SoundOff DAY from the Gulf Coast
Sunday, 24. June 2007, 17:29:09
I decided to give you an idea of what the coast of MS is looking like today. The first picture is all that is left of a 2 story apartment house and what you see are things from someone's apartment. The other picture is the front of a home with the facial part ripped off, lying on the ground and you could look right thru the house as all that remained was the brick walls. Actually it is not much better than it was August 29, 2005 when Katrina came roaring in, as far as rebuilding for the local folks. Oh yeah, the high rise condos are going up like crazy along the beachfront with monies from out-of-state investors. Oh yeah, the casinos are getting back into operation and expanding with all the big monies of out of state investors who are trying desparately to get the tourists to come back to spending monies here. Oh yeah, the folks who have some money or got something from the insurance companies are rebuilding their homes 16-18 feet up in the air so some BIG WAVE won't get them next time, according to zoning regulations. BBBBBBBuuuuuuutttttttt, the primary residents of Biloxi, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland folks(prior to 8-29-2005) are still looking at slabs where their homes once were. I went to Biloxi today and I see no progress. A few trailers here and there sitting next to their slabs. A few businesses are up and running but where are all the people. We still have over 50,000 living in trailers and that is a low estimate. No housing communities have been started for them. No senior housing have been started for those who lived in the retirement homes. No Katrina homes have been started for them. They quote $60,000 and up for a Katrina cottage. Imagine that! Habitat for Humanity has started on some but very few. So we still ask where is all the money being spent. This is 22 months now since 8-29-2005 when the BIG WAVE came thru. All the millions from the Feds. All the monies raised on the telethons by celebrities. Politics is holding it back someplace cuz nothing is showing here. What in the world is going on that the U.S. government can treat its citizens this way? What will it take to give some peace and sanity back to the citizens of the Gulf Coast? How long is it going to be before these monies will build communities where folks can rent a place and call it home? I have no answers except the Gulf Coast is gone, the people are gone, the heart and soul is gone. The only ones that are smiling are the casinos, condo builders and those who are making some money off of this tragedy. Just had to let off steam today as to how I feel after all this time. Looks to me like the Gulf Coast of MS has fallen in the crack of bureaucracy.
WIDGETIZE