Life after Katrina...

In January, I went back to Pass Christian, MS to visit my family and friends. Contrary to the popular belief, the recovery from Katrina has not happened yet. There is little mention of Katrina anymore in the news, but people are still suffering and many are unable to rebuild. The economy is as bad there as it is everywhere else and many of the insurance companies are still refusing to pay. Court dockets are overloaded with fraud cases from Katrina, foreclosures because people couldn't pay mortgages without jobs or settlements, and even when the cases against the insurance companies are heard, they are often appealed over and over.

To understand why things are so hard, you have to see the devastation and power of the storm. The following photos were taken by friends that decided to stay in their home for Katrina. They almost died in their attic, and their home was not near the water.


This was the way that their home looked before the storm..














Back yard and view of homes across the street from the attic window..













At the height of the storm, they were standing in water up to their ankles in the attic.




When the water finally went down, the damage was beyond belief. The houses were ruined, the cars were ruined, but they knew they were very lucky to be alive.




My friends have been able to rebuild their home, but they were lucky to have an insurance company that paid. Many other friends were not as lucky and are still waiting or have given up hope.

While it was great to see everyone again, it is hard to still see so many stuck in a very long process that many feel is never ending. I hope that one day they will all be able to move on and Katrina will just be a distant memory.