid $3 million for 4,000 "camp beds" that were never used

- Employees used FEMA credit cards for odd purchases like:

$8,000 for a 63-inch plasma TV

* $63,000 for 20,000 pairs of dog booties

* $??? for 20 boats at twice retail price, only 8 are in FEMA’s records.

Katrina dog ordered to be returned to New Orleans woman

2008-06-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

A cocker spaniel rescued from Hurricane Katrina and adopted by an Austin woman has been ordered to be returned to a New Orleans woman who said the dog was hers.

Texas Third Court of Appeals Justice Diane Henson issued the ruling Friday, the Austin American-Statesman reported in its online edition.

Tiffany Madura adopted the black dog, now at least 11 years old, in the fall of 2005 and named it Hope. The dog was rescued from a shelter outside New Orleans after the hurricane.

In May 2006, Shalanda Augillard filed a lawsuit in Hays County District Court that said Hope's real name is Jazz and that it belongs to her.

In July 2007, a judge awarded the dog to Madura. Friday's ruling reverses that decision, and Henson wrote in an opinion that the judge based his decision on "legally insufficient" evidence.

Insectarium makes New Orleans a family destination

2008-06-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Spend any time in the Audubon Insectarium and its intended purpose will be immediately clear. From the venus fly trap-inspired chandeliers, to the pit of scorpions, to the cockroach-filled cabinet, the museum is an interactive celebration of bugs.

"No one is doing bugs and insects in our Disney-like way that's educational, but also entertainment," said Ron Forman, the Audubon Nature Institute president and chief executive officer. "What the Insectarium does is bring a new world-class entertainment venue to New Orleans."

However, Forman and others are also hopeful that it will bring the world to New Orleans. The Insectarium -- when it opens Friday -- will be the first new major tourist attraction to open in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, a fact that has the hospitality industry buzzing in anticipation. There is particular excitement surrounding the opportunity to promote a new venue to families, a segment of the city's leisure travel market that had been building before Katrina, but has been anemic since.

"It's going to get a lot of national attention to show that New Orleans is not only rebuilding, but is also building new attractions," Foreman said. "It shows that we're much more confident in our city."

Before Katrina, the industry had been making strides toward establishing itself as a family travel destination. In March of 2005, an online poll conducted by Yahoo! Travel and National Geographic Traveler Magazine ranked New Orleans first in the nation for family vacation destinations. Back then, the city sported family friendly attractions including the Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the America's, the Children's Museum, the D-Day Museum and Six Flags New Orleans. Odyssey's Shipwreck & Treasure Adventure, an interactive museum, opened two days before the storm hit.

There had even been talk of developing a water park on the roof of the downtown Hyatt Regency New Orleans Hotel.

The Hyatt and Six Flags have not reopened since the storm. The shipwreck museum closed after reopening for six months. And the city has become a tougher sell to families with children because of parents' concern about bringing kids here, industry officials said.

"After the storm, we did take hits. People didn't know if it was safe for families, if it was healthy for families," said Mary Beth Romig, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Those kinds of concerns can certainly put a damper on your reputation as a destination for families. We have been slow to recover in that market."

The family market is one of the most desired. About a quarter of the trips taken in the United States have a child in tow, according to the Travel Industry Association. Before Katrina, families made up about 16 percent of the travelers to New Orleans. Current figures are unavailable, said Lea Sinclair, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corp. But industry officials agree that, like everything else, it has declined.

At the Marriott, family travel is "coming back" said Gil Zanchi, general manager of the Marriott New Orleans Hotel, but the Insectarium could be the bee's knees, presenting an opportunity to make a stronger case for it nationwide. The Marriott, located less than a mile from the Insectarium, already is advertising a "We Love Bugs!" family getaway, which for a special rate includes tickets to the Insectarium and breakfast for four. The hotel's press release promises a "creepy crawling experience for mom, dad and the kids."

"From a hotel standpoint, we view it as another avenue to bring more (leisure) tourists to the city," Zanchi said. "I think it's a huge opportunity for the city to promote itself."

Weylan Rhame, general manger of the Astor Crowne Plaza, said the hotel hasn't yet put together package deals but sees the opening of the Insectarium as a way to bring in new guests.

"It gives us something positive to speak about and certainly is another demand driver," Rhame said. "We're going to promote it."

It is quite common for one new venue to spark a wave of interest in and travel to a city, said Bridget Bordelon, an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans' Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism.

"Attractions are the reason why people travel," Bordelon said. "When we think about destinations that are in fierce competition it comes down to what they offer. When a city can offer a unique quality attraction that helps put us on the map."

The Insectarium, the only one of its kind in the United States, does that, Bordelon said.

Although the museum will likely attract all types of visitors, the visiting family is particularly important to the city, especially now because it takes place in the summer, a notoriously slow time for the hospitality industry. The summer months, which occur after festival season winds down and before convention season begins, are when most families with children vacation. The museum's June opening is therefore timely, Zanchi and others said.

To make sure that the opportunity isn't wasted, the New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corp., in addition to including the museum in its summer advertising campaign, is hosting eight journalists on a familiarization tour next week. It will include a visit to the Insectarium and hopefully drum up new support for travel to New Orleans, Sinclair said.

"The Insectarium is going to be a huge, huge tool for us in trying to attract families," Sinclair said. "It will be absolutely top on our list this year so that we can get families back."

Clay County group spends spring break helping Katrina victims

2008-05-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

The words “spring break” generally conjure images of sun, sand, water and a lot of money.

So it was for about 60 Clay County residents this year, but not the way most would think.

“It was humbling is what it was,” remarked Clay City High School junior Levi Seymour of his participation in the group’s recent relief work outside New Orleans in Waveland, Miss. The group was there helping Hurricane Katrina victims still salvaging their communities nearly three years after the violent storm.

Susan Rhodes, a Clay City High School teacher and organizer of the volunteer relief effort said members of the school’s Youth Mission Team joined up with both their school’s and Northview High School’s Bible Clubs, as well as several area churches to take 40 students, 23 adults and about $5,000 down south on their vacation March 21-29.

“It was crazy just seeing the difference,” Seymour said, noting he went on a mission trip to the same area last year and was impressed by the progress made since then.

Rhodes, who went shortly after the hurricane struck and has been back an additional five times, said, “If you’ve never gone before, you’d be amazed by the devastation. If you’ve been there you’d be amazed by the rebuild.”

The group went in conjunction with the DreamFuel Center in Waveland, a small town located on the coast of southern Mississippi about 10 miles from where the eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Recovery volunteers are housed in a facility known as “Camp Salvage,” a former food warehouse which has been converted into living and work quarters from which volunteers help rebuild the homes and lives of people affected by the storms.

The tropical storm known as Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas Aug. 23, 2005, moving across Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, before picking up speed and power over the Gulf of Mexico. By Aug. 29, New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast lay in waste under water.

According to a media release from Camp Salvage, there wasn’t a single structure left standing or undamaged in Waveland or neighboring communities when Katrina’s winds, sustained between 120 and 145 mph with gusts up to 200 mph, tore through the area.

“We’ve seen the most incredible resiliency here,” said Betty Patecek, head of the Office of Public Relations for the City of Waveland and an adviser for Camp Salvage. “But the need is still great. We have one family that has been living in a moldy mobile home since Katrina. And that story is not unique. Many families still do not have permanent homes.”

Rhodes said other buildings which used to house businesses have been converted into relief centers, and will most likely be used as such for another decade.

“I thought it was awesome to go down there and help people,” said Clay City freshman Ashley Seymour, Levi’s sister, who joined him and their father Brad on the trip.

Ashley said she finally learned what “money laundering” really means.

“They actually washed it in water,” she said.

During the storm, banks, homes and stores were under water, rendering the paper currency filthy. To make it usable again required washing it by hand, she said.

Koby Rhodes, Susan’s eighth-grade son, was another of the students on-hand for the work, and described it as “fun.”

“I was on a different job every day,” he said.

His mother pointed out that the project “gives them a hunger for wanting to help people.”

Susan noted that the things people take for granted were destroyed in the storm — such as pet shelters, baseball diamonds, playgrounds and parks.

And when two-thirds of the population simply left the region, it left those remaining with a lot of work and empty buildings.

“The wildlife is just now starting to return,” Susan said, describing the birds and other animals which have returned to the area.

Trash still lines the streets as the thousands of abandoned houses are gutted, demolished or rebuilt. But still, progress slow as it seems, is being made, she said.

“It’s better now,” she said, careful to add that the ruins are still in desperate need of work and those efforts will likely take years.

But in the meantime, a large part of the students’ efforts included handing out flowers and simply talking to the survivors, offering them a sense that people want to help them and that they’ve not been forgotten.

The Clay City Youth Mission Team conducts a number of annual projects, such as building Thanksgiving baskets and adopting children in Haiti, Susan said.

“They’re a very active group. We have several things going on each year,” she said, adding “any student can join.”

The group will return to Camp Salvage this fall and is open to more volunteers, she said.

“They’ve kind of adopted us down there,” she said.

Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com

Does FEMA need more power?

2008-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

When the next hurricane threatens to strike, how will you get the news? For that matter, will you survive? Some want to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency even more authority over disaster response than it already has, even while it struggles to modernize the country’s emergency alert system.

FEMA has gotten a virtual free pass for the last two years; since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans down in August 2005, there have been no hurricanes or other disasters of any comparable size.

Yet some claim that FEMA’s failures in responding to Katrina derive from it not having enough power under the law to accomplish its mission. Senate lawmakers are currently drafting legislation to update the Stafford Act of 1988, under which FEMA has responsibility for disaster response, which Senate staffers say does not cover catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina.

Mitchell Moss, the Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at New York University and an investigator at the center, said of the Stafford Act, “Despite good intentions, it doesn’t work. Congress is always having to work around its limits.”

Among the limitations Moss cited, the law caps federal loans to state and local governments to offset lost tax revenue following a disaster at $5 million — a wholly inadequate figure. In 2002 and 2003, for example, New York City lost nearly $3 billion in tax revenues following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. After Katrina struck, New Orleans had to lay off almost half of its workforce — about 3,000 employees — because the city didn’t have enough cash to pay them (the law allowed the federal government to reimburse the city for employee overtime, but not for the salaries themselves).

Not only did the city face overwhelming devastation, but with its tax base destroyed it had no way to pay employees when it needed them most, Moss said.

In addition, the law prohibits federal assistance to utilities except if those utilities are publicly owned or nonprofit. This was an impediment to New Orleans regaining phone service after Katrina because in the lawless interlude that followed, BellSouth could not provide security for employees needed to maintain service, and the federal government was prohibited from assisting, Moss said. Utility workers should be considered “emergency responders” in the aftermath of a disaster or catastrophic event, he added. — Government Executive

Nowhere in the discussions, unfortunately, is any mention made of the real reason why so many people suffered and died in New Orleans. FEMA forced them to suffer and allowed them to die by, among other things, keeping out rescue workers and relief supplies, not knowing what they’re doing, and tying victims up in red tape. Oh, did I mention wasting taxpayer money?

It gets better. President Bush in 2006 ordered the Department of Homeland Security to modernize the nation’s emergency alert system, and DHS gave the task over to FEMA. Two years later we’ve seen nothing but the occasional prototype and pilot project and a whole lot of talk, but the so-called Integrated Public Alert and Warning System is no closer to reality.

The House Homeland Security subcommittee on emergency communications, preparedness and response held hearings Wednesday on the state of the IPAWS system, with subcommittee chairman Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) calling for FEMA to explain why it hasn’t fully implemented the executive order.

“We cannot do everything at once so later this year we are rolling out the first increment to support digital alerts,” FEMA assistant administrator Martha Rainville said in written testimony. “Later on, we will roll out additional increments to support risk-based alerts, non-English language alerts and alerts for special-needs communities.”

The country’s existing Emergency Alert System is an audio and text only broadcast distributed over television and radio networks. The IPAWS system would “support audio, video, text and data messages sent to residential telephones, to Web sites, to pagers, to e-mail accounts and to cellphones,” Rainville said.

Of course, if you think those alerts are coming to your cell phone any time soon, think again. Rainville said that FEMA doesn’t have statutory authority to implement parts of the system.

In a Feb. 19 filing with the FCC, less than two months before the commission adopted technical rules for the commercial mobile alert system, Rainville said FEMA lacked statutory authority during non-emergency periods to be involved with critical components of the commercial mobile alert system, including aggregator and gateway functions as well as the trust model, when warnings are issued by non-federal agencies.

In the FCC’s commercial mobile alert ruling on April 9, Chairman Kevin Martin said it would have been better if a federal entity were in place to oversee alert aggregator and gateway functions. Commissioner Michael Copps was more critical of FEMA in his statement, triggering an angry response the following day.

“It is unfortunate that Commissioner Copps chose to question FEMA’s role and responsibility without first talking with the agency’s administrator before making his provocative comments,” said FEMA in a statement. The statement said Copps mischaracterized FEMA as an unwilling partner in the process to reform the nation’s public warning system. FEMA also accused Copps of failing to mention the FEMA’s apparent lack of clear legal authority during non-emergency periods to manage the commercial mobile alert system. — RCR Wireless News

The system uses the standards-based Common Alerting Protocol internally, but no provision has yet been made to provide the data to the public.

FEMA is the agency, some people think, that somehow needs more power and authority in order to respond effectively to disasters. It seems that they’ve misused the power and authority they already had. Giving them more power and control simply will mean more misuse of power, more widespread impact of erroneous emergency messages, and more disaster victims needlessly suffering and dying.

The bitter irony of Hurricane Katrina is that fewer people would have died and New Orleans would have recovered more quickly if the federal government had not responded in any way.

Don’t you feel safe now? You shouldn’t. Forget about Homeland Security and get yourself and your family really ready for the next disaster. And stay tuned to Homeland Stupidity where storm information is posted in the sidebar each hurricane season.

Recovery chief visits the Coast

2008-05-10T05:11:00.000-07:00

Retired U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Doug O'Dell, coordinator of Federal Support for the Recovery and Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, said the region's recovery from Hurricane Katrina varies from community to community.

O'Dell, appointed by President Bush three weeks ago to take over for Donald Powell, met with government officials from Harrison and Hancock counties Thursday. He promised to visit Jackson County by the end of the month or mid-June, saying that scheduling and travel distances prevented him from venturing farther east before heading back to Washington, D.C.

"You can count on me getting into Jackson County sooner rather than later," O'Dell said in a phone interview this week.

O'Dell said one of his main duties is to determine if "the machinery of (federal) government is moving fast enough to meet the needs" of areas still recovering.

He said about $120 billion has been allocated for the Gulf Coast region and an additional $44 billion is being processed in Washington, D.C., before it is released. Jackson County has received $229 million in public-assistance funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to May 2 figures released by O'Dell's office.

Harrison County has received $1 billion in assistance funding and Hancock County has gotten $441 million.

Constant themes in his meetings Thursday, O'Dell said, included FEMA red tape for funding and the lack of affordable housing. He said he will take all the information he and his staff have gathered and present it to national leaders in Washington.

"We've got a lot of work to do," he said.

O'Dell was on the front lines when Katrina made landfall in New Orleans and for weeks afterward. There he commanded the 4th Marine Division, overseeing 2,700 military personnel who helped rescue and evacuate more than 2,000 civilians. The troops also provided more than 1 million pounds of essential cargo, and restored basic functions to more than 30 buildings, including churches, according to a news release.

Comparing recovery in New Orleans to Mississippi and Alabama is difficult, O'Dell said. He cited the prolonged flooding and standing waters that ravaged New Orleans for weeks to the quicker exit of water in Mississippi after much of the damage was done as one example of the different ways the hurricane affected the Coast.

He also pointed out that New Orleans was at the mercy of not only a levee breach but also aged infrastructure, compared to "more modern infrastructure" in Mississippi and Alabama.

"The farther west you go, the harder it's been to recover," he said.

O'Dell said a major aspect of his appointment is to ensure "a seamless transition" between Bush's administration and the next president's involvement.

"This is a long-term issue. Washington is aware of that, and so am I," he said. "The president charged me to get down here and get it done, and that's what I plan on doing."

MEMA Displays Miss. Cottage For Lawmakers

2008-04-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency set up a new modular home outside the state Capitol to show lawmakers where federal dollars for Katrina victims are going.

MEMA says more than 2,000 similar modular homes are in use on the coast right now.
Lexington Homes in Mississippi designed the mobile home after complaints about Formaldehyde emissions from FEMA trailers.

The model shown Wednesday was a two bedroom, one bath designed for physically disabled disaster victims. The modular homes are part of a pilot program to make safer, more livable homes for victims of natural disasters.

Archdiocese of New Orleans to close more parishes in Katrina aftermath

2008-04-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Calling it a “pivotal moment in the history of the archdiocese,” Archbishop of New Orleans Alfred C. Hughes announced on Wednesday a major reorganization of the archdiocese that will position to Church to improve despite a shortage of priests and a Catholic population diminished by Hurricane Katrina.

Seventeen of the parish communities, which were damaged by Katrina will be shut down while others in undamaged areas will also be closed or merged. This will result in a reduction of the number of parishes in the archdiocese from the pre-Katrina count of 141 to only 108, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Some of the churches to be closed are historic, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish where Louis Armstrong was baptized.

While some churches will be closed outright, others will be reduced in status to missions—second churches in a single parish where the sacraments can still be celebrated.

Population changes helped motivate the plan to reconfigure the archdiocese. At least 20 percent of the area’s 385,000 Catholics left after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. Many others were forced to move within the archdiocese.

The need to accommodate a declining number of priests was another factor driving the changes. According to figures released by the archdiocese, the number of active and retired diocesan and religious order priests fell from 545 to 334 between 1980 and 2008.

Financial concerns were also pressing. The uninsured damages to archdiocesan property totaled over $120 million. When asked about the archdiocese’s financial state, the archbishop said he hopes to end the fiscal year on June 30 in the black for the first time since the 2005 storm.

“The losses in the Katrina and post-Katrina experience have been a very difficult cross for the people to carry, and the last thing I want to do is to complicate that for people, Archbishop Hughes said, according to the archdiocesan newspaper The Clarion Herald.

“I know how much people look to the Lord, to his Church, and to their local churches for strength and support.

“My greatest concern was [what would happen] if we were to keep the status quo and diffuse the limited resources we now have in ways that focus on maintenance,” Archbishop Hughes continued. “This would lose sight of the God-given opportunity that is ours to make some sacrifices for the present so that the future may be built on a smaller foundation – smaller but stronger.”

Some parishioners at the parishes chosen to be closed have announced they will try to appeal Archbishop Hughes’ decision.

According to the Clarion Herald, the archbishop told the area’s Catholics, “I don’t claim infallibility with any decision.”

“Obviously, every decision is a prudential judgment, but the attempt has been honestly made to apply objective criteria with regard to the vitality of parishes.”

The archdiocese reportedly has no plan to sell any of the churches. According to the Times Picayune, Archbishop Hughes said he prefers to find another ministry-related use for them, followed by some civic use “for the common good,” with sale for commercial use left as a third option.

The archbishop also announced that no parochial schools will close, but neither will any open in the foreseeable future.

New Orleans Mayor Nagin Itemizes Twenty Important Facts About Katrina

2008-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Mayor of New Orleans has listed the 20 important facts about about the Recovery of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the Subsequent Flooding

Here is the listing:

20 Important Facts about the Recovery of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the Subsequent Flooding

MAGNITUDE OF DAMAGES

FACT: The City of New Orleans is undertaking a massive and historic rebuilding effort following the greatest natural and man-made disaster in American history.

FACT: Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed led to unprecedented damages for an American. Those damages include but are not limited to:

* 1,400 lives lost in Louisiana;

* Inundation of 80 percent of the city with 480 billion pounds of water that sat for nearly a month;

* Damage or complete destruction of 95 percent of the city's nearly 350 buildings, including the New Orleans Police Department Headquarters

* Loss of 700 city vehicles at a cost of $128 million;

* Hundreds of miles of underground utilities -- electric, gas, water, drainage, cable and phone lines - damaged.

* Residential damages of $14 billion in Orleans Parish. Of the city's 188,251 occupied housing units, 134,344 sustained reportable damage, and 105,155 were severely damaged.

PLANNING FOR RECOVERY

FACT: Mayor Nagin began planning for recovery immediately following Hurricane Katrina, convening the Bring New Orleans Back Commission just 30 days after the storm made landfall.

FACT: Planning for recovery continued with the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP), an effort that included unprecedented civic involvement by thousands of residents both at home and displaced. UNOP planning culminated in January 2007.

FACT: The Target Areas Strategy Plan, focusing initial recovery resources on 17 "target areas" or neighborhoods, is designed as an implementation tool for UNOP, the people's plan. Dr. Edward Blakely announced the Target Areas Strategy Plan in March 2007.

RECOVERY FUNDING

FACT: The Louisiana Recovery Authority approved the City's plan in June 2007, making New Orleans the first locale to have its plan approved. This approval made the City eligible to receive $117 million in recovery funds. The City of New Orleans received final approval for these recovery funds in November 2007.

FACT: Despite delays in access to federal funding, Mayor Nagin, working with the City Council, began making repairs to critical infrastructure, focusing on public safety facilities such as the Criminal District Court and the New Orleans Police Department Headquarters. Borrowing money from various other departments, the City invested more than $38 million in priority facilities.

FACT: In order to provide the City of New Orleans access to rebuilding dollars while awaiting approval of other money, the Louisiana Legislature, during the 2007 legislative session, created a $200 million revolving loan fund for use by the City of New Orleans. Those funds became available in Fall 2007.

IMPLEMENTATION

FACT: The City of New Orleans is slated to undertake rebuilding projects valued at more than $1 billion. More than $363 million is planned in street and road repairs alone.

FACT: The City of New Orleans has more than 200 recovery projects underway. These include sites such as parks and playgrounds, building structures such as police stations, fire houses and cultural facilities such as the Mahalia Jackson Center for the Performing Arts. There also are separate roof replacement or repair projects.

FACT: Mayor Nagin has hosted 27 One New Orleans community meetings focused on recovery throughout the city.

FACT: Target areas are supported by facilities prioritized for recovery and currently underway, such as police and fire stations. On average, these critical projects are less than one mile from target area boundaries, making them critical in support of public safety and quality of life.

FACT: Target Areas are high visibility sites with sufficient land and other assets for development. They also have adequate resources, such as schools, libraries, etc. Target areas are supported by facilities prioritized for recovery, such as police and fire stations.

FACT: Target Areas have varying levels of need and are categorized accordingly. Renew areas require relatively modest investment, whereas Redevelop areas have some resources but still need major redevelopment. Rebuild areas were most severely devastated in terms of physical structure and social networks and will require major rebuilding and significant public and private investment in order to recover.

FACT: In November 2007, Mayor Nagin introduced the Product Delivery Unit (PDU) concept in his budget address to the City Council. The PDU was established following two years of negotiation with FEMA to have these project management services recognized as reimbursable.

FACT: Projects are being managed by the PDU, an innovative approach established to streamline the planning and approval processes that govern building projects. Key decision makers are represented in the PDU and make collective actions and approvals.

FACT: Out of a pool of 50 architectural and engineering firms, 32 firms have been assigned 61 recovery projects. These 61 projects include fire stations, fire houses, EMS facilities, playgrounds and parks, senior centers and other public infrastructure.

FACT: Although FEMA will return a building to its pre-storm status, Mayor Nagin has committed to rebuilding better than before. For example, the Mahalia Jackson Center for the Performing Arts, which is slated for completion later this year, will have new, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems and the capacity to quickly adapt to various types of functions, from the opera one night, to a ballet the next and a movie the third. It will be on par with the country's best facilities.

FACT: The City recently held groundbreaking events for road projects on Robert E. Lee Drive, Fleur de Lis Drive and Cardenas, Papania, Adele, and Fulton Streets in New Orleans East. The city also began its first lift pavement program in February 2007 in Algiers to manage and control pavement settlement. In October 2007, Public Works began the first roadway repairs as part of the FEMA public assistance program in West End and in Gentilly; these projects were completed by February 2008.

FACT: According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the population of New Orleans is now 70.1 percent of pre-Katrina, or 322,000 residents.

Local Builders Face Off in Support of Habitat for Humanity

2008-03-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

Weeklong Build-Off Broadcast Live by Assist-2-Sell at www.hellophilly.tv
The 2nd Annual Devon Builders Competition kicked off on March 24 at the Devon Horse Show Grounds in Devon, Pa. Sponsored by St. John’s Presbyterian Church, this weeklong “build-off” pits five teams of home builders against each other as they race to see who can build a house the fastest. All of the houses will be shipped to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Competition begins at 9 a.m. Monday-Friday through March 28, and concludes on March 29 with an awards ceremony. Live and archived broadcasts of the event are available at www.hellophilly.tv.

Each day, a new team constructs a 1,200 square foot house frame based on a common plan. When finished, the houses will be disassembled, packed into a truck and shipped to the Baton Rouge, La., area. The houses will then be reassembled by Habitat for Humanity.

So far, the time to beat is two hours and 36 minutes. That’s how long it took Lexington Home Construction to finish their house on Tuesday. Other teams participating in the event include St. John's Presbyterian Church, Martin Cappelletti Builders, Fairfield Builders/Steve Smith Carpentry and The Weaver Company.

Carl Friedel, owner/broker of the Wayne, Pa., Assist-2-Sell office, is broadcasting the build-off live each morning. Viewers from anywhere in the world can watch the Devon Builders Competition and see the houses being built in real time. Simply visit www.hellophilly.tv and click on “My Live Webcasts.”

“I offered to broadcast this event live because I wanted to spread the word and let people from all over participate in this great cause. Families will be living in these houses this summer, which is really exciting,” said Friedel.

