KATRINA STATUS REPORT

What do you do with a flooded house when you had no flood insurance?

This is a question that is foremost in the minds of many who reside along the Gulf Coast - from Mobile, AL to New Orleans, LA.

It is clear that most of the homes that were flooded by Katrina had no flood insurance. Many are now looking to FEMA to pick up the tab for rebuilding their homes.

Different people come up with different answers to this question ... "What to do?"

I lived through hurricane Camille and hurricane Frederick, I am a native of the Gulf Coast. I have over a hundred family members spread out along this coast - this is my home. Additionally, I was raised to not expect a handout. I was raised to pull my own weight and to believe that those who could do for themselves - SHOULD DO for themselves.

So my answer to the question ... "What to do?" was simple ...

I have no flood insurance, and judging from the Biblical damage all along the coast - FEMA nor anyone in the Federal government has enough money to make all of us poor souls whole again. So either I "kick in" to save myself - or my family and I drown.

So as soon as I could get back to my house after the storm, I started gutting it. If left to stand on it's own, a flooded house will quickly be overtaken by mold - and the house will rot to the point that it must be leveled by a dozer.

I have a mortgage - a mortgage that I don't intend to default on. And I can't afford to write my house off as a loss and just buy a new one. I had to save it - and I did. I gutted it, replaced the electrical recepticals and light switches - and replaced all the breakers. It's now ready for power when the electric company gets it restored.

Additionally, I originally pulled everything out of my house and put it on the curb - thinking all of it was a complete loss. In the last few days, I've started to pull things OUT of the garbage heap though. Things like a refrigerator - which I fully pressure washed and cleaned. Then I hooked up a generator to my home's electrical system and plugged the reefer in to see if it would work. SURPRISE! It did. So did my power tools when I washed them out and oiled them. My garbage disposal - worked after a good cleaning. I cleaned up my furnace unit and blower to my home's air conditioning system - SURPRISE - that works now! I have two ac compressors outside that were flooded out too - but the compressors are sealed units. I think those will come online too if I replace the relays in them and the starting capacitors - so my whole air conditioning system should work when I get power back. By the end of next week - I could be living in my home again. I may not have power to run my air conditioning system - but people lived down here for hundreds of years without ac - I can too for a couple of months if I need to.

And many of my neighbors are doing the same thing as I am - trying to salvage what we had.

Many others - are no where to be found. They didn't have flood insurance either - but many expect to get FEMA assistance (read - MONEY) to write their homes off as a complete loss. If that doesn't happen - they'll default on their mortagages and take a foreclosure on their property - then they'll complain about how the government walked away from them in their hour of need.

But folks, life is not fair - when you're kicked to the ground - you have to dust yourself off and get back up again - and not blame someone else for your problems. Sure, if I can get some assistance from FEMA - I'll take it - but only what I need. I don't need them to replace my ac, reefer, power tools, garbage disposal - because I have saved those items on my own. Tomorrow I'll start on my diswasher and oven - and God willing I'll get them to work also. And I don't need temporary housing from FEMA - because I'll soon be able to live in my home.

Is it too much to ask that others do the same if their circumstances permit? If I were in my 60's - I wouldn't have the energy to do what I've done so far - so FEMA would have to help me a little more than others. I understand an elderly couple who can't do for themselves. But I have neighbors in their 20's and 30's who could very well do what I and others have done - but just don't want to do it. They expect Uncle Sam to cover their backs without any effort on their part.

Those of you who don't live down here should take note of this. There's going to be a big press for your tax dollars - and my lazy neighbors are going to be reaching into your pocket.