Uncharted Territory

We're traveling in uncharted territory with this hurricane's aftermath, and it is turning out to be a very complicated situation. People are having to make decisions and take action under conditions of great stress and uncertainty, and where the outcome is likely to depend on what other people do; and those other people are in a similar situation.

For example, a family whose house was demolished remains liable for the mortgage obligation. They may or may not receive insurance compensation, and it will take months for all of the insurance claims to be resolved. They have to decide whether to try to sell, not knowing what the market will be like; to wait it out, living in a tent or FEMA trailer or what remains of their house; to go further into debt to finance repairs; or just to leave and start over elsewhere.

If they stay, how long is it going to take for building permits to be issued and new elevation requirements determined, without which rebuilding can't begin? If they leave, where should they go? How will they pay for a new house, furniture, and so on? If they have kids, they are concerned about making sure they don't miss any school. Plus, since most of the businesses here were destroyed, many people have lost their jobs. If they stay, how will they support themselves during the transition period? How long is the transition period going to last? Human beings are not made to live in a state of transition and crisis forever.

All of these decisions are being made in the broader context of the community's future, which itself is uncertain. The city and county governments are in dire financial straits, since their tax base has been wiped out. In addition, they may end up having to pay for the debris removal, town rebuilding, etc., if federal assistance is not forthcoming. It's not clear that the cities and counties on the Gulf Coast have the ability to bear that financial burden.

So a person could decide to cast their fate with the town, stay there, put their money and energy into rebuilding, only to end up owning a house with no town around it. I'm not saying that is going to happen. No one knows what is going to happen.

Getting back to the first sentence of this post, when I said "we are traveling in uncharted territory", the "we " means the entire United States as well as the people living in the disaster area. What happens here has many implications and consequences for the rest of the nation, from the obvious economic repercussions to the political to the metaphysical. It will be interesting to see what happens as those consequences make themselves known over the coming months and years.

Comments

[marlaine]

i'm ashamed to think i didn't look deeply into this situation
i naively thought being alive was what mattered most...it is...but the ensuing reality is very troublesome still
thank you for letting me open my eyes wider

[alwaysdare]

That's a really interesting post Kitty. As an outside observer, I didn't realize things would be so uncertain over there. I thought the government would have been more clear about what is going on.

To be honest though, if it was me in that situation and I had the money, I'd go to another part of the country to live. I wouldn't want to deal with the uncertainty of whether or not there will be necessary infrastructure re-built, to have a good quality of life. I'm talking about shops to buy basic things and you know, everyday things like a mechanic to fix your car or expert doctors (specialists) to help us when we're sick.

It sounds like a lot of people are not sure what to do, but I suppose that if some people don't front up to build their homes and shops, then I guess that city/town won't be rebuilt. (or certainly not in a hurry).

[Michael]

Kitty, as always you frame things as they are and we should as a nation be doing what should and must be done to make things right but I know deep down this current government won't!

I was stuck in a traffic jam last night and heard a news report on the radio. If you can believe it, the NYPD and NYFD is going to Washington, DC to lobby to keep 9/11 funds the federal government gave NYC (it was 525 million) and wants it back since the government says NYC hasn't used it yet. The response is it will continue to use the funds.

So, if the government, which promised billions to NYC after 9/11 and produced nearly none of it can do that..I fear it will do it to the millions whose lives are uprooted from Katrina.

Cynics have said that now that the Democratic stronghold of New Orleans and vicinity is wiped out it means the Republicans will defeat Senator Mary Landrieu in 2008 and Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2007. Sadly, I have no doubt they will do their best and some decent leaders will be gone. I have been a long time admirer of Senator Landrieu since I think she has real common sense and major toughness to do the right thing.

I worry about the millions of lives ripped apart..(indeed, the government wouldn't even put a hold/stay on new bankruptcy laws for the victims of Katrina so things will get messier) Now, how does one pay for a mortgage on a home you don't have? And may take years to get back....if ever.....The federal government needs to do the right thing....yet, they will continue to give tax cuts for the rich and be damned for those truly in need.

I can go on..but I am just shocked that the media has dropped the story and of course politics has creeped in (so much for working for the common good) and peoples lives are made thread bare at best.

Why we don't have a Marshall Plan for the area is beyond me, putting the best minds of business, government and the academic world to do what must be done...we did it for Europe and Japan after World War II but we don't do it for ourselves? I will never understand this as long as I am alive...since, its going to happen again and again given the changes in climates, the fact that our infrastructure is a mess and there really is no common sense planning...

I am surprised that the academic world hasn't teamed up with LA and MS state governments to try and begin to solve the big picture stuff (infrastructure, environmental issues, urban and suburban planning, etc.)

Kitty, as always, you frame the right questions..now why can't the morons who run the federal government read your blog and do the right thing!

Michael