Participants of the Devon Builders Competition are also raising money for their local Habitat for Humanity, and St. John’s Presbyterian Church is accepting donations on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

Carl Friedel opened Assist-2-Sell Personal Choice Real Estate in Wayne, Pa., in October 2003. Assist-2-Sell, North America’s Leading Discount Real Estate Company, provides home sellers with full brokerage services for a low, flat fee, saving consumers more than $800 million in commission.* Home buyers also have access to a full range of services, including Assist-2-Sell’s exclusive listings databases. All brokers and agents are fully licensed and REALTORS®. On the Net: www.pcr2.com and www.hellophilly.tv.

* Savings based on statistics since January 1, 2000, for all Assist-2-Sell offices in North America compared to paying six percent commission. Six percent used for comparison purposes only. Commissions may be negotiable and are not fixed by law.

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Editors: High res photos available upon request. E-mail carl@pcr2.com. Carl Friedel is also available for interviews and can provide additional information about the Devon Builders Competition, Assist-2-Sell and online video broadcast technology. Call (610) 995-2570 or e-mail carl@pcr2.com.

Katrina still reverberates as La. votes

2008-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Voters in two Louisiana congressional districts — one that is highly competitive and one that is not — will go to the polls Saturday to begin the process of filling vacancies in the U.S. House of Representatives and the effects of Hurricane Katrina will be on their minds.

In the state's 1st District, the winner of a four-candidate Republican primary almost certainly will succeed Bobby Jindal, who was elected governor last October and vacated a Republican-leaning district in and near New Orleans that hasn't been represented by a Democrat in more than 30 years.

But a much more competitive contest is expected in the state's 6th District in and around Baton Rouge, where Richard H. Baker resigned Feb. 2 to take a private sector position.

Saturday's vote may not immediately produce nominees because large candidate fields in three of the four major-party primaries make it difficult for the front-running candidates to capture the overall vote majorities needed to claim outright victories.

If runoff elections between the top two vote-getters are needed, they will be held on April 5, followed by the special general election on May 3. If runoff elections are not required, the special general election will be held April 5.

Challenges Remain for N.O.

2008-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS — A year after saying he hoped to bring 10,000 jobs to New Orleans to help rebuild the Hurricane Katrina-battered middle class, the head of President Bush's storm recovery office said he's letting regional business leaders take the lead on the push to attract the types of jobs they want.

Also, an effort to get major financial groups to invest in housing here has apparently stalled amid concerns with the weakening U.S. economy.

Still, Donald Powell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, said he believes the city is on a path to come back better than it was before Katrina, when it was plagued by poverty, poor schools and crime.

Reforms in the public school system and work to strengthen the levees point in this direction, he said.

Considerable work remains, though, 29 months after Katrina, Powell told The Associated Press in pledging the federal government's support in areas where it has direct responsibility _ the levees, cutting bureaucracy, recreating public housing _ and with quality of life issues in which it wants to see improvements _ health care, education, jobs creation and criminal justice.

"I think you need to keep the focus on continuing to get the job done, and that's what our job is about," he said.

Powell disagreed with Mayor Ray Nagin's assertion that 2008 will be a tipping point in New Orleans' recovery from the levee breaches that put most of the city under water and left behind massive destruction.

The recovery seems to have entered a new phase, with Nagin and other local officials who had decried the pace of federal aid saying money is starting to flow more freely and that the responsibility now falls on them to put it to smart use.

Powell said he's "terribly encouraged" by the level of civic involvement and sees an abundance of economic opportunities for those willing to invest.

Powell said $11.5 billion in claims have been paid out by private insurers in Louisiana, and the federal government has set aside billions of dollars in aid for rebuilding homes and infrastructure.

"Business people, capital, has choices. But I think clearly there is a spirit in America that they want to see this area thrive, and they want to see it be better than it was pre-Katrina," Powell said.

Financial commitments have been made since the storm, he said, pointing to the recent leasing of a sales office for a high-end residential high rise planned by developer Donald Trump.

Last April, Powell said he had met with members of the Financial Services Roundtable, which represents 100 of the nation's largest financial groups, to discuss a housing investment program for New Orleans. That's still an option, but the current U.S. economic situation has left the group with other "tough issues," he said.

Powell, who last January said his office was working on a plan to talk 100 of the country's top companies into bringing 100 jobs each to the city, said recently he still hoped "we could get there."

But he said any jobs program must be pegged to the long-term goals of the area.

An analysis done for Greater New Orleans Inc., a regional economic development group, found four target industries that could help change the area's economy: advanced aerospace and defense manufacturing; energy, petrochemicals and plastics; creative media and design; and international trade, logistics and distribution, a sector that would trade in part on the Port of New Orleans, Mississippi River and the city's proximity to Latin America.

While economic development was a perennial topic long before Katrina, Pamela Meyer, director of business development for Greater New Orleans Inc., said public officials and business leaders in south Louisiana are coming together "stronger than I've ever seen" to try to create "a more progressive economy."

The city touts at least two of the sectors, international trade and digital media, as focal points for diversifying an economy that now relies heavily on tourism.

Powell said there had to be consensus on priorities and "frankly, it's taken a little longer than I wanted it to take." The federal government, he said, will provide whatever help it can to help grow the economy and "push and shove to get this thing going."

The analysis notes infrastructure and work force challenges. One of the biggest problems facing the city is providing housing affordable enough for workers _ particularly for low- to middle-income families. The cost of living soared here after Katrina, with rents a chief complaint.

Meyer did not know what it would take, in total investment, to fully implement plans for each sector.

Powell declined to cite benchmarks he'd like to see reached in the area's recovery this year.

Gulf Watch: FEMA begins closing Katrina trailer parks while affordable housing fight drags on

2007-12-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

There are reports of confusion and anger at FEMA trailer parks today over the agency's unclear policy on the parks' future.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported that a number of the parks would be closing today as part of the effort to move residents into permanent housing. But now the agency is saying that the parks will stay open as long as there are residents who have not found apartments or houses to rent, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. That has upset some trailer residents like Celeste Jackson, who packed up her belongings yesterday despite not having anywhere to go.

FEMA officials said the agency passed out fliers two months ago notifying residents of the pending closing and encouraging them to contact their FEMA case workers. However, only some residents responded, according to a FEMA spokesperson.

The agency has said that it wants all the Katrina parks closed by the end of next May. But concerns remain about where the more than 6,000 households still living in those parks will go, given the dearth of affordable housing in New Orleans, where fair-market rents have risen 45 percent since the storm.

Meanwhile, the state's political leaders remain at an impasse over legislation that would boost the number of affordable housing units available for displaced people who want to return to New Orleans and other Gulf communities.

As we've reported here previously, the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) had the support of the entire state's delegation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- until September, when HUD and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) suddenly withdrew their backing. Vitter has incorrectly accused the bill of attempting to re-create New Orleans' troubled public housing complexes exactly as they were before Hurricane Katrina, when in fact it allows those complexes to be torn down and replaced by either subsidized public housing, partially subsidized units, or vouchers to offset rent in privately owned housing.

There's been much speculation over Vitter's sudden about-face on the measure, especially since he's been reluctant to disclose his objections in much detail. A story about the controversy in the latest Congressional Quarterly Weekly offers partisan politics as one explanation for his actions:

...[P]olitical experts say the senatorial flap is not unexpected, given Louisiana's rough-and-tumble politics and Vitter and Landrieu's chilly relationship. Landrieu is up for re-election next year and has emerged as the GOP's top target among incumbent senators, in part because of the state's rightward shift in recent elections.

"The fact that Mary Landrieu is widely identified as the most vulnerable Democrat coming into the next election cycle, you certainly don't want to give her big victories in helping the state," said Kirby Goidel, a professor of political science at Louisiana State University. "He probably feels safe enough to hold it up as long as it's not too obviously political and he has some policy-related cover. He's a pretty hardball political player."

The story notes that political insiders have pretty much given up on any chance of Vitter's support, and the bill probably can't move without his approval. If the only victims of the senator's obstinacy were his low-income constituents, we could almost understand his cold political calculus. But what makes Vitter's position particularly puzzling is that he's also bucking business groups like the Chamber for Southwest Louisiana and Greater New Orleans Inc., who recognize that the region's reconstruction is imperiled by workers' inability to find affordable housing.

MegaMeeting.com Enables Students and Master Jazz Instructors to Meet Face-to-Face Across International Borders

2007-09-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Through the use of MegaMeeting.com's browser based web and video conferencing services Mike Gellar, owner of Mike's Master Classes has discovered how to implement and benefit from the technology which is essential for the success of his business.

Mike's Master Classes is a centralized source for studying with great Jazz Masters from around the world. This unique, on-line workshop format makes it possible for students to learn from different Masters and network with other musicians around the world from the comfort and convenience of their own home, or anywhere they are with a computer and a high-speed internet connection. Just as well, the Masters can be located anywhere, even on tour, and still provide this valuable service.

“I am hosting live, on-line, interactive Jazz Master Classes – where Master and student musicians from around the world can come together. The Master is broadcasting the audio and video for the most part, and students are typing questions via the Chat function,” explained Mike Gellar. “While this is new technology for how I am using it, and quite challenging, MegaMeeting is putting forth the extra effort to make this work – it really is a first!” continued Gellar.

The specific features of MegaMeeting that Mike's Master Classes implements most often are the video conferencing capabilities that allow students to see the Master demonstrate how to play a particular instrument, the built-in audio (VoIP) function which allows students to hear the Master playing the notes, and the Chat function.

One of the main reasons Mike's Master Classes chose MegaMeeting over other web and video conferencing systems was due to MegaMeeting having the best synchronization, as well as the ease of use since there is no need for students and Masters to download software.

About MegaMeeting.com

MegaMeeting.com is a leading provider of 100% browser-based Video & Web Conferencing solutions, complete with real time audio and video capabilities. Being browser based and working on all major operating systems – Windows, Mac & Linux; MegaMeeting.com provides universal access without the need to download, install or configure software. MegaMeeting.com web conferencing products and services include powerful collaboration tools that accommodate robust Video & Web Conferences, including advanced features such as desktop/application sharing, i.e. Word and Excel documents and PowerPoint presentations without the need to upload any files. MegaMeeting is ideal for multi-location web based meetings, virtual classrooms, employee trainings, product demonstrations, company orientation, customer support, product launches and much more.

For more information please visit MegaMeeting.com or call (952) 955-6346

Grand Jury Won’t Indict Doctor in Hurricane Deaths

2007-07-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS, July 24 — A grand jury Tuesday refused to indict a doctor accused of killing four elderly patients in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, ending a case that inflamed public opinion here, turned the doctor into something of a folk hero and demoralized an already-shaken medical community.

The doctor, Anna M. Pou, had been a respected medical professor on the staff of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. The Orleans Parish grand jury cleared her of accusations that she had deliberately injected the critically ill patients with a lethal combination of morphine and another drug in a sweltering hospital that had been without power for days after the storm. Charges against two nurses accused of assisting her had earlier been dropped in exchange for their testimony for the prosecution.

Dr. Pou, 51, has maintained her innocence since her arrest a year ago. Medical ethicists have said that at the very least the accusation of homicide against her raised difficult questions of what constituted appropriate treatment during a crisis; some said charges should never have been brought against her.

On Tuesday the American Medical Association released a statement praising the grand jury’s decision.

Trembling and tearful at a news conference, Dr. Pou said she had been through a “very challenging and painful” time and now planned to resume her practice after teaching for the last year. Describing how she had received the news, she said she was “at home with my husband and I fell to my knees and thanked God.”

She declined to discuss precisely what happened at the hospital after the hurricane, citing pending civil suits against her by three of the patients’ families. In previous television interviews she has said that she had simply tried to make patients at the hospital “comfortable.”

Attorney General Charles Foti of Louisiana, who had ordered Dr. Pou and two nurses, Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, to be arrested last year on charges of second-degree murder, defended the case Tuesday, saying independent expert pathologists had reviewed it favorably before it was brought.

“I regret their decision,” Mr. Foti said of the grand jurors, while criticizing the district attorney’s office for not calling on certain witnesses to testify.

But the district attorney in New Orleans, Eddie Jordan, told reporters, “I agreed with the grand jury.”

From the beginning the case has transcended the simple accusation of murder, coming to encapsulate for many here the horrific conditions and choices that prevailed in the days after the storm — and particularly on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, the day the deaths occurred, and the last day before large-scale help arrived in New Orleans.

The temperature at Memorial Medical Center was over 100 degrees, five feet of water lapped its lower floors, patients were dying, and Dr. Pou and the nurses were among the few medical professionals who had stayed behind to confront the hurricane’s aftermath at its worst flash point — the hospitals.

Patients had to be squeezed through a hole and carried up many flights of stairs to the roof to be airlifted out. There were at least 34 deaths at Memorial as patients and doctors waited to be rescued from the marooned hospital.

Those circumstances, acutely recalled by citizens here, quickly turned public opinion — as measured by letters to the editor, blogs, call-in shows and even rallies — to Dr. Pou’s side. On Tuesday, her lawyer, Richard Simmons, touched on that common knowledge, saying, “Anybody with a television set knows the cause of death.” A rally in support of the doctor last week at City Park drew hundreds of people, many of them nurses and doctors, including some who had been at the hospital.

Adding to the sense that Dr. Pou had been turned into something of a martyr was the highly public nature of her arrest last summer. Mr. Foti accused her at a news conference of having acted like “God” at the hospital in deciding that certain patients were not going to survive the ordeal. He added, “This is not euthanasia; this is plain and simple homicide.”

Those words, and the arrest, sent chills through a medical community that had been one of this city’s economic backbones before the storm and was severely reduced after it. With hundreds of doctors still living elsewhere and most of the hospitals shuttered, the case against Dr. Pou “had a demoralizing effect,” said Dr. Ricardo Febry, president of the Orleans Parish Medical Society.

“Everybody was watching this very closely,” Dr. Febry said. “Had the decision been the opposite, who knows what impact that would have had. If it had dropped in the other direction, you would have seen an exodus of people.”

Dr. Pou predicted on Tuesday that the case was still likely to have a chilling effect on local doctors. “I think it will make it difficult for clinicians to deliver care,” she said, “especially for patients that are not theirs.”

Mr. Foti’s charges were backed by an affidavit that included the testimony of hospital employees, one of whom said Dr. Pou and the nurses were seen filling syringes. “A decision had been made to administer lethal doses,” Dr. Pou told a witness, according to the affidavit.

But from the beginning, there were questions about why the doctor would want to kill the patients when others were being rescued. Mr. Foti, at his news conference last year, said he was not required to supply a motive.

Dr. Pou’s defenders here said, however, her only motives were selfless ones: easing the sufferings of critically ill patients.

“This was a doctor who was at all times concerned with her patients,” said Mr. Simmons, the lawyer.

New Orleans Residents Take Post-Katrina Rebuilding Into Their Own Hands

2007-07-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Nearly two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina tore New Orleans apart, and the media seems to have moved on. But just how much progress has been made in restoring the city? And with hurricane season just weeks away, and billions in aid promised by federal and local governments, why are citizens the ones doing most of the heavy lifting? Just how safe is the Crescent City?

First off, there's some good news: Neighborhoods like the historic, tourist-friendly French Quarter and hipster Marigny were hardly damaged by the storm and are on the rebound. (Although eccentric indie-music venues like One Eyed Jacks have sparse summer calendars.) Plus, in spite of the glacial pace of rebuilding in devastated areas, locals seem to be finding jobs: Unemployment in the city is now lower than the national average.

But New Orleans is now at only about half its pre-Katrina population, and less than half of the city's public schools have reopened, with the additional 6,000 or so new students this fall not sure whether they'll have classrooms to go to. Many roads are still difficult to travel, and authorities are strangely boasting that the hurricane pumps, used to drain flood water from the city, are now back up to "pre-Katrina" levels. (Um, didn't we all see that wasn't good enough?)

According to Colonel Terry Ebbert, Homeland Security director for New Orleans, the levees have been repaired and, in some spots, increased in height — although they are still "much lower" on the West Bank than the East. Construction on the system, he says, will take another four years. Meanwhile, a report last week found that, ironically, recent repairs have actually left the French Quarter and Marigny more vulnerable than before. "We do know that we have that problem," Ebbert admitted.

New Orleans has a new evacuation plan in place to respond to a Category 3 or stronger storm. (Katrina was a Category 5.) Buses will arrive at more pickup points throughout the city, and buses, trains and planes will be used to move out locals and tourists. The focus of the new plan is on the "transportation-challenged" — anyone watching the news in August and September of '05 knows what that means — including the many people still living in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers. While the evacuation would be "mandatory," citizens cannot be removed forcibly from their homes. But within about six to 12 hours of the storm's arrival, anyone not on their property may now be arrested.

No emergency shelter will be provided for citizens — meaning that the Superdome, which in 2005 housed about 20,000 people who had stayed behind in what quickly became horrible conditions, will remain shuttered. In addition, security will be ramped up: About 2,000 of the state National Guard will be moved into New Orleans 80 hours before the storm hits to work with the local police force. "It's important for people to see the presence of security," Ebbert said. "We think that will have a great calming effect."

Beyond security, though, a question remains: With billions in federal funding, why has rebuilding taken so long? The answer is simple and embarrassing: political infighting, local corruption and loads of red tape. According to Ed Blakely, the city planner appointed just this winter to lead the city's recovery efforts, New Orleans has received absolutely no federal funding for long-term community recovery. Last week, the Louisiana Recovery Authority approved funneling millions into 17 "target zones" in the city to help support natural patterns of resettlement — part of Mayor Ray Nagin's larger $1.1 billion recovery plan announced in March. But with construction in those zones starting as soon as September, Nagin's plan has yet to receive financing. Topping it off is the fact that the very first public-works project, a library in the middle-class Broadmoor neighborhood, was funded not locally but by a private foundation in New York.

One of the massive failures in the long path to restoring New Orleans has been the federal government's $7.5 billion Road Home program, which Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter has called a "debacle." Road Home should have provided aid to homeowners who wanted to stay in the city and rebuild — but only one-fifth of eligible applicants have seen a cent, and any checks have been slow-coming. So while they were promised up to $150,000 each to work on their houses, only residents able to spend their own money upfront have had the chance to make any progress, leaving those in poorer, less organized communities to fend for themselves or leave town. This is altering the landscape of New Orleans. The upper-middle-class neighborhoods of Gentilly, Broadmoor and Lakeview, for instance, are recovering at a fairly quick pace, while poorer areas such as the Central Business District and the Lower Ninth Ward are largely abandoned. "The pockets which are recovering the quickest are those with people who have resources," City Council member James Carter said. "Those who are of lower income and lower resources are more dependent upon the government, and the government has been unjustifiably slow with regard to providing those resources."

Carter is an example of a citizen who rose up to rectify government failures in the wake of Katrina. A New Orleans native who specializes in criminal law, Carter had considered running for City Council before but never taken action. But after watching chaos descend on his city from a hotel room in Houston with his wife and then-2-year-old son, Carter realized he "had no choice but to run [for office]." "I was able to see the pandemonium ... and I thought, 'Man, I have to offer what I can,' " he explained. "It was really an opportunity to stand up and offer myself and my love for this city and the best I have towards reconstituting New Orleans." Carter now represents District C, the most populated area of the city, which includes the French Quarter. And he says he's seen a number of younger, reform-minded people entering politics since the storm. "Hurricane Katrina has spawned more activism than this city has ever seen," Carter said. "We are rocking and rolling down here."

Civilians have also taken the lead in fighting crime, which has risen again to pre-Katrina levels. Through the Metropolitan Crime Commission, residents have organized and lobbied for the creation of a Violent Offenders Unit, designed to specifically target violent crimes. Since its founding in March, 21 cases have been tried and 20 criminals have been convicted.

"There is a lot of frustration — government has simply failed at all levels," local businessman and MCC co-chair Greg Rusovich said. "But one of the reasons for optimism for the future of New Orleans is its citizenry. We've simply refused to allow the political failings to deter us from coming back and building a better city." The MCC's success is "exactly the way democracy should work, in the sense of people leading and politicians following. It's new, actually. Katrina was a real wake-up call. And there are so many situations that require fixing that you have to have citizens' involvement or else there's no way to succeed."

Another coalition of business and civic leaders that has sprung up post-Katrina is Horizon Initiative, a nonprofit that is focused on reviving New Orleans' economy and includes members from throughout the community. "The real reason the money has not gotten into the people's hands is just complete and utter disorganization. ... And that's not why we elected these idiots!" Horizon Initiative co-founder Arthur Pulitzer said. "Horizon Initiative has members from all parts of the community, and we're getting lots of the local organizations to work together."

With private fundraising dollars, the group has managed to hire the Rand Corporation to survey the city and create a plan for economic development beyond the obvious French Quarter tourism. According to Pulitzer, Horizon just met with executives at the "Today" show in New York to "get out some positive stories about New Orleans" to help rope in tourists. In addition, Pulitzer has been meeting with the deans of area colleges to promote community service as a requirement for graduation — something recently put in place by Tulane University. "We're going to try to get all the five local colleges to get involved so all college students are working in New Orleans," he said. "Young people are making such a huge difference in New Orleans right now, it's not funny." (Learn more about the difference college students have made in New Orleans through Alternative Spring Break, right here.)

Even Hollywood has done its part to boost the local economy — thanks to some tax breaks from the state. Any movie that films in the area ends up spending at least 30 percent of its budget locally and giving local crew people jobs that can help them to stay put and spend on rebuilding their homes. "Déjà Vu," starring Denzel Washington, was one of first studio blockbusters to head to New Orleans after Katrina, while Brad Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" wrapped shooting in the Crescent City this spring. "Black Water Transit," starring Laurence Fishburne, is currently filming, and Fox's "K-Ville" cop series, starring Anthony Anderson — about two police partners patrolling the city and fighting corruption after Katrina — premieres this fall. Pitt, who moved to the Vieux Carré neighborhood with Angelina Jolie and their brood, has also been a big advocate of rebuilding New Orleans green. According to Global Green, an environmental group dedicated to fighting climate change, if 50,000 of the houses were rebuilt according to green standards, it would have the environmental impact of taking 100,000 cars off the road. Last year, partnering with Global Green, Pitt held a competition for an environmentally friendly design for new housing in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward, with Home Depot helping to begin realizing the project in May. "We want to rebuild intelligently," Pitt said in a press statement.

"There was never that type of energy that there is in the community now," Rusovich said. "And people can see now that they can really have an impact. Citizens are committed to bringing New Orleans back — believe me."

Happy Birthday, America!

2007-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

231 years ago...on July 4th, 1776
This great nation, the United States of America,
In a struggle for what was right and free,
Was proudly born...
May we celebrate that precious freedom
For which our forbears fought so bravely...
The freedom that is inherent
In the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag...
Celebrate Freedom
This Fourth of July!

Hurricane exit plans upgraded

2007-06-18T06:51:00.001-07:00

MOBILE -- Some of the people whose lives are at stake during a hurricane are lying helpless in nursing homes and hospitals on the Alabama coast, where emergency computer and phone networks have been enhanced to help them when a storm threatens the northern Gulf.

But deciding when to evacuate a hospital or nursing home gets "real tricky," said Rosemary Blackmon, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery-based Alabama Hospital Association.

"There's not a magic formula when it comes to evacuation," she said.

Hospitals and nursing homes near the coast upgraded emergency plans after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, then again after the more powerful Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005, devastated Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and damaged west Alabama from Dauphin Island into Tuscaloosa County.

During brainstorming sessions about "the next big one," evacuation of pajama-clad hospital patients and nursing home residents remains a top priority.

There are some 3,000 nursing home beds in Mobile and Baldwin counties and more than 2,000 hospital beds.

Health officials said it's better to ride out a storm in a facility that's well built and has power generators than to evacuate -- unless it's directly in the storm's path.

"There's not 3,000 ambulances to transfer the residents. We have to do what's in their best interest," said Brian L. McFeely, the administrator at Cogburn Health and Rehabilitation-Midtown Inc.

In deciding whether to evacuate, McFeely said nursing home operators hope to avoid a tragedy that occurred in suburban New Orleans, where 35 nursing home residents died during Katrina.

"None of us want to see that again," McFeely, a former Army nurse, said in an interview in his Mobile office.

Indeed, that tragedy has brought closer scrutiny to hurricane-related decisions by health officials.

Bob Lowry, a spokesman for the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, said if a hospital evacuation is necessary, patients are moved in order of their conditions.

"Those in immediate danger first, ambulatory next, remaining patients assessed as to their ability to survive the move," Lowry said.

Where would they be taken?

Hospitals trade information on available beds and other disaster needs, using a Mobile-based computer monitored by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Emergency Management Agency and the Alabama Hospital Association.

USA's Center for Strategic Health Innovation, or CSHI, developed the Alabama Incident Management System, or AIMS, which collected data from more than 90 hospitals during Katrina and provided 24/7 support to the state Health Department as it responded to the hurricane.

"We are more ready now than we've ever been," said Andy Mullins, program manager for the Health Department's Center for Emergency Preparedness in Montgomery.

Mullins said Thursday the AIMS computer was first used during Ivan and most recently during this year's Enterprise tornado.

"We've added a lot of enhancements," Mullins said.

Today, AIMS serves not only hospitals, but community health centers, nursing homes, medical needs shelters and emergency medical service units.

"So that we could monitor all those during emergency events," said Mullins.

The computer is located on the USA campus, with a backup server in Huntsville.

CSHI's David Wallace, the university's director of bioterrorism preparedness training, said AIMS works as a management tool. During Katrina, it pinpointed hospital beds statewide for evacuees pouring in from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Another upgrade for hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November, is in communications.

