Cottages

Not sure that cottages are a major breakthrough, but I suppose they are better than trailers. FEMA is piloting a program to move Katrina-impacted families into cottages.

Residents of a large FEMA trailer park behind the Ocean Springs Civic Center where one temporary home burned last week said they would move into a Katrina cottage if given the choice.

Some had read news reports about a pilot program unveiled Thursday that seeks to replace government-issued trailers with Katrina cottages, which are safer, more-permanent structures than the travel trailers or mobile homes issued by FEMA. The cottages also more closely resemble traditional housing.

Permanent housing is the best option -- but any progress has to be good.

Hopefully FEMA will do a better job on this.

Great Article of Despair and Hope

Every time I read about how New Orleans remains so devastated -- even 16 months later, I breaks my heart. I think the country and world have moved on while New Orleans is stuck in limbo (or worse, dying). Some people have managed to pull themselves up -- and that is what we have to try to encourage and why I am going there.

A great article yesterday in the Times Picayune exemplifies this.

Green has taken to handing out photocopies of names and phone numbers of Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who helped him get his trailer. Standing at curbside, leaning into car windows to chat, he dispenses welcome and encouragement.

It is worth a read.

Special Thanks

I am not so good at asking for donations and I realize I have been a pest -- but several people have been extremely kind in supporting Habitat for Humanity and my efforts in doing this work. I wanted to offer them a special thanks.

• Sunil Hirani and John Grifonetti have made a very generous donation from Creditex Group, Inc. and also have both made personal donations
  
• Dell (and the incomparable Melissa Moralez) was very kind in helping me get a laptop to manage this Blog while I am in New Orleans
• Jen Wald has been very helpful in trying to find me a place to stay in New Orleans
  
• Mike Spencer (and Marriott) helped me find a place to stay that saved me some serious cash (I am unemployed after all)
  
• And many other friends and co-workers have made promises of donations and support.

(Note: the donations are going directly to Habitat.)

Thanks very much to all of you. Please help me add many more people to this list!

Why a Blog?

I originally thought blogs were mostly an egotistical exercise -- sort of, "my great thoughts are so important to read that I need to put them on the Internets" to which the vast majority would yawn. I suppose most blogs are just that.

But as I read them, it is clear that there certainly can be times that blogs are interesting or useful. I regularly read blogs from people living in Iraq, I liked Jamie Gold's blog during the WSOP, I watch the glogs (game logs) for NFL games for my fantasy news, and I find blogs really interesting during political elections.

Still, that is no reason for me to do a blog. So, why? The easiest answer is that I will be away from family and friends for a month, doing something that is unique and new for me. A blog seemed like a good way to stay in touch and show the situation in New Orleans as I will be seeing it. Boring to most -- but maybe fun for me and interesting to someone who knows me. And I suppose I really like the idea of trying something cutting edge as well.

Yawn...

What's my motivation?

When I lived in Houston, my wife and I went to New Orleans many times each year. We love the city. It offers so many truly unique aspects -- great food, way-too-much drinking, unbelievable music, and some dark and mysterious culture. I truly love visiting there. Three weeks before Katrina hit, Audrey and I had returned for the first time in ten years and I remembered why I loved it so much.

As I watched the city fill-up with water, I was deeply saddened. I really wanted to do something to help the city and its people recover -- but there never seemed to be time. As I am going through a career change, the time is now there -- and so I am going to try to help.

It will probably only be a small part -- but hopefully it will make a difference to someone in New Orleans.