Never Ending "Recovery" On The Coast

The Mississippi Press describes the plight of one of thousands in Jackson County:

"I cannot wait to be in that house again. We don't know what it's like to be normal people anymore."

That one statement uttered by Kurt Olsen pretty much sums up how thousands of Mississippians still feel almost two years after Hurricane Katrina.

Olsen, whose home was severely damaged by the August 2005 storm, has struggled to care for his family and rebuild the home he's lived in for 16 years.

...

Olsen's case may be an extreme example. Mr. Olsen supports his disabled wife, teenage son, daughter and granddaughter. His 18-year-old daughter died five months after Katrina. And, a contractor he hired to elevate his home disappeared with $50,000 before completing the work.

But, regardless of the circumstances, it is one of thousands of similar stories along coastal Mississippi of how families are still forced to cope with Katrina's destruction and the slow moving recovery bureaucracy.

Coast families are working hard every day to improve their lot, but state and federal support has not made its way to many of the hardworking, homeowners on the Coast. Haley Barbour was recently on the Coast to hand one woman the keys to a Katrina cottage which she had received through a state lottery on a waiting list. Instead of making a photo op out of handing one woman the keys to a cottage perhaps Haley should be more concerned with why after 2 years so many people are still living in tiny, cramped trailers that are dangerous to their health and well being.

The Mississippi Press Editorial