Mike Jordan, a spokesman for the Alabama Nursing Home Association in Montgomery, said a $215,000 state Health Department grant allowed the purchase of 211 Southern Linc phones being delivered this month to nursing homes that need them.

The purpose is to make sure in event of disaster every facility has a redundant form of communication to contact the association, state officials or relatives of nursing home residents, Jordan said.

He said the phones were bought for nursing homes in Mobile and Baldwin counties last year and the system is being expanded statewide.

Infrastructure also has been enhanced at centers for the elderly and ill.

After Katrina, USA's two hospitals made some changes, including upgrading power supplies. An underground fuel supply provides fuel for employees' vehicles if they can't leave their posts.

"Our employees had some terrific ideas, and we worked together to strengthen both our physical plant and our employee and patient needs. We're better prepared as a result," said USA Vice President for Health Systems Stan Hammack.

McFeely, the administrator at Cogburn, which didn't need to evacuate during Katrina, said he installed a large diesel generator after that hurricane struck.

But Allen Memorial Home, with 119 beds for the elderly near downtown Mobile, was without electrical power for four hours and didn't evacuate as floodwaters sloshed over nearby streets.

The generator that failed in that storm has been replaced with a larger one that will run the air-conditioning system, said Cheryl Robinson, the administrator at the Roman Catholic nursing home.

Officials face health risks in moving hospital patients and those in nursing homes, with transportation a major issue. While the hospital association has tried to come up with some guidelines, Blackmon said, the individual health-care provider makes the final call.

Robinson said the cost of an evacuation also must be considered.

"The federal government hasn't allowed any extra money or funding if you have to evacuate. That's all picked up by the facility," she said.

Both Robinson and McFeely said an evacuation decision comes down to the safety of the residents.

"Is there a risk of sitting in traffic for 12 hours? It's a tough decision," McFeely said.

Millions in aid New Orleans banked on to help rebuild in doubt

2007-05-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS -- It seems "grossly inappropriate" for the state to consider using millions of dollars in federal aid meant to rebuild cities after the 2005 hurricanes to help bail out the state's troubled homeowner assistance program, New Orleans' recovery director said Saturday.

Ed Blakely told The Associated Press officials from the Louisiana Recovery Authority promised the city a share of that estimated $775 million, about $324 million, if the government waived a local-match requirement for federal rebuilding dollars.

Congress passed a waiver Thursday as part of about $3.6 billion in hurricane recovery aid included in a larger war spending bill. But with Louisiana facing a possible shortfall of nearly $3 billion in its "Road Home" program, that money may be needed so the program can continue providing rebuilding grants or buy outs to eligible, hurricane-affected homeowners, Natalie Wyeth, a spokeswoman for the LRA, said.

"Our first obligation is to make sure our commitments to homeowners under the Road Home program are met," Wyeth said Saturday. She didn't comment on whether promises were made to New Orleans regarding any sharing of those dollars.

The issue is likely to come up at an LRA board meeting June 7, she said. If LRA backs using the money for Road Home, state and federal officials likely will still need to sign off. Gov. Kathleen Blanco wants Congress to cover the projected shortfall but would support redirecting the funds eyed by local leaders for their rebuilding plans to Road Home, her spokeswoman said.

LRA has estimated that $775 million in federal funds was set aside to help local governments cover their 10-percent match requirement but said it is essentially off-limits because of the bureaucracy involved in tapping it. State and local officials had championed a waiver as a way to cut red tape _ to help speed the rebuilding of roads, public buildings and other infrastructure _ and to free up that money for other hurricane-related efforts, such as community rebuilding plans.

But redirecting money to Road Home could severely limit local rebuilding efforts in places like New Orleans and hard-hit St. Bernard Parish, officials said.

Craig Taffaro, a St. Bernard Parish councilman, said the parish also was expecting more rebuilding money if the match were waived. If they don't get it, it could force officials to choose between investing in services it provides to residents and the repair of infrastructure. "That's a difficult situation, obviously," he said.

New Orleans' $1.1 billion rebuilding proposal, announced in late March, counts on the $324 million to move forward. Blakely said the worst-case scenario is that without that money or additional resources, the city doesn't move beyond the 17 "target" zones identified in the plan. But he also said he wasn't going to scale back his expectations for rebuilding.

"Even if you take the $300 million and put it in the Road Home pot, it still doesn't solve the problem, does it?" Blakely said. "They need a bigger solution than robbing the city of its future."

Money has been a major issue in New Orleans' recovery from Hurricane Katrina, which hit in August 2005. The cash-strapped city has been relying, in part, on loans to operate _ some of which it hopes to have forgiven by the federal government. And much of the progress that's been made so far has been driven at the neighborhood level as a result of private, personal initiative.

The city has about half its pre-Hurricane Katrina population, according to a recent estimate, and sections of New Orleans remain devastated.

For months, state, local and federal officials said Road Home was too slow to disburse homeowner aid _ and, in turn, slowing the recovery of communities. Now it appears a choice may need to be made between helping residents return and helping cities give them something more to come home to.

Given the situation Road Home is in, "it seems grossly inappropriate to suggest that the resources that were dedicated to the cities should be used for the state to bail it out of its error," Blakely said.

The head of the federal Gulf Coast rebuilding office recently told a congressional subcommittee that Road Home is facing a shortfall because the state is giving aid to many homeowners who weren't supposed to be eligible. But LRA's executive director said Road Home was meant to help residents whose houses had major damage, regardless of whether it was caused by water or winds, and blamed the projected shortfall on flawed data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Wyeth said LRA remains committed to helping the city and other hurricane-hit areas get the money they need to implement their recovery plans.

Blakely said the city needs the partnership of state and federal government to move forward: "We don't have magic here."

Katrina haunts car market

2007-05-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Lott wants to track all totaled vehicles

Katrina Cars. Rita Wrecks. However they're tagged, the half-million or so vehicles damaged by the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes continue to trouble the automotive industry.

Sen. Trent Lott, a Republican from Mississippi, is trying to drum up support for a bill that would require insurers to supply information to a national database whenever they declared a car or truck a total loss. Rep. John Campbell, a Republican from California, is co-sponsoring a similar bill in the House.

Although more than 5 million vehicles were totaled in the United States in 2005 for reasons such as theft or accidents, vehicles damaged in the Gulf Coast hurricanes are still showing up on car lots across the United States. That has been the catalyst for change.

Lott, whose Mississippi home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, is concerned that motorists unknowingly are buying flood-damaged or destroyed vehicles - and setting themselves up for possible safety problems down the line.

At a recent committee hearing, Lott urged consumer advocates and other backers of the bill to push for its passage before Katrina became a distant memory and momentum for new legislation stalled.

The bills are the latest attempts to make sense of the crazy quilt of state laws that govern vehicle titles in the United States.
A vehicle generally is considered a total loss when the cost of repairing it exceeds its market value or it meets a state-mandated damage threshold.

After issuing a check to the owner, an insurer takes possession of the vehicle and sells it at auction, where it is purchased by a dismantler, rebuilder or recycler.

Vehicles that can be repaired often find their way back to car lots, where they can be legally sold to customers. Most states require such "total-loss" cars and trucks to have so-called salvage titles informing buyers that they were at one time declared complete wrecks.

What concerns dealers and consumer advocates is that the tangle of state laws makes it possible to move a vehicle across state lines and apply for a "clean" title that makes no mention of its checkered past. The fact that some states don't require salvage titles stretches the loophole even wider.

"Because we don't have consistency between states, there's a tremendous amount of title washing," said Herb Lieberman, who owned an auto recycling company in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. "That defrauds the consumers and car dealers."

Safety is a big concern. In California, rebuilt salvage vehicles are inspected for stolen parts but not for safety. Buyers who are unaware that a used car was wrecked and rebuilt won't know to check for signs that the job was done right.

"You shouldn't have to worry that a car you're putting your teenager into has a bent frame or no air bag," said Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, in Sacramento, Calif.

A national database of totaled vehicles would enable motorists to uncover a car's past by using the vehicle identification number. In theory, at least, even a once-totaled vehicle with a washed title could be found out, because its salvage title would still be on file under the VIN.

Because the information would come straight from insurers, the database would be more up-to-date than those of vehicle-history services that get their data from state motor vehicle bureaus, said Peter Welch, president of the Sacramento-based California Motor Car Dealers Association.

Big car dealers that buy vehicles at auctions like the idea of a national database that would help them identify salvaged cars.

"My guys don't want these things on their lots - period," said Bailey Wood of the National Automobile Dealers Association.

The insurance industry supports the concept of a national database but not the Lott bill as currently written, said Melissa Shelk, a lobbyist with the American Insurance Association in Washington.

MBA students tackle post-Katrina troubles

2007-04-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Community Book Center, a longtime fixture on Bayou Road in the Esplanade Ridge neighborhood, was one of the numerous small-business casualties of Hurricane Katrina. The storm ravaged the venture that Vera Warren-Williams had nurtured for 25 years, where she sold black novels, school texts, gifts, and artwork.

The owner's insurance wasn't nearly enough to cover the devastation. "You know you have to come back," Warren-Williams said. "But when you looked at the devastation, you weren't quite sure how."

Help arrived in the form of a group of Stanford University MBA students, and their ideas have given her hope.

With the assistance of the Idea Village, a nonprofit that has provided scores of local businesses with technical support, contacts, and capital, the 15 students have adopted several enterprises, among them the Community Book Center. Their mission is to show these businesses ways to grow in post-Katrina New Orleans.

The storm physically destroyed or financially hurt more than 80 percent of the 12,695 small businesses were in Orleans Parish before Katrina, according to local business officials. The few that have reopened are struggling to stay open with fewer customers and higher labor costs.

The MBA students believe they can use their training to help the small-business owners maximize their potential in the face of post-storm challenges.

"Education is what you learn in the classroom," said Daryn Dodson, 27, who organized the student group. "It doesn't mean anything until you apply it."

Dodson began his master's program the week Katrina battered New Orleans. He started fund-raising drives, including a "gumbo get-together," where he and fellow students raised about $7,000 and donated it to Habitat for Humanity.

"We sent the check, but it felt so empty," Dodson recalled.

In December 2005, the Washington, D.C., native took his first trip to New Orleans, visiting relief organizations and determining what assistance was needed. On spring break, he was back with two dozen other Stanford students helping to gut flood-damaged homes.

The most recent trip took him and fellow Stanford MBA students Sarah Chandler Mallari, Shara Tortora, and Eugene Baah to the Community Book Center.

For Warren-Williams, it wasn't a moment too soon.

"Folks like Daryn and his team allow all of us to look beyond . . . to look forward," said Tim Williamson, Idea Village's president. "It allows people like Vera to say, 'OK, I survived, now what's the plan going forward?' "

The Stanford team presented Warren-Williams with several recommendations, including erecting a sign at the end of her street that would catch the eye of motorists and pedestrians on the adjoining thoroughfare.

The store is six blocks from the Fair Grounds, site of the Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the students suggested Warren-Williams seek permission to advertise there and recruit a "street team" of neighborhood kids to place fliers on cars.

"Sounds good," Warren-Williams told the students, adding later that she thought the recommendations "were positive, workable things that are immediately attainable."

Shrimpers angry over award of Katrina debris removal contracts

2007-03-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

A group of Mississippi shrimpers are angry that contracts to remove debris from Hurricane Katrina from coastal waters have gone to out of state boat owners.

The group, Mississippi Gulf Coast Fishermen’s Organization, demanded either its 365 members get the U.S. Coast Guard debris removal contract or the cleanup be postponed to minimize damage to the coastal shrimp fishery.

“All of us will take our boats out there and get in front of their boats,” said Ocean Springs shrimper Mike Kopszywa, president of the organization. “I hope it doesn’t come down to that, but we’ll do it. The fishermen are fired up. They are endangering the livelihood of Mississippi fishermen.”

Kopszywa and other fishermen protested Monday at the offices of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

Kopszywa said the cleanup is using outside fishermen who are not familiar with local waters or conditions and is being timed to cause the maximum amount of damage to brown shrimp stock.

Shrimp season generally starts in June, when the shrimp grow to a certain size, and extends to the end of April south of the Intercoastal Waterway. He said the nets would be raking through the Mississippi Sound just at the time that juvenile shrimp are flushing out of coastal estuaries to grow and live in open waters.

Dan Rackard, a representative of Matthews Marine, said the company would withhold comment on the contract until Friday, when it is officially awarded.

“We meet all environmental requirements on this and it’s not what everybody makes it out to be,” Rackard said.

The company used more than 80 percent local workers for the first contract to clean from the shore to a half-mile out, Rackard said.

MDMR, which regulates shrimping in state waters, said the contract to clean marine debris from a half-mile offshore to four miles out was awarded by the Coast Guard to Matthews Marine and Gulf Equipment Ventures. Work has not yet begun, but is expected to take three months to complete.

Matthews Marine is located in Pass Christian and Gulf Equipment Ventures in Theodore, Ala.

“We support our Mississippi fishermen and every opportunity we have to do that, we do so exclusively,” said MDMR spokeswoman Lauren Thompson. “The U.S. Coast Guard issued this contract under federal regulations.”

Thompson said the Coast Guard gave the Mississippi and Alabama companies a joint contract through an open competition that requires they use at minimum 15 percent local residents. Thompson said MDMR does not agree with the low percentage of locals required but does not have control over the hiring.

Fisherman Danny Ross Jr. said the cleanup would drag trawl nets through shrimp habitat at the time when they are shedding their shells and are most vulnerable.

“If you are to drag those nets, you will molest and kill those shrimp,” Ross said. “If they would have given this contract out in a timely fashion, then at least we could say, ‘Well, at least we’ve got shrimp season coming up.’ But now we’re going to lose this season’s catch, too. I’ve lost my income from 2005, 2006 and now 2007.”

MDMR director Bill Walker said dragging nets on the Sound’s bottom could do some damage to several fish and shrimp species. He believed the contract would stipulate that nets have larger holes than normal to lessen the damage. He said trawling time would be limited to control the damage and specific areas would be targeted for net dragging.

Very large or heavy hazards — like tractor trailer rigs identified off the port at Gulfport — that could be a danger to boaters would be cleaned up using cranes or other heavy equipment that would not damage young shrimp, he said.

Convoy of Hope part of effort to give Hurricane Katrina victim in Mississippi a new home this week

2007-03-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

After far too many months of living in a tiny FEMA trailer, Michael and Faye Moore will soon move into a new home for the first time since their house was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Since Sunday, construction crews, in partnership with Convoy of Hope, have been working around the clock to construct the Pascagoula, Miss., couple?s house within one week.

The ambitious project is the brainchild of Joe West, owner of Quiet Valley Construction in Morgantown, W.Va., who in October traveled with a team of 10 to do volunteer construction work with Convoy of Hope in Mississippi. Although West didn?t meet the Moores during his trip, he heard of their story and was compelled to take action, promising to design their new home and return to build it.

Susan Scales, a construction coordinator for Convoy of Hope, has been West?s primary contact in Pascagoula since the project?s start. She admits that initially she thought he was just dreaming big, but soon realized West was serious and she quickly partnered with him in achieving his vision for the Moores.

Scales says the Moores are deserving people who have been inspiration to many. She describes Faye Moore as a generous woman who is always giving back to others. Michael Moore suffers from poor health, including diabetes, congestive heart failure and kidney failure. On March 8, he had surgery to amputate one leg from the knee down. The construction crews will give Michael Moore what he is physically incapable of doing on his own, building a new, handicap-accessible home for him, his wife and his 21-year-old son.

West and his original team of 10 have inspired individuals, churches and corporations throughout West Virginia and beyond to unite in support of this project. More than 20 agencies from West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and California are partnering together to provide the supplies needed to construct the Moores? home.

?These 10 men went back and lit up their whole church, which lit up the whole city, which expanded out where people heard about it around the state ? which honestly is how we change the world,? Scales said of West and his team?s efforts to raise support. She estimates that 65-70 percent of all the supplies going into this new home were donated, including the sheetrock and doors provided by Convoy of Hope.

Starting at 7 a.m. Sunday, crews, including the volunteers who first came with West in October, began working around the clock to construct the 960-square-foot home in the short timeframe. Preparations of the land were previously made with the help of donated equipment. The city has worked cooperatively alongside the planners to ensure that the house meets all the inspection requirements.

The Moores will not be able to see their home until 3 p.m. Saturday when there will be an exciting unveiling ceremony. Thanks to television stations in Biloxi and West Virginia, a live-feed will allow project supporters in West?s hometown to view the ceremony and see the results of their donations. A giant banner will display the names of every individual and organization that played a part in this special undertaking that proves the power of working together to serve those in need.

Katrina victims need help, support

2007-02-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hurricane Katrina's impact, including the rebuilding process, will never be described simply in words ("Katrina 'voluntourists' make labor a vacation," Cover story, News, Monday; "Hurricane suits may be settled soon," Money, Monday).

I managed to escape the storm's high waters, but graphic details of Katrina's wrath continue to haunt me. Floating dead bodies. Violence in the name of survival. As a 41-year-old male, I believe I may have seen the worst of my years. This is my first attempt to open up and publicly discuss my thoughts.

Nearly two years later, I'm still living with the nightmare. Admittedly, I've even had suicidal thoughts as I yearn for a place where there's no more pain, feelings of loneliness or nightmares.

Each day is a struggle, and I've asked myself whether I should end it all or hang in and work toward being a strong black man once again. In my heart, I believe there's good reason my life was spared, especially when I consider the damage others have suffered and the lives that were lost.

Today, I just want to find that peace within. I also yearn for a decent job and a good day's sleep that comes from hard work — not depression.

Katrina victims desperately need the nation's support and its patience.

Obama Travels to New Orleans to Support Hurricane Recovery

2007-01-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

"There is not a sense of urgency out of this White House and this administration," Obama said during a Senate committee hearing on the response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. "If nothing else, I hope that this hearing helps restore that sense of urgency."

Obama toured New Orleans, going from areas like the untouched French Quarter, to the heavily-flooded Jackson Barracks, to desolate Chalmette before attending the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs where the current state of Louisiana's recovery was addressed.

Facts:

*Louisiana has suffered as much as 7-times the amount of damage of Mississippi, but has only received 2-times as much aid. Louisiana's $10 billion versus Mississippi's $5 billion.
*FEMA has promised $314 million for building repairs in New Orleans, but has only sent $145 million so far.

"Welcome to the isle of New Orleans!! Forgotten by our own country," read a sign carried by one of several protesters on the street as the tour got underway.

Insurance companies dismiss ruling

2007-01-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

A federal judge's ruling against State Farm Insurance in a wind vs. water case did not seem to sway officials at Nationwide Insurance and Allstate Insurance, who said Friday they remain committed to defending their refusal of Hurricane Katrina claims.

Hundreds of Coast residents are suing the three companies, while many others have voiced dissatisfaction with the way their claims were handled after the storm.

A spokesperson for Allstate dismissed U.S. Judge L.T. Senter's Thursday order that State Farm pay the policy limits on a Biloxi couple's home that was destroyed during the storm.

"We do not believe yesterday's ruling will impact Allstate, since the decision involves the handling of one specific claim against State Farm," according to a statement that was read Friday by Allstate spokesperson Mike Siemienas during a telephone interview. "And previously, Judge Senter has upheld the validity of Allstate's flood exclusion, finding the exclusions bound in policy for water damage and for damages attributable to flooding are valid and enforceable policy provisions."

Nationwide spokesperson Joe Case said his company is reviewing the implications of the judge's ruling.

"Nationwide does stand by its assessment of Katrina claims and remains committed to vigorously defending the flood exclusion language in our homeowners policies," Case said Friday.

While the companies' comments are no surprise to Frank Corder, chairman of the Pascagoula Economic Development Advisory Council, he worries what they will mean for the city's future.

"Most people believe the ruling is true, and they'll support and fight for the ruling," Corder said. "As far as how much help it will be for Pascagoula, who knows? There's got to be some relief somewhere, or it will impact economic development."

Senter ruled against State Farm after the company could not prove how much storm surge damaged the home of Norman and Genevieve Broussard.

A jury then awarded the couple $2.5 million in punitive damages, but State Farm appears ready to continue the battle.

"I'll reiterate our disappointment and surprise by the judge's ruling and jury's damage award, and that we'll likely appeal," State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said Friday.

Attorney General Jim Hood, who has been negotiating with five unnamed insurance companies he sued in 2005, said Thursday's ruling made him hopeful for a change of heart by an industry that has been criticized for hurting south Mississippi's recovery efforts.

But Pascagoula resident Delores Early, who is suing Nationwide for refusing to pay for flood damage, said her insurance company's reaction to the ruling against State Farm "stinks."

Early said she doubts the ruling will help her case, since her home on Pascagoula's Inner Harbor was destroyed by Katrina's waters. She said her policy's flood exclusion language "was not made clear to us. We had read it, but it was played down by our agent. Sloughed off, like, We don't worry about that.'

"It's just awful, because (insurance companies) should try to work with us," Early said. "Most of us want help to rebuild, not vengeance. But obviously, their job is to make money for themselves rather than do a service."

Pascagoula resident Paul Leonard, who recently filed a counter appeal in his battle with Nationwide, said the ruling against State Farm couldn't hurt his case. He urged other residents to keep fighting.

"If you feel like you have a valid complaint, you should continue to fight that complaint for validation," Leonard said. "I don't see giving up and giving in."

Rev. Richard Young, an Escatawpa minister, labeled Allstate, Nationwide and State Farm "Scrooge. If the poor would come and ask for something, he would say, Humbug. Get away.' He had no conscience. I might not be able to get no insurance, but what I'm saying is right."

Of the Broussards' $2.5 million award, Young said, "It may be a long time before they see that money. Those people who sued O.J. Simpson got $33 million and haven't seen any of it. Don't you think (State Farm) got enough money to outwait the poor? Where are these people awarded monies going to live in the meantime?"

Of State Farm's reported negotiations with Hood that could result in the reopening of thousands of cases, Supple said, "We continue to talk with all parties involved to achieve a resolution that is a fair, prompt, and efficient."

"We can neither confirm or deny whether Nationwide is engaged in any type of settlement talks in any litigation," Case said.

Siemienas said Allstate "is not in contact with the Mississippi Attorney General."

Early and Corder are hopeful for federal regulations of the industry, which Rep. Gene Taylor is pursuing. Sen. Trent Lott has also vowed to do the same.

Young, who declined to name his insurance company but said he's satisfied with its service, called on the state to hold companies accountable.

"(Companies) been doing this so long, that to them, it's business as usual," Young said. "It has not hit them that something else has happened and there's a new day. And I think that if they're not going to insure everything, Insurance Commissioner George Dale should issue them a letter stating that they can't insure nothing. You either insure it all or don't do business in Mississippi."

Reporter Natalie Chandler can be reached at nchandler@themississippipress.com or (228) 934-1435.

Red Cross 'Access to Care' helps support long-term recovery

2007-01-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

For many, the holiday season is a time for increased stress and depression. For survivors of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma still suffering emotionally from the effects of the storms these feelings are magnified. Now, survivors have easier access to professional treatment, thanks to a new mental health benefit offered by the American Red Cross. The Red Cross Access to Care program allows those in need to receive outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment from licensed professionals across the United States. The program is open for all survivors of the hurricanes who meet eligibility requirements.

Access to Care is a continuation of services provided by the American Red Cross, complementing the ongoing case management and community recovery efforts of the Red Cross and other agencies, which have been concentrated in the Gulf Coast. Designed in consultation with mental health experts and other agencies active in disaster recovery, the program meets needs which are clearly emerging.

"Our study showed that the prevalence of serious mental illness and mild- moderate mental illness doubled after hurricane Katrina, which is consistent with other evidence of adverse mental health effects of major disasters," said Professor Ron Kessler of Harvard Medical School, principle investigator for the August 2006 study Mental illness and suicidality after hurricane Katrina.

"Programs like the American Red Cross Access to Care can provide a benefit to survivors in need who are experiencing chronic adverse circumstances, in addition

to the acute traumatic stressors and secondary adversities that make the distress that natural disasters produce linger and worsen," added Kessler. "The Red Cross benefit removes a barrier that might otherwise block the ability to receive needed mental health services."

"Losing your home to a disaster is stressful. Losing your neighborhood, your school, your church or temple, your whole community- that's traumatic. Still, not having those things after a year- that's more trauma than many people can face without help especially during and after the holiday season," said Russ Paulsen, Executive Director of the Hurricane Recovery Program. "This program means that people won't have to worry about being able to afford the treatment they need as they grapple with what happened last year."

Survivors nationwide can enroll in the Access to Care program themselves either through the web at www.a2care.org or by calling toll-free 1- 866-794-HOPE. Eligibility is based on their predisaster address. The Access to Care benefit program focuses on reducing barriers to mental health and substance abuse services. Hurricane survivors experiencing disaster related emotional distress are now eligible to enroll in the program. The benefit program, administered by Link2Health, a nonprofit subsidiary of The Mental Health Association of New York City, allows individuals to choose their own licensed provider. Program benefits can move with the individual.

"This program will go a long way in meeting needs that are really becoming clear today. The Red Cross was very intentional and collaborative in designing this program to help meet needs so massive they stretch all of our resources. We look forward to our continued relationship as we join together to help survivors of the 2005 hurricanes," Tom Hazelwood, Executive Secretary for U.S. Disaster Response, United Methodist Committee on Relief and President, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

As individuals and families from the devastated Gulf Coast region continue to rebuild their lives, the Red Cross continues to concentrate its resources in these four areas:

1. Case management: helping survivors develop sound recovery plans and providing
information, referral and access to means of recovery;

2. Emotional support for recovery: assisting survivors with their recovery by responding to the emotional needs of at-risk individuals through appropriate mental health programming;

3. Information sharing: improving service to impacted clients and communities through non-duplicative efforts to share information for effective service and actions; and,

4. Anticipating emerging needs through resources to be held in reserve for unanticipated or late-emerging client and community needs.

"We know, however, that the needs of the survivors greatly outweigh the resources, not just of the American Red Cross, but of the entire nonprofit community," Paulsen said. "We will continue to strengthen existing partnerships at the local level and forge new ones to address other unmet and emerging needs."

The Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program will continue to identify and respond to unanticipated or late-emerging client and community needs and is committed to careful stewardship and accountability of the resources used for the program.

Survivors who need help accessing Hurricane Recovery Program services can also contact the Savannah Red Cross by calling (912) 651-5300 or (800) 338-4894.

Hornets back to the Big Easy

2006-12-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Suitcase Shinn is at it again.

Thankfully, this time he's no longer talking out of both sides of his mouth and telling whatever audience that's in front of him what they want to hear.

After months of waffling, Hornets owner George Shinn has taken a stand, sort of.

He's made up his mind — that is unless he changes it again — and decided that his displaced Hornets, which have resided in Oklahoma City the past two seasons after Hurricane Katrina wrecked the Gulf Coast, will return to New Orleans and play the 2007-08 home schedule within the Bayou State.

But there's a caveat of course. With Shinn, there's always a caveat.

He wants to play a few games, possibly six, in Okalahoma City next season, although it's not exactly clear what his motivations are.

Perhaps Shinn hopes to shield himself from potential backlash from fans who might stop attending games this season for a lame-duck team.

Perhaps he wants to continue to milk the Sooner state cash cow for every lost drop before returning to an arena of half-empty seats.

"I have accepted the fact we have a lease," Shinn told the Oklahoman last week. "Honorable businesspeople honor their leases. Right now, the plan is to go back and give it our best effort to make it work."

Keep in mind, this is the same man who last year talked of petitioning the NBA Board of Governors to support efforts to remain in Oklahoma City and considered going to the courts to break his lease with New Orleans.

Back then he wanted to be the Al Davis of the NBA. Now he's Mother Teresa?

Even in this time of charitable gift giving, New Orleans should be cautious of the 65-year-old owner who said: "At this particular point in my life, there are more important things to me than just making money.

"I go back to doing the right thing."

But then that's the real question, isn't it?

What's the right thing for New Orleans?

No city wrestles with the question of subsidizing professional sports franchises quite like New Orleans. Although the downtown district and areas near Bourbon Street have returned to the pre-Katrina days, the Lower Ninth Ward is still recovering from flood damage and hundreds of thousands of evacuees have yet to return home.

Excluding the surrounding metro area, New Orleans' population is approaching 230,000. The entire five-parish metro-area population is about 1.2 million. Before Katrina, New Orleans' population was 465,000 and the metro-area population was 1.4 million.

Some would say with so many problems, why does the city care whether the Hornets return or not? However, mayor Ray Nagin cares.

He talks about civic pride and knows how a community, even one that has been devastated with so much tragedy, can sometimes rally around a five-game winning streak. He's watching how the NFL's Saints have captured the hearts of the folks in his city and are quickly becoming America's Team.

On this point, Shinn disagrees.

"It's apples and oranges," he said. "The fact is they have a much better chance of succeeding there than we do."

Even still, Nagin is hoping the same holds true with the Hornets, which is why he pledged that the $6.5 million, which was set aside in 2002 to build a practice facility, is still available.

He's bending over backwards, making concessions and helping to find local investors and major corporate sponsors to ease Shinn's financial burdens.

The only risk in the whole endeavor is Shinn, who seems as if he was dragged kicking and screaming by NBA commissioner David Stern into doing the right thing.

Shinn denies this, of course. He also said the sale of the Sonics to a group of Oklahoma City investors — and the possibility that franchise might move to Oklahoma — had no effect on his decision.

"It's not going to be easy," Shinn said. "It's going to be tough. I understand that."

No one understands a bad situation better than he does. After starting an expansion franchise in Charlotte, Shinn bailed out in 2002 and ran to New Orleans, which supported the team for a year before attendance began to sag.

In three consecutive seasons before Katrina, the Hornets ranked near the bottom of the league in home attendance.

In their first year in Okalahoma City, they sold out 18 of 35 games at the Ford Center. They've had five sellouts this season, in which the Hornets are playing 35 home games in Oklahoma City and six in New Orleans.

On Saturday, the Hornets played the third of six home games in New Orleans.

Although the November home opener was a sellout in the Big Easy, New Orleans Arena has not been filled to capacity in the past two games, which may be a sign the city isn't ready to support an NBA franchise.

But ready or not, the Hornets are coming home.

New York City firefighters caravan to Coast with toys

2006-12-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

The Children of the Jackson County Head Start Center stood outside grinning and waving to New York City firefighters as they caravaned by with seven truckloads of toys.

The 27 New York City firefighters spent two-days of hard driving to reach Pascagoula and deliver the toys to families still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. This is the second year the 9/11 Families for Katrina Relief Foundation collected toys and brought them to Jackson County.

Most of the men and women who arrived at the Head Start Center are related to New York firefighters who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center towers.

"We're all little kids at heart," said Tom O'Conner, a retired firefighter of 26 years with the New York City Fire Department. "And when they said to bring down toys for little kids we really wanted to help. Our goal is to send a message that you have not been forgotten. We dealt with 9/11 and it's aftermath and we want to support you the way we were supported."

O'Conner said the foundation was started by Frank Stello, who lost a brother on 9/11.

"He thought it was important to help the children of Katrina and I had more guys volunteer to come down here then I knew what to do with," O'Conner said.

There were four trucks crammed full of toys that will be distributed at a later date to the children of Jackson County and three trucks full of supplies for the Jackson County Civic Action Committee.

"There's cleaning supplies and food," O'Conner said. "Things that are still considered vital."

All the firefighters delivering the toys spent eight months at ground zero, including John McAleese who lost his brother and seven fellow firefighters.

"My brother Brain was a city firefighter also," McAleese said. "He was on the 53rd floor in the south tower when it fell. He was not even supposed to be working that day but they called him in on overtime."

McAleese said New York has something in common with the Coastal cities.

"It's still fresh," McAleese said. "It's something that will always be there and it's the same for you down here. Most of the country has forgotten about 9/11 and we don't want that to happen to you, too. This hurricane was ground zero to you and I think it'll be four to five years before you're completely back on your feet."

Danny Mannic and Martin O'Neal attended the toy driving event last year and said although the Coast is on its way to recovering, it's not there yet.

"Not too much has improved," O'Neal said. "There is still a need."

Kim Prentice, administration assistant for the Ocean Springs Fire Department agrees and started a local Toys for Tots drive at most of Jackson County's fire departments.

For 59 years, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves have sponsored the Toys for Tots program. Last year, more than 18.5 million toys were collected in the United States.

"All of the toys collected will stay right here in Jackson County," Prentice said. "I think it's important that we help take care of our own."

The deadline for donating the toys is Dec. 15 and Prentice said the need is great, especially for teenage children.

"We've received a lot of requests for children 13 to 14 years old," Prentice said. "We're seeing the need, but not the donations. We really need the public's help."

Prentice said children lacking coats and shoes is an issue as well.

"We'll take anything," Prentice said. "Monetary donations, coats, shoes. We'll get it to a good family in need of help."

"The 12 'Ways' of Christmas" to Give Gifts that Give

2006-11-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

This Holiday Season, with the spotlight on World Poverty and those still in need after Hurricane Katrina, people are looking differently at possessions. According to retail expert Francey Smith, "gift giving this Christmas and Hanukkah season will be connected to products that give back to worthy causes.

This Holiday Season, with the spotlight on World Poverty and those still in need after Hurricane Katrina, people are looking differently at holiday gift giving.

According to retail expert Francey Smith, "gift giving this Christmas and Hanukkah season will be connected to products that give back to worthy causes. Children will still be getting their biggest dreams fulfilled at the retail level, but adults will be making a shift as our country's conscious is with those in need."

From the natural disasters we have experienced to breast cancer, teen suicide, poverty and domestic violence, Smith, who has held senior marketing positions at Bloomingdale's, Federated Department Stores, Filene's Basement, Kohl's Department Stores, and Saks Fifth Avenue, has compiled a top twelve list of holiday gifts ideas that give back.

1. Harry Connick Jr's duet with gospel singer Kim Burrell called, "All These People," is about the people Connick saw who were left stranded in the Convention Centre. All proceeds will go to the New Orleans Habitat Musician's Village, a rebuilding project formed by Connick and Branford Marsalis.

2. George Clooney, Penelope Cruz and Tom Hanks are just a few of the Americans wearing the $10 white ONE bracelet. Available at http://www.one.org, more than three million Americans are also wearing white bands as a show of support for ending extreme poverty and global AIDS.

3. Join Bono and others in helping to eliminate AIDS in Africa through the Global Fund by buying one of GAP's 'RED' t-shirts for $28 at http://www.gap.com/red. Half of the profits from sales of the Gap (PRODUCT) RED Collection will go to The Global Fund to finance programs that help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

4. Newman's Own® Organic and U.G.L.Y.'s "Chocolate & Chuckles" is a product combo that will have the family giggling while they enjoy sumptuous chocolate. Featuring Newman's Organic dark chocolate and "Laugh It Off" the contagious laugh track laughter CD, Chocolate and Chuckles is available at http://www.heyugly.org for $18.00. Proceeds from Chocolate and Chuckles benefits the charities Paul Newman supports and Hey U.G.L.Y. which empowers teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse and suicide.

5. Salma Hayek and the Avon Foundation are working together to raise funds for Speak Out Against Domestic Violence with a rubber bracelet for $3.00 at http://www.avonfoundation.org where 66% of each purchase supports the cause.

6. The DVD, "Things You Should Know Before Entering the Hospital," was made to address the alarming news that 2 million people contract infections and 98,000 people die in hospitals each year due to medical errors. The film contains step-by-step advice on how to keep yourself and family members safe if they have to be hospitalized. $2.00 from each DVD sold at http://www.patientsafetyvideo.com is being donated to Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS). CAPS works with hospitals to stop medical errors.

7. Jones New York's "In the Classroom" program has created a fundraising T-shirt designed by Ryan McGinness and modeled by Brooke Shields. The T-shirt, available at http://www.jnyintheclassroom.org, is $20 and proceeds aid the organization's mission to improve the quality of education for America's children.

8. At http://www.polo.com you can buy the "Fashion For Relief" Tee-shirt designed by Ralph Lauren. Fashion For Relief is an initiative organized by Naomi Campbell, and all profits from the sale of this $35.00 t-shirt will be donated to AmeriCares' hurricane relief efforts.

9. ALDO and YouthAIDS' stylish "Empowerment Dog Tag" necklace helps raise awareness and necessary funds to help save lives around the world. The $5.00 "Empowerment Tags" available at http://www.youthaids.org, are engraved with "Hear", "See", or "Speak" on one tag, and the AIDS ribbon on the other. 100% of net proceeds go towards the education and the protection of vulnerable young people via YouthAIDS, which is run in over 60 countries.

10. Jessica Alba, Nia Vardalos and Susan Sarandon are all wearing "The Bracelet" to help raise funds for HIV/AIDS services, education and vaccine development. The $25 silver bracelet is available at http://www.until.org and fund go to Until There's A Cure® is a national organization dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds to combat this pandemic.

11. The exclusive $15 "Do More" bracelet and charm is being sported by Sela Ward in the Smart Start® Healthy Heart campaign to fight against women's heart disease. Proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women™ movement.

12. Sweet Grass Farm's Hope, Courage & Faith fragrance set infuses the air with spicy carnation and pink peppercorn. Ten percent of proceeds are being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The fragrance set is $29.95 available at http://www.sweetgrassonline.com.

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Saints aid in Katrina healing

2006-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Superdome serves as rallying point

Watching Monday night football games isn't out of the ordinary for Bengals defensive tackle Shaun Smith. Smith was particularly paying attention to the game on Sept. 25.

That was the night the Louisiana Superdome - which like the rest of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region took the brunt of Mother Nature's force in the form of Hurricane Katrina in late August 2005 - reopened and hosted the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.

Smith played in five games for the Saints in 2004 before coming to the Bengals. He envisioned the atmosphere inside the Superdome for that Monday night game as he watched his TV.

"I know that the adrenaline was pumping because I know the struggle that they had to go through last season," said Smith, reflecting during an open locker room interview this week. "I've still got good friends on the team and I talk to them. There's a lot of support. As they say: 'The dome be rockin'. "

The Saints are back to playing in the Superdome after spending last season as the NFL's vagabond organization. They split their "home" games between San Antonio's Alamodome and Tiger Stadium on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge after hosting the New York Giants in their home opener at the Giants' own stadium. They relocated their training to San Antonio but often practiced at a high school facility.

On Sunday the Bengals play the Saints at the Superdome. Despite all of the cleanup and rebuilding that remains in the city and region, the Saints (6-3) have returned home as a symbol of what can be and as a team in first place of its division after going 3-13 last season.

The Bengals (4-5) are traveling to New Orleans today and are keeping their normal schedule for road trips, which means preparing to play a football game. For a team that has lost five of its last six games now is the time to focus on getting a victory.

"Obviously with what everybody from that region went through last year, it was devastating," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a press conference this week. "It still is. We'll have a chance to see some of it first hand. I think it's great that the Saints are back in the Superdome and playing. They're playing well. That's a good thing. But that's where it's got to stop."

Bengals cornerback Tory James and wide receiver Chris Henry are from the New Orleans area, as is cornerback Greg Brooks, who is on injured reserve, and practice squad defensive end Eric Henderson. The Bengals have four other players either on the roster, the practice squad or injured reserve that played in college at nearby LSU; offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth, Ben Wilkerson and Nate Livings and wide receiver Bennie Brazell.

"I'd like to go see it so others would realize how tough things are and how much this country really needs to start taking care of itself now more than ever," said Whitworth, who helped organize Katrina relief efforts while playing at LSU last season. "I wish we had a chance to get in early enough for those guys to get a chance to see it because it is a tremendous thing to get a chance to see and realize the help that is needed. You see miles and miles of empty homes and buildings and gas stations with no power, no electricity gutted out from the inside out.

"I actually do know some people from here that have told me they're going there because they have volunteer programs where you can go to help, and when they go see the game they'll stay to help out, clean up and stuff like that."

Katrina caused the breeching of several levees in the New Orleans area. At one point, nearly 80 percent of the city suffered some sort of flooding, with some spots being as much as 20 feet underwater. Katrina was estimated to have caused more than $100 billion in total damage across the Gulf Coast region while killing nearly 2,000 people.

The Superdome served as a shelter for approximately 30,000 people who couldn't get out of town. The structure itself suffered significant damage and it cost $139 million to repair it. The decision to spend the money on a structure that houses a professional football team when so many other projects are in need of assistance wasn't an easy one, but apparently it has been worthwhile.

"It's almost metaphorical to people," said Saints rookie offensive tackle Zach Strief, a Milford, Ohio, native. "It's a part of New Orleans that's come back. It isn't a lot - and there is a long way to go to rebuild this city. It's hard to understand that being up north. I know I didn't understand that until I drove down here.

"Until you see it for yourself it's hard to understand how bad some areas still are, but it's good to have three hours each week that most of this city doesn't have to think about what they have to do the next day or think about the fact that their house is still destroyed. It's just something for them to take their minds off of it and help them cope. I'm glad it's like that, even though that can be hard to understand."

The Saints have sold out their games for the season. The franchise began playing in the NFL in 1967, one season before the Bengals played their first game as a member of the AFL.

"When I first got here in January, you begin to sense how passionate these people are," Saints first-year head coach Sean Payton said in a conference call with Cincinnati media. "Their grandparents bought season tickets and have seen every game, when they opened up at Tulane Stadium. You hear these stories; this summer at a concert, a guy came up to me and said he had lost his job, been relocated yet he bought six season tickets. Couldn't wait for the season to open up but didn't know how he was going to pay for them. It's pretty important. There aren't a lot of other sports teams. LSU is right up the road. But this is their professional team in town. You grow an appreciation for it."

Louisiana, New Orleans Katrina Victims Need Mental Health Help

2006-11-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

Anyone who read Chris Rose’s account of his battle with depression in post-Katrina New Orleans is not likely to forget it. The Times-Picayune journalist described in spellbinding detail each facet of the illness that silently consumed his life: the mind-numbing trauma of reliving and writing about the destruction of his beloved city, the debilitating sense of alienation that made even the most casual social contact unbearable, and the incomparable sense of unreality that manifested as ‘the thousand yard stare’.

Multitudes of Katrina survivors know exactly what Rose is talking about. Yet the well-documented local increases in depression and anxiety have not been met with an increase in services. It is a bitter irony that, at a time when the need for mental health care in Louisiana has never been greater, services have been downsized to a fraction of pre-storm levels. Thus, there is growing support for mental health care to be included as an integral part of any major disaster relief process.

Last week on November 8 and 9, experts in the field of disaster-related mental illness gathered in Atlanta at the 22nd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy to discuss the psychological consequences of hurricane Katrina. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former US President Jimmy Carter and the former First Lady, and its mission includes advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering. The Katrina symposium featured presentations, work groups and panel discussions that debated ways to improve disaster planning, preparedness, and response in order to recognize the mental health implications for disasters survivors.

"People in New Orleans and evacuees who moved to other areas around the country are still suffering from the trauma of Hurricane Katrina," said Mrs. Carter. "Our goal is to use the lessons learned from that catastrophic event to improve the mental health outcomes for people affected in the next disaster."

Calling all fans: Hornets owner hopes to sell out openerAssociated Press

2006-10-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Hornets owner George Shinn called on fans Sunday to buy up a few thousand remaining tickets to the team's home opener in New Orleans this week.

"I think it's important not only for us to do our part, I think the fans in New Orleans have got to do their part. They've got to step up and help us," Shinn said. "The league has made the point that it's important for us when we go back to have a successful return, so we've got to make all this work. It's that simple."

About 3,500 tickets remain for the Nov. 5 game at the New Orleans Arena, but Shinn said the lower bowl is entirely sold out. The remaining tickets are in the arena's upper deck.

"I'm very confident we'll have a sellout. We're not there yet, but New Orleans is a different market and it's proven since we've been there that you have a lot of fans that walk up game day," Shinn said at a special event for season-ticket holders in Oklahoma City. "It's a big event town and people are used to that."

The opener will be one of six games the Hornets play in New Orleans this season. The remaining 35 home games will be played in Oklahoma City, which emerged as a temporary home for the team after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

Two of the team's three games in New Orleans last season sold out, and the other came up about 400 fans short.

Shinn said he had been close to an agreement with potential investors seeking a minority stake in the team but "there's a lot of fine-tuning that's got to be done."

"We had a clear understanding of where we were going and then what happened is the lawyers got it screwed up and now it's back in our laps again," Shinn said. "We've got to start renegotiating. ... It happens all the time and it doesn't alarm me."

Shinn also said he had begun identifying corporate sponsors for the team for its return, although nothing is official yet.

"A lot of people just don't make a decision until they just have to. I'm a businessman, I understand that," Shinn said. "There's a lot of people that I know that are going to step up because they've told me they're going to."

Shinn said the NBA has been involved in finding corporate support for the team.

"Am I worried about it? No. Would I like for them all to be signed, sealed and delivered? Yes. But they're not, and we'll just take it a step at a time and get accomplished what we've got to get accomplished," Shinn said.

Shinn told fans at the event that he expects the Hornets, whose 20-win turnaround last season was the biggest in the NBA, to make the playoffs this season after adding Peja Stojakovic, Bobby Jackson, Tyson Chandler and Jannero Pargo in an offseason overhaul.

"I think we're going to be in the playoffs, I really do," Shinn said. "Will I be surprised if we don't? Yes. I won't be crushed. I'm not going to fire the coach, I'll tell you that now."

NFL gives to United Way chapters in La.

2006-10-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

The NFL is giving $1 million in grants to support 10 United Way of America affiliates that still are caring for evacuees of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including $100,000 each for Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

The other eight affiliates also will receive $100,000 each from the NFL’s Disaster Relief Fund, established after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a release from the NFL says.

The 10 affiliates are: Atlanta; Baton Rouge; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Houston; Jackson, Miss.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Lafayette; Mobile, Ala.; and San Antonio.

The grants, announced Tuesday by the NFL, will help local United Way agencies meet needs in the areas of housing, health care, job training, education, mental health counseling, and child care assistance.

With this latest donation, NFL owners, teams, the NFL Player’s Association, individual players, and NFL fans collectively have contributed more than $22 million to Hurricane Katrina relief, the release says.

Libraries are low on totem pole

2006-09-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Needs are great, recovery slow.....

As important as it may be, there are few public institutions with profiles as low as the public library, a part of government everyone sees and many use, but most fail to consider in the general scheme of things.

More than a year after Hurricane Katrina, the Harrison County Library System is still struggling to recover. Although the system expects to get a chunk of $12.2 million being given to Gulf Coast libraries by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the future remains hazy.

During a meeting last week at Biloxi's Margaret Sherry Memorial Library, the library board of directors listened to a generally upbeat report from system Director Robert Lipscomb. But it was hard to ignore a pall from the hurricane that still hovers over the county's libraries.

"It has been awful," board member Ramona Peresich said before the meeting. "We had our major libraries knocked out in three cities. We've just been limping along."

Katrina put the Biloxi, Gulfport and Pass Christian primary libraries out of business. In D'Iberville, the county library was also flooded.

Collectively, the libraries suffered more than $6 million in content losses. Computers, furniture, equipment and an estimated 160,000 books, tapes, videos and other materials were lost.

The system has libraries in communities throughout the county. Only Long Beach is not part of the Harrison County system.

Officials say the Pass Christian and Biloxi libraries can eventually be restored, and the D'Iberville building should reopen in a month or so. And although the building shell still stands at the beachfront Gulfport main library, which also served as the system's headquarters, the once-grand building is gone, probably forever.

The library system is still awaiting word on how much assistance it will get from FEMA and how insurance settlements on its facilities will shake out. Until then, rebuilding plans are uncertain.

However, Sens. Trent Lott and Thad Cochran announced a federal share of reimbursement of $4.59 million has been allocated to replace the Gulfport Library with a building of equivalent design, capacity, and function.

Lipscomb said the system has several options for Gulfport. They include building a new main library and headquarters near Interstate 10, or building two smaller facilities to serve Gulfport and Orange Grove. There's also the possibility of revitalizing the old Carnegie Library on 24th Avenue in Gulfport into a small branch library.

Lipscomb said the Gulfport main library is considered 65 percent destroyed, which should lead to full rebuilding reimbursement from FEMA. Combining that with $1.4 million due for insurance payments on the loss, "we should have approximately $6 million for the construction of a new headquarters library," he said.

However, libra ry board members remain concerned about tomorrow. They look to involved cities as well as Harrison County government for funding help and operational support, and wonder how much will be forthcoming in their new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Although the figure remains fluid, board members expect their Fiscal Year 2007 budget to be around $2 million. Before Katrina, it averaged $3 million.

"Libraries usually don't fall into the very top echelon of important projects," said board Vice Chairwoman Gerry Morgan. "But we need a presence in downtown Gulfport, and that's very crucial."

Morgan also worries that a lack of libraries can harm the very fabric of Coast society. "Libraries have always been the backbone of the community," she said.

"They have evolved into much busier places now."

With the modern-day features of computers and Internet access, movies, books on tape and other offerings beyond traditional books, libraries have changed.Morgan hopes the libraries of Harrison County can recover and continue meeting the community's needs. "They touch everybody," she said.

'Libraries usually don't fall into the very top echelon of important projects. But we need a presence in downtown Gulfport, and that's very crucial.'

Coast's shrimp industry needs our support

2006-09-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Q: Dear Jack Sunn, Mississippi shrimpers are having a tough time in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I'm a Coast native and Mississippi shrimp do taste better than imported Asian shrimp.

Would you ask some moderately priced restaurants in the Jackson area to buy from Mississippi shrimpers, and then let us know so that we natives can support those restaurants and our Mississippi shrimpers? Thanks a bunch. - Shrimp Lover

A: I like that idea: Help the Coast; eat Mississippi shrimp. Jack is lucky enough to have in-laws on the Coast so he can grab a cooler of shrimp occasionally. That's what freezers are for, right?

So you restaurant owners, let your customers know if you use Mississippi shrimp and you've got at least one regular visitor at your tables. And for those of you who may want to change, Susan Perkins, public relations representative for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, confirms there are shrimp available. If you need some, call the department at (228) 374-5000 and tell the receptionist you're calling to locate a shrimp processor.

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To send in questions, write Jack Sunn, 2001 Airport Road, Suite 207, Flowood MS 39232 or e-mail jacksunn@jackson.gannett.com.

Lest We Forget......

2006-09-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 11, 2006, is the 5th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. In addition, there were attacks on the Pentagon and subsequently - all over the world - including Madrid, Bali and Mumbai, to mention just a few. Here is a poem, written anonymously, to help us remember not only September 11, 2001 but all the other terrorist attacks on democracy.

Two thousand one, nine eleven
Five thousand plus arrive in heaven.
As they pass through the gate,
Thousands more appear in wait.
A bearded man with stovepipe hat
Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat."

They settle down in seats of clouds,
A man named Martin shouts out proud,
"I have a dream!" and once he did
The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray
Others in khaki, and green then say
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine"
The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear
"The only thing we have to fear.
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest,
trust us sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves
You can't bury freedom, in a grave,"
The Newcomers had heard this voice before
A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this
Meant time had come for her to say
What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day.

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
Watched our children play in sports
Worked our gardens, sang our songs
Went to church and clipped coupons
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought
Unlike you, great we're not"

The tall man in the stovepipe hat
Stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see
You died for freedom, just like me"
Then, before them all appeared a scene
Of rubbled streets and twisted beams
Death, destruction, smoke and dust
And people working just 'cause they must

Hauling ash, lifting stones,
Knee deep in hell, but not alone
"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman
Side by side helping their fellow man!"
So said Martin, as he watched the scene
"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."

Down below three firemen raised
The colors high into ashen haze
The soldiers above had seen it before
On Iwo Jima back in '44

The man on sticks studied everything closely
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly
"I see pain, I see 20 tears,
I see sorrow - but I don't see fear."

"You left behind husbands and wives
Daughters and sons and so many lives
are suffering now because of this wrong
But look very closely. You're not really gone.

All of those people, even those who've never met you
All of their lives, they'll never forget you
Don't you see what has happened?
Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together as one."

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said
"Take my hand," and from there he led
five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven
On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven.

Hurricane evacuees still struggling with new lives, careers as federal funding runs out

2006-09-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their homes and separated their families, many of the evacuees who made their way to Northwest Arkansas are facing the same impasse of housing, jobs and transportation that they did when they first came to the Ozarks, according to a co-founder of the Katrina Support Group.

“ Where do we live ? Can we get a job ? How am I going to feed my kids ? And how am I going to get there if I find something ? Nothing’s been solved, ” said Brigitte David of Fayetteville, formerly of New Orleans, and a co-founded the support group with her husband.

“ The only difference now is we’re not in a camp and we’re not in the initial shock. We’re waking up, ” she said.

David said the 25-30 members of the Katrina Support Group are running into a real housing crunch right now.

FEMA housing grants are running out and people are facing eviction.

Likewise, as the funds for paying Katrina survivors fade away, so do the jobs.

David herself is one of the people in that boat.

A former CEO of a financial corporation, she now is development officer at Sources for Community Independent Living Services, helping indirectly to find jobs for others while her own is in limbo and could disappear if a new funding source is not found.

In addition to housing and job woes, members of the support group bring monthly tales of discrimination and intolerance to the meetings.

“ We’ve had people that went for a job and were told it was full. Soon as they left the ‘ Help Wanted’ sign goes out again. They turned around and went back in and they said, ‘ We’re not hiring anyone from New Orleans, ’” David said.

But through it all, she believes the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita who are still in Northwest Arkansas want to stay.

“ They love Fayetteville. They love the beauty of the region. They like the weather, for the most part. They like the schools, ” added David Crain, job development and placement special- ist at Sources and a Springdale native. “ They want to become part of this community. They want to offer their talents and their education and their background and integrate it into this community. They want to stay and they’re finding a bit of resistance, ” David said. “ You’ve got so much generosity from so many of the people up here, ” she said, “ and such animosity from others. ” The issues of housing and work and transportation all mesh with each other. With no transportation, how do you get a job ? With no job, how do you pay for transportation ?

Housing David said the idea of putting the evacuees into vacant apartments seemed like a good idea at the time, especially with the huge number of people who needed accommodations very quickly. However, many of the apartments are on the outskirts of town and that, over time, has proved to be a problem. “ You couldn’t even get in and start looking for employment because you couldn’t get to it. Makes it difficult, ” David said. Another problem are the rents, generally over $ 500 a month for people who are making $ 600 or $ 700 a month, she indicated. “ When Katrina stops paying, there is no way on earth those people can afford to keep up those properties, ” she said.

FEMA money has already run out for some of the evacuees because of time and some for what David called paperwork disasters and paperwork shoddiness with the federal agency. The housing problems bring another issue to the forefront. “ The FEMA things are running out and a lot of people have put that off, simply because they haven’t had the mental capability, the emotional capability to deal with it, ” David said.

Loss Many members of the support group are or have been dealing with post traumatic shock and depression, according to David and Crain. “ It’s not just the money that’s running out. It’s the psychological condition, ” David said. “ I think all of us were so much in shock for the first six months that we really didn’t pay that much attention to what was happening. ”

“ This is the first year after the death of New Orleans. People are just coming to, ” Crain said.

David’s husband is the Rev. Giovani (John ) A. Gaglio, who is known as JAG. The couple returned to New Orleans and learned for themselves what they are now trying to explain to others.

“ Somewhere in the last three months, JAG and I realized we can’t go back, ” she said.

“ It is very difficult to realize you have nowhere to go back to. There’s no utilities. There’s no houses. Debris in the streets. There’s so much work to be done. We don’t even know if the damned levies are fixed. No jobs. There’s only three or four schools open. ”

Besides that physical loss, survivors lost entire families, their histories, their friends, their sense of place.

“ All of the pictures, all of the heirlooms, all the things your family has had for hundreds of years is gone. And not just yours. Everybody’s, ” David said. “ Suddenly they’re isolated for the first time in their lives. ” One member of the support group just found his children less than a month ago. Another, David Bills, was back in New Orleans “ only long enough to retrieve what the storm and the looters left me. ” David estimated about 5, 000 hurricane evacuees ended up in Northwest Arkansas last year and that about a third of them have returned home.

Jobs After housing, the next big issue for evacuees is, as it was a year ago, finding jobs. “ Many have talent, extreme talent; but they’re not being hired, ” Crain said. “ We’re talking professional people with degrees in hand and experience. ” Only two members of the support group are permanently employed, by David’s count.

“ Everybody is looking for jobs. They’re coming to the end of those FEMA grants, ” she explained. “ Of all the people that I know who’ve had a Katrina grant, only one has been offered a job, and that was by the city. Businesses here are taking advantage. They get free labor for six months and as soon as the grant runs out, they let these people go. ” Employment programs that offer training or payment of the employee’s wage usually require a commitment from the employer that they will find employment for that worker when the program ends, said Crain, a job placement specialist. “ FEMA did not make it conditional that you need to find a way to bring them onto payroll. They didn’t do that. There’s no thought to what’s going to happen to them afterwards, ” he said.

Like David, JAG expects his job to end when the FEMA money is gone.

JAG was a jewelry designer in New Orleans as well as a shaman. He said he could make in two nights what he now makes in two weeks.

In New Orleans, the couple used their own money for food, medicine and clothes for “ street kids. ”

Now they’re counting pennies.

At the Arkansas Employment Security Department, JAG trains people on how to use the computer. It’s his fourth job since coming to Fayetteville for what he thought would be a few days. Everybody in the support group has a story to tell. “ Right now we’re working with a perfectly qualified teacher with 16 years’ experience we can’t get on anywhere, ” Crain said. Another woman heard a racial slur from her supervisor, he said, and a chef from a five-star restaurant was told he was “ just a cook. ” “ This whole area is not taking advantage of the talent they have up here. They have some tremendously adept, talented, experienced people that have come up here that no one is hooking on to, ” David said.

David Bills, a trucker who was a street performer in New Orleans, is one of the support group’s two success stories. Being a balloon artist was a lucrative career in New Orleans, but now, he said, the height of the season is like the off-season. Like many others, he ran into FEMA. “ They made such grand and flowery promises. I got one small check and never heard diddley squat from them since, ” he said. Bills decided the government wasn’t going to be much help. “ So I just went ahead and figured if I’m going to get anything done, I’m going to have to do it myself, ” he said after the business where he first worked closed. He found he was eligible for training and opted to get his Commercial Driver’s License. David had several examples of FEMA roadblocks, including one that hit close to home.

It took the couple almost six weeks to get a phone. “ If you try to go through the automated phone system and you don’t fall into the slots, they disconnect you. It’s very difficult. It’s very stressful, ” she said. “ Try dealing with FEMA. It is a total, total nightmare trying to get answers from them. ” Transportation By its very nature, transportation should be connection. For the hurricane evacuees, it became a roadblock. “ The reason they were looking for places for these folks was they all got bused up here. So, consequently, they have no transportation, ” David said. She talked about one upper-middle class man who ran through their savings, got no aid from FEMA and ended up losing his car because he couldn’t make the payments. “ So he’s now on foot. Transportation is a big problem up here, ” she said. “ People expect you to have wheels. ”

Support group “ Right now, what we’re trying to do is find jobs for these people, ” JAG said. “ We’re still not really sure what our purpose is because it was a support venue, but the very real issues that go on have to be addressed first, ” David said. The co-founder husbandand-wife team admit there are some who don’t want to work. “ The time for whining is over, ” JAG said. “ We’ve got people who are serious and want to get back in the swing of things, ” he said. That’s where the support group comes in. “ The support group wants to help those who want to help themselves, ” he said. JAG, David and Crain point out that the evacuees in the area are from many cultures and many job types and levels.

The group is not just for evacuees from New Orleans, but for any hurricane evacuee in Northwest Arkansas and for anyone who wants to help. “ What we had was an unprecedented event. It’s not that people didn’t want to help. A lot of people didn’t know what to do, ” David said. One of the goals of the support group is to find and implement ways to help. Transportation — or the lack of it — comes into play again. “ The problem we run into is many, many of these folks have no transportation, ” David said. That makes it hard to get to the meetings.

Looking ahead Crain and David suggest a regional council where people can go for information regardless of what county or what town they live in. “ The problem is, our agencies don’t coordinate with each other up here, ” David said. For both of the Sources workers, housing is the first problem that needs solving, followed closely by jobs. “ Once we get them working and located in the right area to be able to get back and forth to work, we’ll deal with transit and try to get them a car, ” Crain said. JAG, too, has a vision for the future. He and David want to start Second Line Outreach. “ Unless from New Orleans, you have no clue what Second Line means, ” David said. She said it refers to the second line in New Orleans funeral processions.

The first somber line is the casket and immediate family. “ The second line is friends and relatives and music and dancing and singing. A celebration of life. It’s a way to express the happiness of having known that person and that life will go on, ” she said. JAG said Second Line Outreach would be a long-term effort manned by people, perhaps from the support group, who have faced their own crisis. “ We go in when everybody else pulls out, ” he said. “ It’s a matter of coming face-to-face with the idea of, ‘ This is behind us; we have to look ahead, ’” David said. “ I’m hoping to get it to the point that everyone there will at least have their essential needs taken care of so we can sit down and teach Fayetteville how to party. ” Bills, the balloon artist who became an over-the-road truck driver, explained it this way: “ You can’t let a disaster beat you down. You’ve got to pick yourself up, dust off and keep going. ”

Restaurateurs help Hurricane Katrina victims

2006-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — On Aug. 29, the National Restaurant Association, the Food Network and American Express will hold “Share Our Strength's Restaurants for Relief 2,” to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims.

According to an NRA news release, Share Our Strength is one of the nation's leading organizations working to end childhood hunger. Thousands of participating restaurants nationwide will donate profits or other funds to aid Gulf Coast recovery, with a percentage of funds raised allocated directly to the support of restaurant and hospitality workers.

Diners can support this worthy cause by eating out on Aug. 29 at one of their favorite participating restaurants. A list of participating restaurants, from neighborhood bistros to four-star restaurants and national chains, is available at www.strength.org. Diners can conveniently make reservations online through www.OpenTable.com by clicking the link provided for member restaurants in the Restaurants for Relief 2 restaurant list.

Other ways to participate include making a donation through www.strength.org or purchasing a Restaurant.com dining certificate through www.strength.org. Through the Web site, a $25 certificate is only $10 and 50 percent or $5 of each gift certificate will go to Share Our Strength's ongoing Gulf Coast recovery efforts.

"Restaurants are the cornerstone of our communities, and I know of no other industry that is as giving of its time and talents for those in need as the restaurant industry. On behalf of the restaurant industry, we are pleased to join Share Our Strength, American Express and Food Network to support the hospitality workers and those affected by Hurricane Katrina," said Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the National Restaurant Association.

One year ago, Share Our Strength's first Restaurants for Relief dine-out program, combined with other efforts, raised more than $1.2 million in critical funding that supported schools, community kitchens, feeding programs, farmers' markets, FEMA trailer parks and efforts to aid restaurant and hospitality workers.

A year later, Katrina victims still struggling

2006-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Uprooted by Hurricane Katrina almost a year ago, the Pauline family is still looking for a place to call home.

Gerard and Joy Pauline and their four children fled their native New Orleans just before the Category 3 hurricane rolled ashore Aug. 29. The day before, the family became refugees as they left their home and virtually all of their belongings for safety with extended family members living in Baton Rouge, La.

That trip began a cross-country odyssey for the family of six. Despite living in Cañon City for the last 11 months, the Paulines have had trouble finding work and find themselves once again seeking a new begin-ning.

They are waiting for word on a home in Pueblo West they have under contract. The Paulines should have been able to move by now, Joy said, but are having problems with the purchase because — ironically enough — the home was flooded in the heavy rains of early July.

Fleeing the Storm

The Pauline family lived right on the river in New Orleans in a duplex only three streets away from one of the infamous levees that failed, flooding the city.

“I’m normally the stubborn one and I refuse to leave,” Gerard said. “But I never was in a storm that big. I was told by my father to leave.”

His father had survived Hurricane Betsy in 1965 which also hit New Orleans and flooded large parts of the city. Gerard’s wife, Joy, said he decided to listen to his father this time.

“Normally, me and the kids leave,” Joy said. “I tell him he can stay home; the kids and I are going.”

But Hurricane Katrina was different. Gerard said his father’s advice was further reinforced by a dream he had.

“I was up at 6 the next morning doing a tune-up on the van and getting it ready to go,” Gerard said.

The family drove to Baton Rouge, La., taking 10 hours to complete what is normally a 1 1/2-hour drive. They took one suitcase stuffed with clothes for Joy and the kids, while Gerard had only the clothing he was wearing.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Gerard said. “I thought I’d go back in two days to pick up where I left off.”

Complete Devastation

What Gerard didn’t know was that it would be two full months before he could return to his home to wit-ness the damage. The apartment was completely flooded and partially collapsed.

“The front part was caved in,” Gerard said. “The roof was pulled back from the wind.”

But for Gerard, the ultimate insult came when he found others wearing his clothes as they cleaned up the area.

“It was sad,” Gerard said. “When I pulled up, a work crew was wearing my clothes. All of our stuff had been ransacked.”

He managed to salvage only some birth certificates and photographs of their oldest two children, Gerard Jr., 8, and Jouan, 7. But there were no photos left of their other two children, Joiri, 6, and JoNeece, 4.

Everything else was gone.

“I saw a lot of other people walking in water,” Gerard said. “I now know what living below sea level means. The devastation was just like a third world country.”

Long Road to Colorado

The Pauline family stayed with relatives in Baton Rouge for a few days before renting an apartment there with another family.

“Our money quickly ran out,” Joy said. The family, searching for help, talked to the pastor of the Oak Creek Community Church in Baton Rouge.

“We were just looking for comfort at the time,” Gerard said. “We didn’t know anything about Colorado. The only thing I asked was if it had tornadoes because we had just left the hurricane.”

Arrangements were made by Doug Steiner of Pueblo to fly them to Colorado in his private jet. He also was instrumental in finding them a home and vehicle.

The couple and their children arrived in Cañon City on Sept. 13 and moved into a home owned by Rosie Bratcher. She donated the use of the home, and all utilities, to the family for one full year. But when funds became available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Paulines were able to pay rent and utilities.

Settling In

The family became acquainted with a new life in rural Cañon City. They registered their older children for school and Gerard found a job working for a contractor but the job didn’t last long because it had low pay and no benefits for his family.

“It really didn’t help me out with my family so I had to let that go,” Gerard said. “It’s been really hard for us to find work here.”

In New Orleans, Gerard was a subcontractor for a cable company and was preparing to open his own business. Joy was employed as an office worker.

“We have gone to appointments and interviews,” Joy said. “We have sent out resumes. We’re still trying.”

The couple has been working through employment agencies but has not had much luck. Their employment issues triggered their pending move to Pueblo West.

“Hopefully, there is a bigger job market there,” Gerard said. “We’re trying to start our lives all over again.”

Still Seeking Help

In addition to the financial assistance they have been able to get from FEMA, the Paulines said they were overwhelmed by the help they found elsewhere.

Pueblo Hurricane Support and Recovery through the Spanish Peaks Mental Health Center provided out-reach to the family in the form of moral and emotional support.

“Dana (Tewahade, crisis counselor) became a friend I could talk to any time of day or night,” Joy said. “It’s nice to know there are some good people in the world.”

The organization acted as a liaison between the relocated family and other agencies including medical, counseling and FEMA.

They also expressed appreciation to Shepherd of the Hills Church in Cañon City for its support during the past year. But the family is still struggling in some respects.

Gerard said he still has pending claims for automobiles and personal belongings he lost in the hurricane.

“It’s just so hard to start over from scratch,” he said. “We were born and raised in New Orleans and they just took away maybe 25 good years of my life. We have to start all over again.”

Bush Makes Splash in New Orleans Debut

2006-08-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Reggie Bush looks every bit as good in the NFL as he did at USC. Vince Young is a fan favorite but needs to learn when to throw the ball away. Todd Bouman tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore with 3:30 left, and the New Orleans Saints rallied for a 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Sean Payton's coaching debut.

Bush needed all of two carries to show why New Orleans took him with the second pick in the NFL draft.

Stopped behind the line while going to his left, the Heisman Trophy winner bounced out, turned right and zoomed past two Titans up the sideline for 44 yards to the Tennessee 24. He finished with 59 yards in six carries.

"He can bring big plays, and he had a couple of nice runs," Payton said.

Young, the No. 3 pick, completed four of 11 passes for 56 yards and ran four times for 28 yards. He had one long pass dropped by a receiver.

Young also failed to throw away the ball as he scrambled and was tackled from behind in the fourth quarter. He walked gingerly to the bench and was examined by a team doctor. He watched the rest of the game from the bench.

"T-Rac," the Titans' raccoon-like mascot, hit fourth-string Saints quarterback Adrian McPherson with a golf cart as he walked onto the field for the second half, bruising him and knocking him out of the game.

Payton said McPherson, who was attended by a trainer on the sideline before walking off to the locker room, had a bruise. He did not say where the quarterback was hurt.

Former USC running back LenDale White watched in street clothes from the sideline. That was part of his discipline for spitting on a teammate Thursday

Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said White will return to practice Monday.

"I respect Coach Fisher's decision for not playing tonight. I don't like it just because I like competing … I understand what's going on," White said after the game.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees looked rusty early but completed five of nine passes for 60 yards.

"I like what I saw, and it was important for Drew to get back on the field," Payton said.

New Orleans plays host to ASTA`s Board of Directors

2006-08-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

ASTA’s Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting in New Orleans as a show of support for the Crescent City and as a means of showcasing the city’s recovery to some of the travel agent industry’s key leaders. Contrary to many negative reports in the media, the city’s most popular tourist areas, such as the French Quarter and the Garden District, were not severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina and stand ready to welcome tourists from around the country and globe.

Several key tourism entities in New Orleans, namely the InterContinental New Orleans, Carnival Cruise Lines, Marriott Corp., Marriott on Canal, Marriott Convention Center Hotels, The Court of Two Sisters Restaurant, Maison Dupuy Hotel and Dominique’s Restaurant, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau and Destination Management Inc., a New Orleans Hospitality Company, generously hosted ASTA’s Board, enabling the group to see for itself how far the city has come in rebuilding its tourism infrastructure.

“The city and people of New Orleans suffered a devastating loss last year, a loss that really affected the entire country,” said Kathryn W. Sudeikis, CTC, ASTA president and CEO. “Given the tremendous devastation from Hurricane Katrina, it’s truly amazing how far the city has come in getting back on its feet. The main tourist areas are open for business; jazz is blaring on Bourbon Street and the hotels, restaurants and shops are open and ready to welcome our clients with open arms.”

“What an honor and privilege it is to be here in this great city,” said Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC, president of the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA) and TravelSellers. “The spirit and resilience one can feel when interacting with the people of this city makes me anxious to go out and spread the word that New Orleans is alive and well and ready for visitors.”

“Visitors to New Orleans will be surrounded by the ‘Let the good times roll’ spirit. Travel agents and their clients will enjoy terrific hotels, gourmet restaurants and great clubs. The people of this great city are here and ready to welcome travelers with open arms,” said Kari Thomas, CTC, of Will Travel in Langhorne, Pa.

“I was very excited to be back in New Orleans after quite a few years, although I have always recommended it to clients. I was anxious to see for myself the current status of New Orleans as a destination,” said Lila Ford, CTC, Gallery of Travel, Inc., Rochester, NY. “Things look like they are getting back to normal; I will be sending clients to New Orleans, especially as a starting point for cruises.”

“The gracious and warm welcome we have received started at the airport and hasn’t stopped. Everyone’s attitude has been ‘we are moving ahead, even if slowly.’ The residents love this city and are working to revitalize it. Everyone seems to be happy we are here and that we are supporting the return of tourism. I can feel a new beginning!” said Mary Peters, CTC, Friendly Travel, Inc./American Express in Alexandria, Va.

2006-07-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Saints ready to touch down in Dome

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn was one of the more outspoken players after Hurricane Katrina ripped up and nearly destroyed New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Through all the chaos and sadness resulting from the most-destructive natural disaster in United States history, Horn had his doubts the team would venture back to their established fan base.

"Did I want to come back to New Orleans? Like I said over and over again, of course I did," Horn said. "Ultimately, (Saints owner Tom Benson) decided that he wanted to come back home, too. That's what I love about him."

Benson and the Saints are making a strong push to involve Mississippi, particularly the Gulf Coast, along with Alabama and Florida to create a football team with more regional appeal.

Prior to Katrina, the team wanted to widen its fan base, but since the storm, many players recognize what the Saints meant to the region. Players who have been with the team as long as special teamer Fred McAfee or as briely as quarterback Drew Brees practice with extra vigor, knowing what they do on the field affects the damaged psyche of their fans.

"Not only do we feel like we have to play for the people in New Orleans but I think the whole Gulf Coast region because everyone is in the same boat," Brees said. "We want them to be fans of ours, and we want them to support us and we want to get them involved."

Brees bought a full page ad in the Times-Picayune expressing his satisfaction with the fans in the city and region the week he signed.

With all the heartache within the region that remains almost a year after the catastrophe, McAfee, a Mississippi native, said Katrina may have washed away numerous communities but it also brought a renewed love for the area.

McAfee said there is one simple way for the team to display its appreciation for the fan's record-breaking support.

"Win," McAfee said. "That would definitely be the best way to show the fans that we are back and ready to play for you. We have a new coaching staff and a new attitude. Katrina may have washed away a lot more than just houses.

"It might have washed away our old ways as far as going out and playing hard. There's a new attitude. It's a new beginning for everybody involved in everything."

Horn and McAfee each said they understand the necessity for Katrina's victims to take a step back from lives filled with constant worries.

To many Saints enthusiasts, Sundays at the Superdome are a fall ritual, and McAfee is ready to bring joy back to the region.

"This is a getaway for those people," McAfee said. "It just a sense of normalcy to see your region's team back home again practicing and playing in the Superdome. Sometimes it brings calm to the chaotic situation. I'm just glad we can be a big part of getting things back to the way it was."

Horn may be the most appreciative Saints player just to hear the lengths that some fans are willing to endure to support a football team.

"Me being a fan of sports and I didn't play football and if I was a part of the catastrophe, then I would have taken some FEMA money and bought some tickets," Horn said. "They love the New Orleans Saints. They found a way to get tickets.

"And those that are displaced in New York, North Carolina, Mississippi and they can't afford to get tickets, I know they're hearts are with us. I know they still want the New Orleans Saints to win football games. That's why I work my butt off everyday.

"We want to win football games so that we can make everybody in New Orleans and Mississippi and everyone who went through that destruction proud of us."

3 Doors Down returns to ROCK The Coast

2006-07-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

By PETE TATTERSALL, ptattersall@sunherald.com

By now the story is legend, or nearly so.

Local radio station and a loyal local fan base champion local band. Initial hometown support helps propel local band to the bigtime. Huge stadium shows. Screaming, adoring fans. Millions of albums sold. Worldwide fame. The whole shebang.

Tomorrow evening, in a fitting finale to a 15-city tour, local band comes home to play a sold-out show for aforementioned local fans, who not for nothing are almost universally starved for entertainment in a post-Katrina landscape largely swept bare of what had been a unique and thriving atmosphere.

And in a fitting post-script, local band is first concert to be featured in local arena, which less than a year ago served as a refuge for scores of local citizens seeking shelter, despite the fact that said arena was swamped with, at the very least, seawater, 3-foot whitecaps and scores of poisonous jellyfish.

On Saturday evening the Mississippi Coast Coliseum is the place to be, as Escatawpa-based 3 Doors Down (Brad Arnold, Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson and Matt Roberts) and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Lynyrd Sknyrd (current line-up includes Johnny VanZant, Gary Rossington, Dale Krantz-Rossington, Ean Evans, Michael Cartellone, Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Rickey Medlocke, Carol Chase and Mark Matejka) conclude their co-headlined, Double Trouble tour. Shooter Jennings, son of the legendary Waylon Jennings and a performer who has earned critical kudos in his own right, opens the show.

"It's a real honor to tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd," said 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson. "It's their show, and 3 Doors Down can, for once, play and then go back and relax. And those guys are great."

With a combined 45 years of rock 'n' roll experience, Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down complement each other quite nicely on tour, said Henderson.

"We have a lot in common. And we're real big fans of those guys. We always have been," said Henderson, whose home was swamped with 7 feet of water, courtesy of Katrina.

Band members are pleased, and it seems quite fitting, to be officially closing the tour in Biloxi, said Henderson. (After Saturday, 3 Doors Down will continue touring, solo, for about three more shows, he added.)

In an effort to raise money for Katrina recovery, the band also plans to auction a custom-made guitar that Henderson played throughout the tour.

"It's a great guitar. We'll be doing that through the Better Life Foundation (the band's charitable arm)," said Henderson.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. As it draws to a close, both bands will take the stage for a group jam. (THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT)

Local girl collecting items for Katrina relief

2006-07-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

BRODHEAD -- Mercy Brodhead Medical Center, in collaboration with the Brodhead School District, will be collecting items for children affected by Hurricane Katrina on from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 22, at the Medical Center, 2310 First Center Ave. Donated items will be assembled into care packages and delivered to young Hurricane Katrina victims who are now patients at the Children's Hospital of New Orleans.

The event is planned by Brodhead eighth-grader Meaghan McGuire, who came up with the idea to offer support to the children affected by Hurricane Katrina after watching news coverage on the long-term effects the hurricane has left on the children of New Orleans. Dr. Kevin Bluemel, a physician at Mercy Brodhead Medical Center, and Stephanie Tresemer, a Brodhead middle school teacher, are assisting with the event.

McGuire and supporters are asking local children and their families, plus area businesses, to donate items listed, or offer monetary contributions. Items can be brought to Mercy Brodhead on the day of the event. Make checks payable to "Cardinals Care," c/o Sugar River Bank.

Items needed include: sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, small balls, small stuffed animals, toothbrushes and toothpaste, small-sized shampoo, soap and hairbrushes and combs.

For more information, call the Mercy Brodhead Medical Center at (608) 897-8664.

Send your comments or questions about the Times to newseditor@ themonroetimes.com.

Costello stages a Big Easy revival show

2006-07-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

The best advertisement for a visit to post-Katrina New Orleans isn't being produced by the Louisiana tourism office. Veteran rock tunesmith Elvis Costello and Big Easy musical treasure Allen Toussaint have teamed up for a tour this summer that serves as a striking reminder of the ebullient music of the city.

Last night at the Bank of America Pavilion Costello exhorted the three-quarters-capacity crowd to take a journey to the region to support its economic recovery. But if anyone is buying plane tickets today it was not Costello's words that did the trick but the mighty rock and soul performance that he, Toussaint, the Imposters, and the Crescent City Horns cooked up for more than two hours.

Part protest -- an action figure of President Bush was the only stage prop -- and part jamboree, the assembled group played most of the pair's recent album, ``The River in Reverse," and, as Costello put it, slapped ``a new coat of paint" on a passel of his greatest hits and deep cuts.

Most of the brightest colors were supplied by the four-man Crescent City Horns who added noir tones to ``Watching the Detectives," a calypso-style liveliness to ``Clubland," and punctuated Toussaint's playful ``A Certain Girl" with a series of bright brass exclamation points.

Toussaint sang only a handful of songs but made his presence known on the Steinway, enlivening the evening with licks both rollicking and solemn, sometimes on the same song as on the deceptively upbeat lament ``Who's Gonna Help a Brother Get Further?"

Hear an interview with Elvis Costello
Costello seemed especially energized and was in strong voice -- crooning R&B tunes, yelping rockers, and applying his acidic bark to vigorous new protest songs -- and made it easy to believe him when he said that this was the most fun he'd ever had onstage.

Near the end of the evening the regal Toussaint transformed the lyrics of Paul Simon's gently weary ``American Tune" into both an elegy for lost ideals and a poignant rebuke of those who've lost them. It was stunning.

At the two-hour and 15-minute mark we reluctantly skipped out of the party to make our deadline to the determined grooves of ``Yes We Can Can." The band seemed as tireless as the crowd.

While there is nothing about Hurricane Katrina for which to be grateful, this collaboration, which Costello said wouldn't have happened without the storm, proved that devastation needn't be total when it comes to the essential spirit of a place.

That Costello and Toussaint are able to bottle that New Orleans essence and sprinkle it liberally across the country on this tour is a fine testament to that spirit.

Homecoming home

2006-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Navy took him away from home. Katrina took his home away from him. Looters took his remaining belongings. But he knows what truly belongs to him can't be taken away; his love for his country, his pride in his work, and his family.

Georgia heat will be like an iceberg to Gulfport sailor Dennis Lovett when he heads there to celebrate the Fourth of July at his grandmother's, his destination of choice for patriotic holidays.

His grandma, Georgia Lovett, is the lady who taught him to cook as soon as he was big enough to drag a chair to the kitchen counter to watch her Southern culinary magic. At 31, Lovett now mixes his inherited passion for food with a military career that's taken him to some very hot places.

He laughs in the faces of Mississippi Coast friends who mention summer heat.

The petty officer third class and Navy Reservist is on a rare two-week leave from Kuwait, where his Naval Logistic Support Group, called in military parlance NAVELSG, provides Middle East cargo support for Operation Iraqi Freedom. While on R&R, Lovett is splitting time between Georgia family and Gulfport, where for the first time he's able to sift through his personal effects damaged by Katrina last August.

Few would guess from his unruffled demeanor that there's little left for him to pack up because what wasn't destroyed by hurricane wind and rain apparently was looted from his rental house. On the plane, he'd prepared himself for the worst, and that's what he got. Sort of.

A hot, cramped life in Kuwait - where possessions take on minor roles to comradeship - brings perspective: "Over there we're one big family and that's what's important."

Still, the Kuwait heat is a bit much.

"Just imagine a hot blow-dryer pointed 6 inches from your face, and throw in a little sand," Lovett explains the Kuwait temperatures that can reach 140 degrees.

"You have to keep yourself hydrated. I notice at the end of the day there's a white ring around my shirt from salt of sweat."

Lovett wears two hats at Kuwait Naval Base. The most important by military standards is cargo handler, or stevedore, unloading Army and Navy ships that come into port. But the most important by the standards of the men and women who join him wearing desert fatigues is his role as culinary specialist.

Even his commanding officer, Cmdr. John Perrett, says Lovett "has earned quite a reputation as the best cook at our dining facility."

Perhaps the gumbo and his red beans and rice have something to do with that. Many in his groups are Southerners and Lovett learned well from his Georgia grandmother.

Before being activated, he worked at several Coast restaurants and had a catering business.

Lovett grew up in the small town of Millen, Ga., came here when stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, and stayed after leaving the service.

Lovett, a self-described workaholic, tends to juggle several jobs. In 2001, after a time away from the military, he decided to return, this time in the Navy Reserves. That led to activation in 2005 and he was in Virginia training for Kuwait when Katrina hit.

Lovett and others from this region were granted 96 hours of leave to check on personal possessions and family, but Lovett never made it down for lack of gas and accessibility to the Coast in the storm's aftermath. The next month he was in Kuwait.

At 5-feet-11, slight of build and with a dark skin made darker by Kuwait sun, Lovett has been in the Middle East ever since. Meanwhile, pilferers stripped the Orange Grove house he rented and even left blankets on the floor as proof they'd made themselves at home despite boarded windows and locked doors.

In this two-week leave, he's juggling insurance hassles, visits with old friends and, of course, a trip to Georgia where his mother and grandmother still live. He's been single since a brief marriage when younger, and in some ways that's made deployment easier.

He started with Port Group Charlie and when that tour ended he joined Port Group Delta. His homebase is Cargo Handling Battalion 13, based out of the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport.

Lovett says he's thinking of re-upping in 2008: "I'd come from a small town, and when I was 16 my real reason for joining the military was that I wanted to see the world, but I also wanted to serve the country. That is what I signed up for, and I'll stick it out to the end."

That's Mission One and to that end, like most in Kuwait, he carries an M-16 and often works 12-hour shifts seven days a week.

His secondary mission is to improve his cooking skills, and he plans to use GI education possibilities on culinary degrees. He's already started one online course.

When wearing his chef hat, Lovett creates menus to please and sometimes drives around in a cart, handing out bottles of water to assure that everyone - including himself - stays hydrated in the Kuwaiti heat.

He won't be there for the Fourth of July, but before leaving he laid out plans for a typical American barbecue.

"I like to think I'm a morale builder over there," Lovett says. "People tell me they look forward to coming to the dining facility to eat because of the atmosphere. Good food plays a vital role. If you don't have healthy, nourishing meals, you're not going to be able to be alert and do your duties. Good food helps with the good fight."

When Lovett leaves the military he will likely return to the Coast, restart his catering business and add a restaurant.

"Two-star generals in Kuwait come to eat my seafood gumbo," he says.

Locals help Katrina survivors feel at home

2006-06-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sofia Lavidalie was not yet three years old when her parents, Jean and Dianna had to tell her that they could not go home to Louisiana because their house was wet.

The explanation was oversimplified but accurate in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In the days immediately following the catastrophe, the young family of three sought refuge in a Florida hotel with only the clothes on their backs. “We didn’t know what was going to happen,” Jean Lavidalie said. “Even if we had a house I would not have a job.”

Jean, a licensed lawyer in Louisiana, could not go back to work for a law firm that was underwater in downtown New Orleans, but it was only by mistake that his wife hit the section titled “jobs” while they were searching for housing online, he said.

By accident the couple saw an advertisement from the law firm of Fincher, Denmark and Williams LLC searching for a displaced paralegal. The firm’s business manager, Lee Fincher said she was surprised when Dianna Lavidalie, a paralegal out of work for three years, expressed a serious interest in the position only two hours after the ad was placed. “I would not have known that she was out of work for three days, let alone three years,” Fincher said.

The family had just enough gas money to make the next leg of their journey, Fincher said. The destination was Jonesboro, where Dianna interviewed with the local firm and was hired on the spot. After inquiring about the young woman’s husband who was sitting in the car with their child, the firm interviewed and hired him as a law clerk.

“We were just real impressed with this young couple,” said Fincher. She said she was particularly struck by Jean’s determination to weather the storm. “(He’s) going to provide for (his) family and do whatever he can to thrive,” she said.

The support from the firm in the form of employment and a money donation was only the first of many generous acts that the Lavidalies would receive. “We were very grateful to everyone here in Georgia. Everyone was so nice,” Jean said. “Friends of the firm opened their doors to us.”

The Patels literally opened the doors of the hotel they manage, the Country Inn and Suites in Morrow, to the family for one week free of charge. “You just want to help everyone you can,” said Sam Patel, who said he opened anywhere from one to 30 rooms to displaced Katrina victims.

The Lavidalies left the inn for a one-month stay with a friend of the law firm. “They’re the most wonderful people I’ve ever met,” Dianna said of the family who first welcomed them into their own home and then offered them another home in which to live rent free for one year.

Now after almost a year since their lives were completely changed, Dianna can give her daughter, Sofia a more positive message about the future. “I think that she has two homes now,” she said.

Nagin asks churches for help

2006-06-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told a meeting of Baptist pastors in Baltimore yesterday that rebuilding churches is essential to the recovery of his flood-ravaged city.

"If you don't step into the breach and help us, folks are going to come back into the city and they're not going to have the spiritual guidance that they need to be the kind of residents that we need," Nagin told members of the National Baptist Convention at the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore.

He spoke shortly after the first National Guard troops arrived in New Orleans to help police combat a recent wave of violence. Nagin asked Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco this week to send in the Guard after a weekend when six people were killed.

"Right now, the criminal element is starting to come back," Nagin said. "The drug dealers are resetting the turf, and there's not enough people back yet, so there's these wars that are going on. And, because a lot of the old dealers are gone, they're reaching down to our young men. And it's only the church, or church folk, that can make a difference."

In Baltimore this week for its annual Congress of Christian Education, the National Baptist Convention announced yesterday a drive to pair 40 churches from around the country with 40 pastors in the New Orleans area to help the region rebuild its spiritual base.

"We cannot be about rhetoric," said the Rev. R.B. Holmes, president of the annual congress. "We must be about action."

Organizers were asking churches to make a three-year commitment to the drive, called the Macedonia Ministry. It takes its name from the New Testament passage "Come over into Macedonia, and help us."

Participants are to pledge financial support for pastors who have lost churches and income, provide moral and spiritual support for pastors and members needing "specialized attention and encouragement," and help to develop a strategy to help churches rebuild.

At Asia Baptist Church in New Orleans, which was flooded out by Hurricane Katrina, attendance has fallen from more than 1,000 to about 150, Pastor Zebedee Bridges Sr. said.

"When you have a church and you don't have a membership, you don't have a church," he said, his voice breaking. "We have gone through so much it's hard to try to explain what we have lost."

Fountain Missionary Baptist Church in Summit, N.J., recently pledged $1 million to help those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Pastor J. Michael Sanders urged his colleagues to do what they can for the region.

"We don't know what it is as pastors - and I pray that we never have to find out - what it is to have a church of three or four hundred or even more, and then one Sunday only have 20 or 25 people showing up," he said. "Our brothers and sisters are truly in need."

After speaking on New Orleans' spiritual health, Nagin made a pitch for investment. With banks in the city holding $10 billion in insurance settlement money and the federal government pledging $10 billion to $12 billion more in grants for reconstruction, he said, the city is poised to become the biggest job site in history.

"I want you, if you've got a few nickels, if you can rub those together with your friends, buy some dirt in New Orleans," Nagin said. "As you're considering your spiritual work, consider a little economic work at the same time."

Largest Single Donation to Red Cross Chapter for Hurricane Relief

2006-06-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

Illustrating that Americans’ hearts and minds are still with the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Bobcat Company officials recently donated nearly $67,000 to the Minn-Kota Chapter of the American Red Cross in Fargo, N.D.

On behalf of Bobcat Company, a business of Ingersoll Rand, a diversified industrial firm, Bobcat North America President Scott Nelson presented the $66,738 check to Sherri Thomsen, executive director of the Minn-Kota Red Cross, at the Minn-Kota Red Cross Education Center.

“We are extremely pleased that our Bobcat Company dealerships and employees were able to step up and raise these funds to help with American Red Cross relief efforts along the Gulf Coast,” Nelson said. “Like everyone across the nation who saw the devastation, we wanted to do something to help the victims—some of whom were part of the Bobcat family.”

To raise the money, Bobcat Company officials vowed to contribute $100 from each “gold package” option sold on Bobcat machines over a four-month period from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. Several dealers from around the country also raised money privately to increase the donation.

At the end of the year, the company had garnered more than a $132,000. Nelson said they decided that at least half of the money would be earmarked for the American Red Cross, and the other half would go directly to 14 individuals within the Bobcat organization affected by Hurricane Katrina. Recently, Bobcat Company began distributing checks to those 14 employees who represent four of the region’s hardest hit dealerships, including Bobcat of Lake Charles, La.; Duhon Machinery Co., New Orleans; Beard Equipment Co., Biloxi, Miss.; and Bobcat of Broward, Pompano Beach, Fla.

Since Hurricane Katrina struck last August, the American Red Cross has distributed millions of dollars in food, shelter, physical and mental health services, and other relief assistance to thousands of families ravaged by the storm. Though progress is being made to rebuild the devastated Gulf Coast communities, Thomsen said it’s important for people to remember that there’s still a lot of work to be done. That’s why she’s thankful for companies such as Bobcat that continue to come forward with contributions to help repair the damage.

“I think more than anything what this contribution means to the victims of Hurricane Katrina is that when devastation hits, the American people and the American Red Cross are going to come out and support them … we’re going to give them hope and be there when they need us,” Thomsen said.

Aquarium proves to be another Katrina survivor

2006-05-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

Outside, a jazz trio played When You're Smiling as a continuous cascade of bubbles mingled with the political speeches. Inside, Patience the penguin paraded the rocky beachfront, her picture snapped again and again, while a pair of sea otters named Emma and Buck remained unfazed by the paparazzi.

In other words, life was approaching normal again.

The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas reopened its doors to a throng of visitors Friday, a welcome reminder of what this city used to be and what it could be.

Gwen Kurtz and her friend Joel Smith were among the welcoming crowd. Smiling, they told how they had lost their homes and jobs to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. They were living with family, but they wanted — no, needed — to share in the aquarium's rebirth.

'Nothing normal in our lives'
After all, the 16-year-old aquarium had suffered much as the city had: thousands in the collection died when floodwaters knocked out the power. Others survived, but were evacuated. Now, they were back.

"We have nothing normal in our lives," said Kurtz, who was eager to see the penguins. "When something happens, we have to support it. It's a symbol that we are coming back."

Tulane student Renata Maniaci came with a group of fellow students to celebrate the reopening.

"It's part of the spirit of the thing," Maniaci said. "We heard the storm killed most of the fish. When we heard it was reopening, we wanted to be here to celebrate."

The nine-month process to restore the aquarium has been a tense and tedious one, made easier by help from friends across the country. A web of aquariums in 15 states donated animals to help it restock its collection. Other facilities opened their doors or tanks to the survivors.

Moody Gardens in Galveston took care of Mydas, the giant green sea turtle. The Houston Zoo temporarily housed parrots, macaws and raptors.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California housed the aquarium's 19 penguins and two sea otters. They were the last to return, arriving on a chartered FedEx jet earlier this week to a teary-eyed staff.

Rebuilding the collection also meant heading back to the sea for new specimens.

In March, a crew from the aquarium went to the Bahamas for 10 days where they were able to hook some large angel fish. They spent April in the Florida Keys, looking for more.

They brought back about 1,500 fish, some caught with hand-held nets, some caught on fishing lines.

"Our needs were broad-ranging. We took advantage of what we could get," said Rich Toth, the Audubon's assistant director of animal husbandry. "We stocked this place in record time. This provided an opportunity for us to rejuvenate the collection."

Standing in a conference room with a window that opens onto the Gulf of Mexico tank, Toth pointed out where each new fish came from. He remembers them all: the large stingrays and the nurse shark that came from Sea World in Orlando; the amberjacks were collected from the Gulf of Mexico; a seafood restaurant in Mississippi that lost its power donated a shark from its tank. They had named it Katrina, but an aquarium spokeswoman said that name probably won't stick.

Just the day before, Toth had headed to a nearby canal to catch some minnows.

The building, too, needed work. Katrina damaged the roof and ruined its carpeting. More importantly, the aquarium's critically important life support system had to be restored and upgraded.

Officials also had to come up with a new hurricane plan, one that includes backup generators for its backup generators, and a hurricane team that will remain on-site in case the system fails.

"We're not only preparing to reopen. We're preparing for hurricane season. We've had a lot on our plate," said Karyn Noles Bewley, the aquarium's senior vice president and managing director. "We learned that you have to have a plan B to your backup plan."

Despite the down-to-the-wire scramble, a few exhibits remained dark Friday, with signs reading "temporarily closed."

The 3,000 or so visitors didn't seem to mind. They eagerly snapped pictures and signed giant welcome-back cards in the first-floor lobby.

Once again, the tarpon fountain was flowing. The day before, its base pool had been empty. By Friday afternoon, the bottom already was covered with coins.

'It was a great loss'
"It's important to be back," New Orleanian Lynne Parker said. "My grandkids have loved this place since they walked in at 1 1/2 . It was a great loss, and this is a great recovery."

The aquarium, the state's most visited attraction, reopened just in time for the profitable summer vacation season.

"This is big for New Orleans. People are still trying to decide (whether) they come back," said Ron Forman, president and chief executive officer of Audubon Nature Institute, the nonprofit that operates the aquarium and the zoo. "When you open facilities like the aquarium, that sends a message to our citizens we're coming back piece by piece. It sends a message to the country to come visit New Orleans."

Nagin Looks Ahead to Katrina Recovery

2006-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS - Newly re-elected Mayor Ray Nagin immediately began trying to mend ties with political opponents and crucial leaders on Sunday as he looked ahead to another four years to oversee reconstruction of this major American city.

"We're going to bring this city together. It's my intention to reach out to every segment of this community," Nagin said a day after defeating Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. "This is our shot. This is our time."

Nagin said he reiterated his desire to work together in conversations with President Bush and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

The president called to congratulate Nagin and said he would rather finish rebuilding with the mayor because the two men had weathered Hurricane Katrina together, Nagin told fellow parishioners at St. Peter Claver Church.

Nagin said he pressed Bush to help accelerate the rebuilding and to help with the removal of tons of debris still littering neighborhoods. He also raised questions about the pending end of federal aid for some evacuees still living in Houston and other cities.

Nagin said he plans to put together a commission, including some former political rivals, to decide on action in the next 100 days. Debris removal and housing will be top priorities.

The former business executive dismissed threats by some business people who said they would leave if Nagin remained in office.

"Business people are predators, and if the economic opportunities are here, they're going to stay. If not, they're going to leave," said Nagin, in his now famous vernacular style. "I don't worry about that stuff. I think there's enough interest around the country that we're going to attract top businesses. ... God bless them. I hope they stay, but if they don't, I'll send them a postcard."

Nagin, who beat Landrieu 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent, begins a second term May 31, a day before the start of hurricane season. Still staggering after Hurricane Katrina, many neighborhoods remain uninhabitable, debris-filled ghost towns nine months after the storm ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Landrieu said Nagin deserves the city's support.

"We've taken Mayor Nagin through the crucible, and he survived the test of the storm," said Landrieu, who called Nagin a friend before and during the campaign. "It's really about the future, it's not about who's sitting in the mayor's office."

Months ago, Nagin had a plan put together by community leaders for the rebuilding effort, but many parts have been stalled, waiting for funding as the campaign was fought. Analysts said the rebuilding may gather momentum now that the uncertainty of the election has been removed.

Nagin has repeatedly predicted a coming "boom" in economic opportunity and growth, as billions of reconstruction dollars reach the area.

"Now that there's some stability as to who is going to be mayor, and he's already in place, hopefully that means the rebuilding process will be accelerated," said analyst Silas Lee.

The vote in Saturday's election split largely along racial lines, but both candidates got about one-fifth crossover vote. Analysts said that boded well for the future of a city where deep racial divides were exposed after Katrina and rebuilding plans raised questions about the future of some predominantly black neighborhoods.

Fewer than half the city's 455,000 pre-Katrina residents are living in New Orleans; most remain scattered in other cities in Louisiana and elsewhere in the country. Turnout for the election was 38 percent, slightly higher than the April primary.

"The bottom line is we ended up with the mayor who represents the demography of the city," said Greg Rigamer, who analyzes data from the Secretary of State's office and other sources.

Nagin, a former cable television executive, was able to win back some of the conservative white voters who supported him four years ago but then abandoned him during the primary.

Many had sought new leadership after complaining of the slow rate of rebuilding and the national controversy caused by Nagin's tearful plea for the federal government to "get off their (behinds) and do something" in the aftermath of Katrina. His remark on Martin Luther King Day that God intended New Orleans to be a "chocolate" city sparked outrage — and then an apology from Nagin.

But during the run-off campaign, Nagin actively courted conservative white voters by emphasizing his business background in contrast to Landrieu, a longtime politician and a member of Louisiana's equivalent to the Kennedy family. He would have been the first white mayor of New Orleans since his father, Moon, in the 1970s.

"After the Martin Luther King comments and his post-Katrina comments, his political obituary had been written," Lee said. But Nagin won with "an unusual political shotgun marriage between conservative whites and progressive African-Americans," Lee said.

Volunteers continue Katrina support

2006-05-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

Driving 950 miles for two days in church vans from Libertyville to Biloxi, Mississippi, volunteers from Lake County witnessed the widespread devastation from Hurricane Katrina as they helped people rebuild their homes and lives.

A team of 13 volunteers from the Libertyville United Methodist Church, led by Pastor Jamie Geiger, recently returned from a week-long mission trip.

"It looked like a bomb had gone off," said 64-year-old volunteer Sally Beake from Grayslake. "A bridge collapsed and looked like fallen dominoes."

Despite the devastation, Beake said she wants to go back. There is still so much to do, she said, even six months after the storm hit.

Geiger said he had planned to wait awhile to take a team down there.

"We didn't want to be part of the first rush of volunteers going down there," Geiger said. "As a congregation, we donated $19,000 immediately after the hurricane hit. But by taking volunteers down there now, a volunteer infrastructure was already established. They had a scheme for reaching out to the neighborhoods and assessing the needs."

The needs were everywhere. Miles and miles of beautiful homes on the coast were reduced to shells. A church next to the dormitory where the group stayed was completely demolished. All that remains of the church is a cement slab.

"It is so beyond our experience to see that type of destruction," Geiger said.

He said the experience was transforming for the volunteer crew because they worked together to help others. They ranged in age from 38 to 76 years old.

Volunteers included Jan Grigsby, June McCoy, Sandy and Don Palmer, George Aynilian, Larry Pflederer, Jeff Welch, Karen Kuhlman and Jamie Geiger of Libertyville; Glenn Sagendorph and Sally Beake of Grayslake; Carol Colaizzi of Gurnee; and Carl Hartkopf of Mundelein.

"I thought that maybe I should stay there a year because there is so much work to do," said Colaizzi. "They told us that the only help they are getting is from the churches and volunteers. The people that live there are just sitting there waiting for the next church group to arrive."

The groups arrive from all over the country. The volunteers staying at the campground with the Libertyville group were from as far away as Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, California and Colorado. Geiger worked with the Mississippi Conference Disaster Recovery Ministries to coordinate the trip.

Volunteers worked on three different homes of families who were trying to rebuild their lives. They installed insulation and drywall, changed out electrical systems, tore out ruined ceilings and linoleum and removed debris from the lawns. As one team repaired a ceiling, a teddy bear fell down from above them.

Sandy Palmer, 66, said she and her husband, Don, 72, had never done anything like this before. They installed new windows in a house that had been gutted by the storm.

"The best part was how appreciative everyone was," Palmer said. "They all said if it weren't for the Christian community, for all the volunteers, they wouldn't even be this far. But there is still so much more to do."

One of the houses they helped repair was owned by Doris Deno, who lives with her son R.J. in D'Iberville, near Biloxi. Deno said that Katrina ruined everything inside her home and at her family business, Doris' Hot Tamales, was demolished.

Deno has since reopened the tamale stand, a local favorite, and feels hopeful as volunteers continue to come to repair her home. She and R.J. are currently living in a FEMA trailer in their backyard while their house gets repaired.

"I knew I couldn't afford to fix my whole house," Doris Deno said. "But I could fix up the tamale stand."

Her homeowners insurance wouldn't cover flood damage, but did cover enough for a new roof.

Deno said that she owed a lot to all of the volunteers who have worked on her home.

"They were the sweetest bunch of people," Deno said.

Schools Get Library Grants from Laura Bush

2006-05-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

The former librarian would also like to see some of her favorites on the shelves. "Well, in children's libraries, of course, I put in my sentimental favorites like 'Little Women,' which my mother read to me before I could read," she said.

Restocking a library is an expensive proposition — the basic cost of building a book collection for an elementary school is about $50,000, while the cost for a high school library collection is usually more than $100,000, according to the White House.

In the Gulf Coast region, 1,121 public and private school were damaged to some extent or destroyed. Bush's foundation plans to make more grants to schools throughout the year.

"It is unprecedented for school district superintendents and state school officers to have to rebuild this many school districts," Bush said. "We all know they need a lot of help from everybody."

Bush praised St. Bernard Parish Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier who rebuilt and reopened Chalmette Unified School, which is receiving a grant from the foundation. Voitier was expecting 50 students to 100 students to return to the school, but 600 had returned, Bush said. Voitier will open an elementary school this fall, which will also get a grant.

"She did it on her own," Bush said. "She is a go-getter and just started rebuilding and billed FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency]."

Setting an Education Agenda

2006-04-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

On April 19, 2006 during the Louisiana House Education Committee meeting, Rep. Cedric Richmond was set to propose an amendment to Article VIII, Section 9(A) of the state constitution, which established and maintains a parish school board, composed of elected members. Richmond's amendment would have had the "legislature provide for their [board members] election or appointment, or both."

If enacted, the legislation would have given voters the opportunity to convert the elected board to an appointed one or a hybrid elected, appointed structure.

At a glance, the move is not surprising. Major urban districts across the country are experimenting with appointed boards. Lawmakers are giving voters the option to change elected structures by way of local referendums. However in a post-Alverez and Marsal era, further changes to school governance in New Orleans seem more like a vendetta against board personalities than an umbrage of organizational structure.

The amendment could have been a litmus test to see what stakeholders would battle Mayor C. Ray Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission's recommendations that also include provisions for an appointed board via referendum. However, the slew of recent board attacks minimizes this possible explanation.

Didn't the removal of fiscal responsibilities and state takeover mitigate the impact of the nasty political infighting among the NOPS board?

Doesn't the BESE example show that politics is prevalent in appointed structures as well?

Didn't Richmond, the president of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, speak passionately about protecting voting rights of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina just three weeks prior at the March for Voter Rights? Simply 19 days afterward he offered an amendment that could have facilitated a reduction of elected representatives in areas protected by the Voting Rights Act.

In the last two years, the state has given considerable amounts of attention to local board politics and ineffectiveness - perhaps too much. Why are lawmakers taking painstaking efforts to dismember traditional public systems?

It's easy to find fault with board members who sue each other, pay dead people and fire superintendents every other year. The numbers won't help either. The pre-Katrina presence of a $40 million deficit as well as 65 percent of the total number schools that are categorized as failing warrants swift accountability measures to school leaders. However, the state must strive to establish clear lines of accountability and provide support to all stakeholders in education.

Believe it or not, the education a child receives goes beyond physical school buildings and a board. Crime, the presence of quality libraries and museums, suitable after-school programs and adult education are all credible targets for change. The state legislature is situated to create policy that addresses these broader educational issues. Yet, the focus of the legislative sessions during the past two years has been to correct local board governance structures.

It's not so much the policies are wrong as they are painfully uninventive, fashionable and limited. We jumped out of the fiscal takeover era like last year's Jordan's. Appointed boards have just replaced charter schools like Chris Brown replaced Bow Wow. If the state continues their legislative witch hunt against the board, then they may miss opportunities to challenge broader social and economic factors that contribute to student underperformance in schools.

We always forget that failing schools and dysfunctional boards are most problematic in large urban centers where the costs associated with educating intensely poor, historically undereducated populations far exceed those of its middle class, highly educated counterparts.

It's become terribly trite to blame the mismanagement of funds on board corruption and incompetence. Most the mismanagement is actually overspending. Boards overspend because of the meteoric rise of health care and retirement packages, as well as the price of educating students who live in squalor and violence. These are the very issues the legislature can directly touch, but they pile on the NOPS board and adopt bandwagon approaches to correcting it.

The reason why legislators buy into trendy panaceas is because they lack a coherent educational philosophy, agenda and a stand.

For instance, imagine if the Parish and state had the goal of making New Orleans America's smartest city. What would the Parish look like if that goal was attained?

Physically, city streets would be clean. We would have affordable housing without mega projects. Beyond the classroom, we would have world class museums and cultural centers. You would just as likely see art galleries on Crowder as you would on Julia. Our parks and recreation department would regularly offer African dance, ballet and tap. Neighborhood libraries would outnumber the local speakeasies.

Our summer enrichment programs would provide volunteer and externship positions in fields that Asians, blacks, Latinos and women are sorely underrepresented. Adult education classes would be just as popular as the K-12 learning centers. In the central Business District, you would see young blacks in places other than hotels and casinos.

The retention and graduation rates at UNO would rival that of Xavier. Our professional laboratories would work with local healthcare providers to reduce the infant mortality rate. Students would collect trading cards of their favorite professors. All right, maybe that's a stretch, but you get the point.

Now imagine the type of legislation required to make all these things happen. Think about the negotiating, lobbying and planning required to make the aforementioned possible. If the state and city aimed to make New Orleans America's smartest city, I doubt we would have the time to place the board in time-out every few weeks. Nor would the board have time to punish itself with mindless backstabbing and bickering.

Politics and the struggle for scarce resources will always play a significant part in schooling and in New Orleans. However, can we scrap over substantive measures or solutions? HB 233 was the only bill that was not considered in the House Education committee. A major stakeholder probably killed the bill before it hit the pavement. But can we kill the notion that the board is the be-all and end-all of quality schooling. There's so much room for improvement in so many areas that legislators can more readily access. If we are to continue to create simple punitive policies, then cast the net of ineffectiveness all the way to Baton Rouge.

10K event still a strong draw, with Rodgers joining in on fun

2006-04-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Crescent City Classic race director Rick Lusky said a call from a New Orleans woman who has been living in California since Hurricane Katrina reflects the widespread excitement about this morning's race.

"She said, 'I'm coming back for the Classic,' " Lusky said. " 'I've always run it, and I especially want to run it this year.' "

From 13,000 to 15,000 runners and walkers will participate in the 10K event, Lusky said. The group will include some of the world's best professional road racers competing for money, and participants who'll be happy just to finish and drink a post-race refreshment.

The 28th annual CCC starts at 8:30 a.m., on Decatur Street near Jackson Square and ends in City Park near Tad Gormley Stadium.

Participation will be slightly down from last year, when 15,000 to 17,000 people took part, Lusky said. But this is the first post-Katrina CCC, and organizers are pleased with the response.

"We are very pleasantly surprised," said Lusky, who is president of the Crescent City Fitness Foundation, a non-profit organization that runs the CCC and other events. "It's almost being treated as a historic event."

In November, the foundation put on the Fall CCC, which attracted about 500 participants, Lusky said. The Celebration in the Oaks Run-Walk in December drew about 1,500. Those numbers were about one-third of the usual numbers for those events, Lusky said.

The CCC, though, won't be far off its usual numbers.

Katrina has made an impact on organizing the event.

Because the city wasn't able to put out no-parking signs along the route, "we're going to try to put out the signs ourselves," Lusky said.

City tow trucks will move cars off the course, he said. Normally, Lusky said, such cars are towed to a nearby street "around the corner."

A church group is using the Marconi side of Tad Gormley Stadium, so that area won't be available for VIP parking, Lusky said. Also, because of electrical damage to the stadium, power for the post-race party will be provided by generators.

Bonearama and Terrance Simien will provide the entertainment.

This Classic also is focusing on hurricane relief.

At the event today, a campaign will kick off to raise money for repairing Tad Gormley Stadium, Lusky said.

"We want to do it because of the kids . . . to have a place to play," he said.

Tony Biagas, City Park director of athletic services and a former St. Augustine football coach, said the stadium incurred about $465,000 in electrical damage, including damage to the lights. Repairing the field will cost from $45,000 to $50,000, he said.

Water remained in the stadium for 28 days and reached six feet in some places, Biagas said.

"We've come a long way since the storm, but we have a long way to go," he said. "I played in this stadium in high school. I coached here for 20 years at St. Aug."

The campaign is called "in spirit," Lusky said, because people who don't run can "run the race in spirit and help City Park."

Contributions can be made at www.ccc10k.com/inspirit.

Lusky is urging CCC participants to arrive at the French Quarter no later than 8:15 a.m.

"That's when we start moving people to Decatur Street," he said.

Spectators will have to make a choice between watching the start and watching the finish, he said. There's not enough time to do both.

"The start is a spectacle," Lusky said. "The finish is the race."

Before the start, Bill Rodgers, who was one of America's best distance runners, will say something to the crowd and then run it at a leisurely pace.

Rodgers, who was on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team and is a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, finished second to Craig Virgin in the 1980 CCC.

When Rodgers was 35, he ran a personal best 10K of 28:15. Now 58, he still runs, but not nearly as fast.

"I've found myself a lot of times at seven- or eight-minute (per mile) pace in recent races," he said.

He said he broke his right leg a few years ago and had a hard time coming back from that injury.

"I'm just going to go easy," he said. "I'm not going to be duking it out with the front-runners."

Rodgers said he's eager to help the city recover from Katrina.

"Runners are the type of folks, nothing will stop them," he said. "They want to support the city to build things back to normal. When we heard about (Katrina), everyone sent money. I did, too. I met a few people who came down, saw the destruction. You have to see it and feel it.

"It's a great race. New Orleans is one of the great cities in America. It's simple really. It's not simple getting things back together. . . . Runners will do their best to help out."

ReallyGoodDeal Offers Fundraisers Maximum Profits While Saving Donors Money

2006-04-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

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Katrina Victims Hail Sheriff Who Took Ice

2006-03-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

JACKSON, Miss. - Randy Walker swears he would have died from his diabetes after Hurricane Katrina had a sheriff not seized two FEMA trucks filled with ice and distributed it to residents, many of whom had to keep their insulin cold.

Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee commandeered two 18-wheelers full of ice from Camp Shelby, a Federal Emergency Management Agency staging area, after five days passed with little relief for residents living without electricity in the wake of the deadly storm.

McGee had worked out a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering, intimidating and impeding a federal officer, but U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton withdrew from the case without explanation and the Justice Department sent it to federal prosecutors in Louisiana.

McGee and his attorney declined a request for an interview.

Residents of Forrest County have circulated a petition in support of McGee, who has been in office since 1991, and some have collected money for his defense.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., a critic of the federal government‘s response to Katrina, has urged the Justice Department not to pursue the case.

Even though Forrest County is some 60 miles inland, the hurricane downed trees and destroyed roofs, and the power was out for weeks in much of the area.

HOLY VIGIL!

2006-03-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Parishioners make last stand to save historic St. Augustine
By Bruce Nolan

Parishioners at historic St. Augustine Parish in Treme mounted an 11th-hour prayer vigil Tuesday to save their 165-year-old faith community, which is to be absorbed today by a neighboring parish. The Archdiocese of New Orleans has said the change was made to better serve families in the area.

Meanwhile, Uptown parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish learned they successfully made a case to remain open and worship in their own church, instead of sharing a nearby church with another congregation.

Both decisions are part of a vast archdiocesan reorganization of dozens of parishes and church resources after the battering by Hurricane Katrina, which wrecked 35 parishes and left the archdiocese with uninsured losses estimated at $84 million.

Like so much in the historic Treme neighborhood, the St. Augustine vigil began with music -- in this case an a capella rendition of "Ave Maria" by gospel and jazz singer John Boutte, standing in the middle of a knot of supporters at the Tomb of the Unknown Slave outside the church.

Overhead, a specialty construction crew from Wisconsin covered St. Augustine's storm-battered steeple with new copper cladding.

Parishioners said they would remain in the church from 2 p.m. until midnight. They said they would pray for a reversal of a decision to close the parish and merge it with St. Peter Claver Parish.

As they have for weeks, members of the parish's lay leadership defended the parish's vibrancy. They said the parish was bouncing back after the storm and providing food distribution and other essential services in the neighborhood.

But archdiocesan officials stood by their decision to merge the two parishes today. They said St. Augustine for years has been unable to mount the full range of educational, social and charitable services a healthy parish should provide its members.

The archdiocese's spokesman, the Rev. William Maestri, said a more vibrant future for St. Augustine's families lies in the newly enlarged community of St. Peter Claver. Hurricane Katrina only hastened the archdiocese's decision to do something, he said.

Months after the storm, the archdiocese fashioned a recovery plan that closed seven parishes and ordered parishioners in dozens of others to double up and share churches that were spared the worst storm damage. Many badly damaged parishes would exist only on paper until returning families could restore them to vitality.

St. Augustine, however, was one to be closed. Because of the parish's rich history --and because it serves Treme, a community where the interplay of race, music, faith are on full display -- the decision has attracted international media attention.

Outside the church Tuesday, Sandra Gordon, who heads St. Augustine's parish council, said she would continue to worship at her home church, and would not accept that its surrounding parish had died.

"I expect to be buried here," said Al Harris, another parishioner, who held a sign in support of the parish. But "with every molecule in my body, I'll consider this to be St. Augustine Parish."

St. Augustine Church will remain open for regular Sunday worship as a second church in the enlarged parish under the supervision of St. Peter Claver's pastor, the Rev. Michael Jacques. Maestri said he did not know the future plans of the church's popular pastor, the Rev. Jerome LeDoux, and that LeDoux would not be asked to leave the rectory immediately. LeDoux, 75, is a member of the Society of the Divine Word. The superior of that religious order will determine his next assignment.

"If you went to Mass at St. Augustine this past Sunday, you'd be invited to attend this Sunday," Maestri said. "Same time -- as you will the following Sunday and Sundays going forward."

Gordon and other parish leaders said they made a formal case to keep their parish open before a five-person panel of priests and lay people. But they said they learned recently they were not persuasive, and that their parish would remain slated for closure today.

Maestri said another parish, Incarnate Word, in Carrollton, made a similar plea before the same panel to be allowed to reopen immediately, but was turned down as well.

However, parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel at the edge of the Garden District persuaded the panel to allow them to reopen immediately, instead of twinning with nearby St. Stephen Parish, Maestri said.

Bruce Nolan can be reached at bnolan@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3344

Benefit Concert To Support Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

2006-03-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Students can party hard and help a greater cause this Sunday evening in the UCen Hub.

Community Affairs Board (CAB) and Residence Halls Association (RHA) are hosting the “Party for a Cause” benefit concert on Sunday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief. Headlining local band Thriving Ivory - which has opened for Journey, Kelly Clarkson and Third Eye Blind - and opening act Brothas From Otha Mothas (BFOM), an all-male a capella group, are slated to perform.

Presale tickets for $3 are available tonight from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Ortega Dining Commons. Tickets will be sold for $5 at the door on Sunday, starting at 5:15 p.m.

CAB Public Relations Coordinator Robby Cousart, a fourth-year political science and history major, said organizers hope to pull students together to help victims of the recent catastrophe.

“We decided we wanted to do something for Hurricane Katrina that would not only be through CAB, but bring awareness to the school as a whole,” Cousart said.

CAB Outreach Coordinator Maura Deignan, a first-year English major and RHA representative, said raffle tickets will be sold for $1 to raise more money for relief efforts. Prizes being raffled off include a beach cruiser, UCSB Bookstore gift certificates and Alternative Copy Shop course reader gift certificates.

Donations for Katrina relief will also be accepted, Cousart said. All proceeds from the concert will go to Direct Relief International - a Goleta-based nonprofit organization that works directly with local governments and agencies of the Hurricane Katrina victims.

Pam Van Dyk, a CAB adviser and community volunteer coordinator, said CAB, along with other campus groups, presented Direct Relief with the 2004-2005 “Outstanding Agency of the Year” award for its work with UCSB’s tsunami relief efforts last year.

Cousart said he expects over 300 people will attend the concert, bringing in an estimated $1,500. He said he feels confident the event will be a success because of the featured bands’ popularity.

“[Both bands] have a really good following,” Cousart said.

Cousart said he, Deignan and CAB External Community Coordinator Andres Mantilla, a fourth-year Latin American and Iberian studies major, have been organizing the benefit concert since Fall Quarter. The event was harder to plan than expected due to regulations and unforeseen obstacles caused by holding the event in the Hub.

RHA supplied invaluable help in planning for the show, Cousart said.

“CAB got lucky,” Cousart said. “RHA has been great about supplying a lot of the funds.”

Cousart and Deignan said they are relieved the planning is over and are excited for what they expect to be a great turnout for the concert.

Students plan break to lend Katrina support

2006-02-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

Newspaper pictures and television images can't begin to express the devastation -- emotionally and physically -- Hurricane Katrina survivors are still experiencing, a McCutcheon High School counselor said.

Sandy Shoemaker spent three weeks down south offering mental health services shortly after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Though she didn't see as much of the physical damage the hurricane brought the area, Shoemaker is keenly aware of the emotional toll it has taken.

Now, about six months later, she and 39 McCutcheon students and 16 other adults are planning a spring break trip to Slidell, La., to help clean up the area in the southeastern part of the state and to lend a listening ear.

The group will visit Northshore High School, where junior Kayla Baker, who spent most of her first semester at McCutcheon while Slidell recovered from the storm, attends.

"We want to help these people emotionally," senior B.G. Moore said. "Just by hanging out and showing them that people from Lafayette care, I think is going to boost up some confidence, I hope."

Students thought of the idea to take a trip and followed through with plans for it. Each of those going are paying $100. Other students have organized a dance fundraiser, the "Hurricane Hop" set for March 11, to offset other costs.

Principal John Beeker said he's impressed with the interest students have taken in helping.

"I halfway anticipated after Christmas that we'd get people starting to drop, and we might still get a couple," he said. "But we have five students that have come to me in the last week who want to be on the waiting list if somebody does drop."

Senior Kellie Brown recently saw pictures from Northshore and the damage the storm did to the school.

"It was just another eye-opener about the devastation that's still down there," she said. "I'm most looking forward to talking with them and seeing what they're going through because we haven't gone through anything like that."

Junior Whitney Howard, who became friends with Baker while she was here, said she regrets not signing up for the trip.

"I'm still fearful for her and what she's going through, but I'm also interested in seeing how the group does," Howard said. "They're really going to mature through this. I can't imagine Kayla seeing her house, her friend's house, her neighbor's house completely destroyed. That would just bring me to tears."

Though the group doesn't know exactly what to anticipate on the trip, students, parents and staff are expecting to spend time listening to stories. Beeker said he's been in contact with one of Northshore's assistant principals.

"These kids are really looking forward to talking to us," Beeker said. "And even though we're not going down as counselors, there's going to be a lot of therapy going on that we don't even know we're going to give them."

Shoemaker said the trip will be a growing experience for everyone who goes.

"We're all used to volunteer work," she said. "This is a different notch because it's disaster relief -- it's the same thing, yet it's not the same thing."

Norman Beets, a math teacher making the trip, said it will give him and others an opportunity to do something more than just donate money.

"It's real satisfying to be able to help somebody and make their lives a little bit better," Beets said.

For Moore, going on the trip is something he never thought he would have a chance to do.

"This is probably the most devastating disaster in American history," Moore said. "It's affected so many people, and it's an honor to be a part of helping people, especially in this disaster."

$75,000 grant for Katrina effort

2006-02-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to Hendrix College to support the college’s efforts to assist students and their families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Hendrix currently has 57 students enrolled whose families were in the direct path of the hurricane. The college is committed to continuing support for students from these areas and for displaced persons in Faulkner County whose lives have been uprooted and altered by this national disaster.

In addition to helping students from the hurricane areas, Hendrix President J. Timothy Cloyd said the college has reached out to hurricane victims in numerous capacities. Hendrix has sponsored three relief trips to Mississippi Gulf area, provided meals to displaced hurricane families living in Conway and collected money and other donations for families in need.

“Our students, faculty and staff have been extremely involved in hurricane relief efforts, and we are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for supporting these efforts,” said Cloyd, who led one of the relief trips to Pass Christian, Miss., over the Labor Day holiday. The group took two 18-wheel trailers loaded with diesel fuel, cleaning supplies and food to the small Gulf town.

Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college that emphasizes experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college was selected this year by the Princeton Review as the nation's No. 4 "best value" college. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.

The Ricky Martin Foundation Provides Humanitarian Assistance to the Youngest Survivors of Katrina

2006-02-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Ricky Martin Foundation provides humanitarian assistance to the youngest survivors of Katrina. (Photo: Business Wire) HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2006--E. A. Ollie Middle School and Madison High School, two academic institutions located in Houston that where severely stricken by hurricane Katrina, received with enthusiasm humanitarian support from the Ricky Martin Foundation.

With this donation, the Foundation concludes the relief efforts that began last September when Ricky Martin, Founder & President of the non-profit organization and Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF, visited the devastated zone.

Angel Saltos, President of the Ricky Martin Foundation, said that after their visit to The Astrodome, The Playground Center and The Texas Children's Hospital, the Foundation sent shoes, educational games, diapers and food to various centers throughout the city.

Parallel to this immediate relief response, the Foundation established a Relief Fund for the youngest survivors of Katrina. The donation was made official in a friendly ceremony where Ricky Martin, Fernando Fernandez, Chief Operating Officer of the Foundation, and Saltos exchanged ideas with the principals and various teachers of The E. A. Ollie Middle School and Madison High School.

"We feel very fortunate to aid the most vulnerable population. This relief effort is only achievable by forging alliances. We sincerely appreciate the support given by the private sector, The Salvation Army, local non-profits such as Saving Lives through Alternate Options (SLAO) and many individuals. We will also like to congratulate the teachers for being leaders in times of social turmoil", Martin said prior to his concert in Houston.

"As a teacher, I sincerely thank the Foundation for your support on behalf of my colleagues and students, specially the ones that underwent horrible experiences after the hurricane", said teacher Nilda S. Lopez at E. A. Ollie Middle School.

The Ricky Martin Foundation will offer economic assistance for an after-school program which includes extracurricular activities such as sports and arts at the E. A. Ollie Middle School. Whereas, Madison High School will receive economic aid to further develop a psychological support program for students who experienced trauma after hurricane Katrina.

This humanitarian initiative confirms the Foundation's commitment: to advocate for the social welfare and security of children around the world.

Contacts
Ricky Martin Foundation
Bibiana Ferraiuoli, 787-754-5441
Bibiana@rm-foundation.org
www.rickymartinfoundation.org

The 2006 James Beard Foundation Awards to Honor the Culinary Legacy of New Orleans

2006-01-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

The James Beard Foundation will celebrate the culinary legacy of New Orleans at the 16th annual James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's most prestigious recognition program for outstanding achievement within the fine food and beverage industry.

Under the direction of Reception Executive Chef Susan Spicer, owner and executive chef of Bayona, 20 chefs from New Orleans and vicinity will prepare the dishes that have made New Orleans one of the greatest culinary destinations in the world (list of chefs is attached). Among the classics on the menu that night will be po'boys, red beans and rice, gumbo, and beignets. Modern flavors of New Orleans will be captured in contemporary dishes, such as grilled crawfish with creole cream cheese gnocchi and daube of Louisiana rabbit with white asparagus. The awards are attended by more than 1,500 culinary industry leaders.

The James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards will be given out at a separate dinner on May 7 at the Grand Hyatt New York. The theme of the Journalism Awards dinner is Cajun Country. Chef John Folse, owner of John Folse & Co., and author of the Encyclopedia of Creole and Cajun Cooking will oversee the dinner menu.

"The mission of the James Beard Foundation is to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. New Orleans has faced insurmountable challenges since Hurricane Katrina, and its restaurant community has remained incredibly strong and committed in its efforts to rebuild. These are chefs who have supported the James Beard Foundation for the past 20 years by cooking at the Beard House and participating in fundraisers. We remain committed to helping our colleagues in New Orleans and to nurturing and furthering the preservation of this great city for years to come," said Dorothy Cann Hamilton, chairman of the James Beard Foundation.

A portion of the $375 admission price to the awards will be donated to a charitable fund established to support the rebuilding of New Orleans's restaurant community. In addition, for the first time, travel and food costs for each participating chef will be covered by the Foundation and award and event sponsors. Reservations to the May 8 awards can be made by calling 212-367-9490 or toll free 1-866-362-6442 after February 1. Admission is $375 ($325 for James Beard Foundation members). For additional information visit www.jamesbeard.org.

"It is especially meaningful for the New Orleans restaurant community to be recognized at the James Beard Foundation Awards because so many of our industry colleagues and members of the media attend. It gives the New Orleans restaurant community the chance to say, 'We are back! Come visit us!'," said Susan Spicer, whose restaurant reopened last November. "Reopening has not been easy but... it's time for people to return to the Big Easy."

Edna Morris, president of the James Beard Foundation, said, "The Foundation's commitment to supporting the New Orleans restaurant community extends beyond the awards evening. Last fall, we partnered with the Southern Foodways Alliance, Council of Independent Restaurants and Starchefs.com to conduct a national outreach effort to assist displaced restaurant workers in finding jobs. We will provide whatever additional support we can to New Orleans chefs coming to cook at the Beard House. And a delegation from our awards committees will be meeting in New Orleans."

Joe Crea, chairman of the James Beard Foundation Awards Committee, confirmed that the Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee will meet in New Orleans in March. This is the first time one of the awards committee has met outside of New York. "We had discussed holding some of our committee meetings outside of New York for some time. After all, this is a national awards program with committee members from all around the country," explained Crea. He added that other awards committees (there are six different committees) may choose to meet outside New York if the circumstances allow it.

If New Orleans cooking is the "heart," then music is the "soul" of the city. The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau will provide a live jazz band to add spice to the ballroom during the awards reception. "We are thrilled that The James Beard Foundation will recognize our city for its contribution to America's culinary heritage," said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 to recognize and honor excellence and achievement in the culinary arts. More than 60 awards are presented in the areas of cookbook publishing, restaurants and chefs, broadcasting, food journalism, restaurant design, and lifetime achievement. The awards are judged by industry professionals who are assigned to judge specific award categories based on their expertise. Nominees for the 2006 awards will be announced March 16 and posted at www.jamesbeard.org.

Sponsors for the 2006 awards include: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Express Company, Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Chefwear, Contessa Premium Foods, Ecolab, Gallo of Sonoma, illy caffè North America, KitchenAid Home Appliances, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, S.Pellegrino, Southern Wine & Spirits NY, Viking Range Corporation, and Waterford Wedgwood.

The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization based in New York City whose mission is to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence.

In addition to presenting the James Beard Foundation Awards, the Foundation showcases chefs, authors, and winemakers through dinners and events at the James Beard House; provides scholarships for culinary students; participates in educational initiatives within the culinary industry; and preserves and maintains the James Beard House, the nation's premier culinary performance space. Membership in the James Beard Foundation is open to culinary professionals, as well as anyone who enjoys and supports the culinary arts. For membership, event and scholarship information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org or call 212-675-4984.

Only 16% of New Orleans' flood protection repairs done

2006-01-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

At the halfway mark between the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina last year and the beginning of the 2006 hurricane season June 1, the Army Corps of Engineers has completed only 16 percent of its planned repairs to New Orleans' battered flood protection system, according to corps representatives.

The corps says its work is on track for restoring the system to its prehurricane strength by the June 1 deadline, but in the meantime, many groups that have studied the disaster are coming up with proposals they say could be cheaper, faster or stronger.

For example, the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, the group formed by Mayor Ray Nagin to produce a blueprint for the city's recovery, issued a proposal Wednesday to upgrade hurricane protection with measures beyond what the corps called for. To prevent storm surges from pushing into the city's drainage canals, the commission proposed a series of jetties to stand in front of the three canals, which it says could be built quickly and cheaply and provide New Orleans with some much-needed peace of mind.

The proposals have not yet found broad support, but Dan Hitchings, director of the corps' Task Force Hope, which is coordinating the hurricane response in Louisiana and Mississippi, said the plans would be examined.
Meanwhile, the corps' work to restore flood protection to its prehurricane levels continues around the clock.

Hitchings said the corps was slightly behind schedule but that he expected things to move quickly. "It's not linear," he said, because the "gear-up time" to get contractors in place and to make materials like the large quantities of soil available was so great. Now "they're really moving out," he said.

Katrina relief efforts include helping Dillard reopen, welcoming jazz musician to campus

2006-01-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

Efforts by members of the University community to aid victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita are continuing both in the Gulf Coast region and on campus, while an upcoming concert will feature a major New Orleans jazz figure who has brought his talents to Princeton following the disaster.

Princetonians are playing a key role in helping Dillard University resume classes this month and committing to other hands-on relief efforts in the region. These are among many campus initiatives undertaken following the hurricanes, including raising funds to aid victims and welcoming displaced students and scholars. One campus visitor, New Orleans pianist Wilson "Willie Tee" Turbinton, has been serving as a guest lecturer in the music department since October and will perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, in Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall.

Dillard assistance

Dillard, a historically black institution, was forced to shut down for the fall semester due to extensive damage to its New Orleans campus. It is scheduled to resume classes Jan. 9 at a downtown hotel and various campuses around the city. Since September, Princeton and Brown universities have been working with Dillard officials in a variety of areas -- from donating computers to providing critical administrative support -- to help restore operations and assist in long-term planning.

"The response from employees who have provided ideas and expertise in all kinds of areas has been very gratifying," said Karen Jezierny, Princeton's director of public affairs, who has been coordinating the University's participation in the partnership. "While Dillard is reopening in temporary quarters and substantial work remains over the longer term, the efforts of Princeton's community members have been a major source of support for this historic institution to get back on its feet."

Princeton will honor Dillard's president, Marvalene Hughes, at its Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall. Hughes will be recognized for her leadership of Dillard, where she assumed office as president just two months before Hurricane Katrina struck.

In supporting Dillard's reopening, departments across the University have made numerous contributions:

Academic officials are assisting Dillard in evaluating its academic curriculum, starting with its science curriculum.
The University's surplus property program has reserved 30 desktop computers to be donated for use in either administrative offices or student computer clusters at Dillard.
The facilities department has offered hundreds of suites of dormitory furniture -- including beds, desks and dressers -- as Dillard seeks to rebuild its New Orleans campus.
The Office of Human Resources is extending employee assistance services to Dillard faculty and staff through Princeton's employee assistance provider, CareBridge Corp., and providing other support as Dillard reviews its employee policies and procedures.
The Office of Communications is managing day-to-day updates of Dillard's Web site and has helped implement key design and navigation changes.
The Office of Government Affairs is assisting Dillard's advocacy efforts in Washington, and Princeton has supported initiatives to encourage additional federal aid to educational institutions affected by the hurricanes.
The Office of Risk Management has worked with Dillard's legal counsel to establish insurance claims and work with property and risk insurance carriers.
Jezierny also noted that the University's commitment to Dillard prompted similar partnerships between the Princeton Public Library and the New Orleans Public Library and between the Princeton business community and New Orleans business leaders.

Hands-on efforts

In addition to the Dillard partnership, Princeton employees and students continue to plan trips to areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help in the rebuilding process.

Recognizing the need for sustained assistance in those areas, Princeton has extended until Aug. 31 its Humanitarian Relief Effort Policy, which provides two weeks of paid leave for employees to volunteer with agencies working in the Gulf Coast such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. Eleven employees have taken advantage of the policy to devote their time and skills to projects ranging from home rebuilding to supplies procurement to animal rescue.

"Whether taking advantage of this policy to travel or helping from afar, we appreciate Princeton employees' strong and ongoing support of those in need," said Lianne Sullivan-Crowley, vice president for human resources.

For the upcoming intersession break, the Student Volunteers Council is organizing trips to Mobile, Ala., and Abbeville, La., to continue the group's efforts to aid residents in those areas.

During fall break, 20 undergraduates traveled to the Gulf Coast to help rehabilitate homes and clean up hurricane damage in conjunction with Volunteer Mobile Inc. in Alabama and the United Way in Louisiana. Students worked alongside homeowners on tasks such as cleaning out mold-infested furniture and ripping out ruined floors and walls.

"Both groups worked a total of four days and had quite a bit of interaction with the community through meals and alumni in the area," said junior Aitalohi Amaize, who is coordinating the trips for the Student Volunteers Council. "Many of the students enjoyed the trips immensely and have applied to go again."

On-campus activities

The continuing efforts build on numerous hurricane relief initiatives on campus since early September. As previously reported, in the fall semester the University temporarily enrolled 23 visiting undergraduates and five graduate students from affected schools. Tuition was waived for the visiting students, who also were provided with housing and financial aid. Also this fall, 15 visiting faculty members joined various academic departments under special programs to provide funding, offices and housing assistance for scholars from Gulf Coast institutions.

In October, pianist Turbinton -- a lifelong New Orleans resident who lost his home to Katrina -- took up temporary residency in the music department as a visiting lecturer. A renowned jazz and rhythm-and-blues pianist, Turbinton was invited by the department to lecture, perform and work with student musicians. Before departing Princeton later this month, Turbinton will present a free concert titled "An Evening With Willie Tee" on Jan. 10.

In addition to their trips to the Gulf Coast, Princeton students organized a variety of on-campus fund-raising events and discussions about the tragedy, while working to help assimilate the visiting students.

For more information about hurricane-related efforts at Princeton, visit www.princeton.edu/main/news/disasterrelief/.

Jesse Jackson Tells Bush to Continue Katrina Support

2005-12-09T04:47:00.000-08:00

Jesse Jackson said the government must continue to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and come up with a plan to help people return home. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Wednesday that it would stop paying for hotels for many refugees, who are scattered across the country, starting December 1. The deadline prompted outrage from those displaced by the storm.

In an open letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, Jackson said the eviction order was not the "help" the president promised in the days after the catastrophe, which flooded much of low-lying New Orleans and forced residents to flee.

The rules, which FEMA says only confirm a previously announced deadline, will not apply to hurricane victims still living in the worst-hit states of Louisiana and Mississippi, because alternative housing is simply not available.

Jackson said the administration could house some evacuees in disused military bases in the New Orleans area, allowing them to be close to their homes and close to the reconstruction jobs that are opening up across the devastated city.

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2005-11-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

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Two Mississippi dolphins rescued after Katrina

2005-09-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Wildlife experts on Thursday rescued two of eight bottlenose dolphins swept from their aquarium home into the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina and said they hoped to recapture the others in the next few days.

See video clip!!!

Moby Solangi, president of the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississippi, said the two rescued dolphins, 30-year-old Jackie and her 16-year-old offspring, Toni, had been taken to a hotel swimming pool.

The six others, including Jackie's 5-year-old son, Elijah, are still in the Gulf and will be rescued as soon as the U.S. Navy provides salt water tanks to house them, said Connie Barclay, spokeswoman for the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

She said Jackie and Toni were rescued even though the tanks were not on hand because tests showed they were anemic and in need of immediate help. They are being held in a Holiday Inn swimming pool but that is not a good long-term environment.

Teams of oceanographers and Coast Guard officers used orange rafts equipped with mattresses to transport them to shore where an air-conditioned van made the short trip to temporary quarters in the swimming pool.

They will then be transported to other aquariums in the country when the salt-water tanks arrive.

A wave estimated to be 40 feet high swept the sea mammals from their tank at the oceanarium and into the Gulf when Katrina struck on August 29.

The group of dolphins was spotted in the Gulf, off the Mississippi coast on Saturday and appeared to have survived the cataclysm although Solangi said some seemed to be underweight while others had scratches.

"They all look good. They're coming right up to the boats," said Jeff Siegel, director of operations at the oceanarium.

Because they lived in captivity and do not know how to forage for food, they are being fed several times a day from a boat by oceanarium workers.

Of 26 sea lions kept at the facility, five are dead, one is missing and the other 20 have gone to other aquariums, mostly in Florida. A seal is also was missing.

A crumpled support arch for the oceanarium's dome was all that was left standing amid a scene of coastal destruction.

Implement Our Easy to Follow Plan To Hold a PhoneRaiser™ For Katrina Victims!

2005-09-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

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Artists Band Together For Hurricane Relief

2005-09-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Much like last winter's tsunami relief efforts, the music community is rallying together to raise funds for the recovery of New Orleans and the surrounding areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The largest event will come Saturday, September 10, when Viacom's MTV, VH1 and CMT will simulcast a massive concert special that will raise money for the Red Cross as well as promote volunteerism.

Artists who have committed to appearing include: Green Day, Ludacris, Usher, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, David Banner, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Gretchen Wilson, with more to be announced. All of MTV's outlets are already promoting a variety of ways to aid in the relief efforts. And parent company Viacom announced a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross' efforts, and will match any cash donations by its employees.

The night before (September 9), BET will air its own telethon, in coordination with the Red Cross, Russell Simmons, the Urban League, Warner Music Group and Essence Communications. The show will feature appearances from Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Omarion, Common, Sean "Diddy" Combs, David Banner and New Orleans natives Juvenile and Master P. Both rappers appeared at the BET press conference, speaking emotionally about their home town and asking for support.

The first hurricane relief special airs tonight (September 2) on NBC. Slated to perform are Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis and Aaron Neville. A number of Hollywood stars will also make appearances on the show. Sirius will simulcast the show on their CNBC channel 101, beginning at 8 p.m. Through the efforts of Curb Records, NBC is also making tonight's Concert for Hurricane Relief available for radio simulcast. Stations wishing to participate must complete an indemnity agreement and return it to Masami Yamamoto, NBC Business Affairs, fax: 818-840-3523, after which they will receive the satellite coordinates.

Many artists have announced charitable efforts to support the hurricane relief. Mississippi natives 3 Doors Down have already produced a public service announcement with information on how to contact relief organizations. The PSA can be viewed here. The band has also initiated a food drive at their concerts to help with the efforts.

Dave Matthews Band has added a benefit concert at Red Rocks in Colorado on Monday, September 12, with all proceeds going to the relief efforts. DMB is already playing three sold-out shows at the famed venue from September 9 to 11. Hilary Duff has donated $250,000 to charities for hurricane relief and will be taking canned food donations at her upcoming concerts. Texan rockers Deaf Pedestrians took part in an all-day telethon effort at KDGE/Dallas on Thursday.

The Recording Academy has also made an initial donation of $1 million towards the efforts as well. Napster and iTunes are both promoting ways to make charitable donations, with Napster offering a digital compilation, Download To Donate, with its proceeds going to the Red Cross.

New Orleans is of course known for its rich musical history. One of the city's best known legends, Fats Domino, had been reported missing during the aftermath of the disaster, but has been found. His daughter recognized him in a picture that was taken Monday night. Many other musicians have reported losses, with Soul Asylum singer Dave Pirner saying that he had been about to return to his home there, and he is now unsure if it is still standing.

Speaking about the Viacom telethon, MTV Networks Chair/CEO Judy McGrath said, "In the face of a tragedy of this scope, we simply have to do everything in our power to offer support, comfort and hope to all the people directly impacted by the hurricane. This is always the first and best instinct of all our millions of viewers, and the artists we know so well. If we can offer a platform to contribute in some meaningful way, all our of our MTV Networks brands will be there. Our goal is to join forces on every medium to get involved, to volunteer, to contribute in any way we can."

"There’s been an outpouring of support and concern and a desire to help from the artist community, our audiences and our employees. We feel fortunate to be able to provide a forum to channel all of this energy and good will and to let the people in the affected states know that we’re there for them," added MTV Networks Music Group President Van Toffler. "Many of the artists across our channels are from the affected areas and have a strong connection to the south. We are looking to activate every Hip-Hop, Rock, Country, R&B and Pop music fan out there to get involved and help support the relief efforts."

New Website Links Katrina Survivors To Free Emergency Housing

2005-09-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

A new non-profit, non-commercial website, HurricaneHousingSearch.com, has been established to connect Hurricane Katrina survivors and service organizations with homeowners volunteering to provide free shelter.

Organized by state, the site offers a simple way for homeowners to list their available space and for individual survivors, FEMA officials, Red Cross directors, and other care providers to access them.

"We wanted to do something to help the hundreds of thousands of families made homeless by Katrina," said Joel Lesser, CEO of site sponsor Creative NetVentures of Atlanta, Georgia. "Places like the Astrodome are not setup to house masses of men, women and children for the weeks or months it will take for them to be able to return home. Finding temporary housing for them is imperative and this site is simply our small way of contributing to what needs to be an all-out nationwide effort.

"All of us who populate cyberspace talk about the 'internet community' so much that the phrase sometimes has very little meaning," Lesser added. "This is a chance to make that concept a reality at a time when a sense of community - on and off the internet - is desperately needed. I urge both homeowners who want to help mitigate this disaster, survivors who may eventually gain access to a computer, and shelter directors, FEMA field workers and Red Cross officials to visit and make use of www.HurricaneHousingSearch.com."

With over 200,000 survivors from storm-leveled areas in Louisiana and Mississippi already in neighboring states and thousands more pouring in daily, officials such as Houston Mayor Bill White indicate that the need for housing has become almost as acute as that for food.

According to Lesser, www.HurricaneHousingSearch.com, which was created almost instantaneously via CNVI's patent pending website linking technology, will be kept online permanently to enable "Americans to help other Americans whenever housing help is needed in the future."

HurricaneHousingSearch.com is free, non-profit, contains no advertising and is powered by Creative NetVentures patent-pending application service, LinksManager.com.
###

Inquiries: publicrelations@hurricanehousingsearch.com.

Meetup.com has designated hurricane.meetup.com to help aid the relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Meetup.com has designated http://hurricane.meetup.com to help aid the relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Meetups have proven to be fund-raising machines -- and the objective of Hurricane Meetups is to help people pool resources and raise money. Meetup has waived all fees for anyone organizing Hurricane Meetups.

Please add this to your list of resources to publish: http://hurricane.meetup.com

See the building momenutum:http://hurricane.meetup.com/lists/worldwide

Habitat for Humanity Plans 'Operation Home Delivery' for Hurricane Victims

2005-09-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Habitat for Humanity International is launching "Operation Home Delivery," a three-phase response to help provide assistance and rebuilding opportunities in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"First responders are providing immediate aid right now, but, soon,efforts will be moving toward helping people rebuild their lives and their homes," said Jonathan Reckford, Habitat's chief executive officer. "We areworking now to make sure we have just such a plan in place when conditions are at a point that rebuilding can get under way."

Specifically, the plan focuses, first, on helping Habitat affiliates that were hardest hit by Katrina restore some level of service. Then Habitat will seek to serve as a catalyst with other organizations, governments, corporations, foundations, etc., to bring people together to talk about low-income housing and recovery on a scale that Habitat alone would be unable to do, and third, to establish and implement a "home in a box project."

Habitat's plan is to assemble the materials needed to build a house -- either purchased or donated -- and then, working with affiliates, churches, corporations and others in communities all over the country, volunteers, working with building specialists, will "pre-build" the frame of a home over a few days. The house will be tacked together to ensure a rock-solid fit, then the frame will be taken apart and the components placed, along with other necessary construction materials, in a container and shipped to an area along the Gulf Coast or New Orleans where families, volunteers and builders will rebuild the home.

President Jimmy Carter, who has volunteered for more than 20 years with Habitat for Humanity all over the world, said, "In all my years as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, I cannot think of a more important program than Habitat's Operation Home Delivery.

"Hurricane Katrina may be second only to the Asian tsunami in the amount of devastation, destruction and human suffering, and just as with the tsunami, unprecedented destruction and suffering calls for an outpouring of generous response. Habitat for Humanity is in a unique position to provide long-term housing solutions for victims of this storm.

"After their immediate needs of food, clothing and temporary shelter have been met, Habitat's Operation Home Delivery will be working with churches, corporations, volunteers and other partners to get people back in homes and back on their feet.
"When pledging support for the victims of this terrible disaster, I hope people in the United States and around the world will consider both the immediate needs and long-term solutions offered by Habitat for Humanity and other organizations," said Carter.

Habitat for Humanity will pilot the "Operation Home Delivery" project in September in Jackson, Miss., working with the local Habitat affiliate and others. "'Operation Home Delivery' is a very bold initiative for Habitat, but it's the kind of effort we believe is required to come back from Katrina's three-state-wide swath of destruction," said Reckford. "The first part,helping rebuild affiliates and restore services, is our responsibility, and we will do that with existing undesignated funds. But delivering those services, and scaling them up to meet the almost incomprehensible need is really what 'Home Delivery' is all about."

For that, Habitat for Humanity International has issued an appeal for hurricane recovery and reconstruction donations. Using those donations, Habitat will build as many homes as it can fund."Just for understanding, $100 million will build approximately 1,500 homes," said Reckford. "With tens of thousands homeless, you begin to see that we cannot do it alone." That is why Habitat is exploring collaboration with others: professional builders, mortgage lenders, bankers, foundations, manufacturers, governments, etc., to work together toward larger, more
effective affordable and attainable housing solutions.

Additionally, Habitat leadership in Georgia and Washington, D.C., is working with members of Congress to ensure that affordable and attainable housing is a key component of any Katrina-related legislation. The global house-building ministry is also collecting information from and mobilizing its national volunteer and donor corps so that it can be ready to respond appropriately when conditions allow building to move forward.

"The most exciting part of 'Operation Home Delivery,' though," said Nevil Eastwood, director of programs for Habitat, "is the 'home in a box' concept. This program holds the greatest potential for help and hope, and better provides help and volunteer opportunities for people in communities all across America to have a role in rebuilding."

"You see why we call it 'house in a box,'" said Eastwood, who added that this style of construction is fairly common for Habitat. "We use this method in blitz builds (faster than traditional house builds) around the world, so we know how to do it, and the homes meet or exceed every local code in construction practices." In cases where Katrina may create new, more stringent codes, the houses will be built to meet any new event or situation.

"There remain many logistics to be worked out -- transportation, land, etc.," said Reckford, "but we are confident that there will be many -- building material vendors, transportation companies and others -- who will be interested in helping to make this happen."

It's also a chance, he said, "to provide lasting change, and to provide volunteers who are waiting, anxiously, for something to do. This will let them take action -- in their home communities -- to help families and others in the storm-struck areas."

The homes will mirror traditional Habitat homes, simple, decent places to live, providing approximately 1,100 to 1,300 square feet of living space. "These are not mansions by any means," said Reckford, "but to the homeowners,they will be palaces."

For more information about 'Operation Home Delivery,' people can visit Habitat's Web site, http://www.habitat.org, where they can also sign up to receive more nformation or to volunteer -- providing information about skills and experience -- when conditions allow for volunteers to help rebuild. People can also donate to Habitat's work in the Katrina-impacted areas on the Web site or by calling 1-800-422-4828.

Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than one million people. For more information, visit http://www.habitat.org

Celebs show support for Katrina victims

2005-09-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

• Fats Domino apparently rescued by boat
• TV telethons announced for Katrina victims
• Diddy, Jay-Z, Cage donate to aid relief
• Britney Spears prays for hurricane victims
• Ellen DeGeneres: My aunt lost everything
• Hurricane Katrina leaves chilling TV images
• Katrina curbs Hollywood's love of Louisiana
• Connick says New Orleans will rebuild

Responding to the overwhelming need in the Gulf Coast, musicians and other celebrities are trying to bring financial relief to Hurricane Katrina victims.

First up is tonight's televised fund-raiser, "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," on NBC and its sister stations, MSNBC and CNBC at 8. It will featuring New Orleans native Harry Connick, Jr., Wynton Marsalis and Tim McGraw, and an appearance by actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The concert will hosted by Matt Lauer. Viewers will be able to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund through its Web site and hotline (www.redcross.org and 800-HELPNOW) during the telethon.

On "Today" Thursday, Connick said he felt certain that the city will rebuild. "One thing about New Orleans, these people are freakishly strong and passionate about this city," the jazz musician said.

Connick was born and raised in New Orleans and developed his music as a child prodigy, gigging in jazz clubs in the French Quarter. His father, Harry Connick Sr., served as district attorney of New Orleans for 29 years before retiring in 2003.

On his annual Labor Day telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, comedian Jerry Lewis will also feature appeals for Katrina relief efforts. Lewis said the MDA will donate $1 million to help hurricane relief in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Ted Turner and his family are donating $1 million to the Red Cross efforts. Turner said he was "just devastated" by CNN footage he saw at his Montana ranch.

BET announced will host a telethon Sept. 9, featuring hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, rapper David Banner, Master P and Marsalis. BET is organizing the show along with the National urban League, American Red Cross, Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Essence Communication and others.

Then, Atlanta's own Usher and Ludacris team up with Green Day, Gretchen Wilson, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp, Rob Thomas, the Dave Matthews Band and others for a relief concert that will encompass four cities, three television networks and various musical genres.

The MTV Networks event is scheduled for Sept. 10, beaming in live performances from Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Nashville. The special can be seen on MTV, VH1 and CMT.

"In the face of a tragedy of this scope, we simply have to do everything in our power to offer support, comfort and hope to all the people directly impacted by the hurricane," Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV Networks, said via statement of the concerts. "Our goal is to join forces on every medium to get involved, to volunteer, to contribute in any way we can."

"Million Dollar Baby" actor Morgan Freeman is also lending a hand via an online auction which begins today at www.charityfolks.com and will run until Sept. 16. Proceeds will also go to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

The auction includes corporate-donated items, plus an opportunity to attend a screening of Freeman's upcoming film, "An Unfinished Life," along with a resort getaway and memorabilia packages from various movies.

Conscious Alliance Hurricane Relief Fund

2005-09-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

Conscious Alliance team members are traveling to Houston, Texas, today to assist the Houston Food Bank with their hurricane relief efforts.

Over the course of the last 48 hours, Executive Director, Justin Baker secured initial donations of $10,000, made arrangements with the national office of America's Second Harvest Food Bank, the Houston Food Bank, and Costco managers in Houston; and secured a Penske truck with which they will purchase and deliver pallets of food to support the refugees arriving from the Superdome and Convention Center.

The String Cheese Incident and their management/booking company Madison House are arranging for 3-4 additional semi trucks to meet Conscious Alliance in Texas, and are helping to mobilize the music community around the cause. Baker and Conscious Alliance board member, Don Strasburg, plan to stay in Houston until their relief funds run dry.

All money donated over the next several days will be directly spent on hurricane victims this weekend. Donation tax receipts will be provided. Given the urgency of the matter, anyone wishing to contribute to the cause can do so by using our secure, easy-to-use, PayPal account at www.consciousalliance.org/donate.htm. Conscious Alliance will be transferring money from the PayPal debit account to Baker and Strasburg in Houston periodically over the next few days.

Thank you for your support. This is an incredible opportunity for us to rise up and truly act as an Alliance. Don't feel helpless - together as an alliance we can make a difference. Conscious Alliance is a federally-recognized 501(c)3 dedicated towards creating compassion and inspiration by feeding the nation's hungry; and helping each of us find our own way in making the world a better place. For more information on Conscious Alliance, please visit www.ConsciousAlliance.org