I am writing to you because it is frustrating to be forgotten (i feel) just like so many KATRINA survivirs. My home in Bay St. Louis was destroyed by KATRINA, also my whole family is now scattered all over the U.S.
Some in Texas, Michigan, Tenn and North Carolina. My mother and myself had to go to one of my son’s house in North Carolina for which my wife was already here due to my daughter-in-law had just passed away in August. She was trying to help our son and his 2 children get passed this tragedy when we had to come here. It was tough over here before we showed up: now it is more of a burden for him.

We have applied for FEMA which they keep giving us the run-around. First they said we were not eligible due to the fact that we had Insurance (including flood for which we did). But that does not help us out due to the fact our house mortgage was still being sent to us. We did NOT have any jobs or place close by for us to live. So we had to temporary move to North Carolina. Everytime we talk to FEMA we just get the
same (run-around) & we had to use our Insurance settlement to pay our house morgage off. $110,000.00 just for a piece of land now. And, can’t even get FEMA to put a temporary trailer so we can at least feel like home again.

Everytime we talk to FEMA it’s just another excuse, TODAY some lady at FEMA told my wife that NEW ORLEANS has first priority and we’d just have to wait. Do you know how this makes us feel over here?? I am 55 years old and always had a home of my own, now I don’t have anything, for the first time in my life I won’t be celebrating Christmas in my OWN home or with my family. And all FEMA can tell me and my family is NEW ORLEANS comes first. What are we just “dirt” or what???? The hardest thing will be making a 30 year loan on a house I most probably I’ll never finish paying off. Just starting over seems impossible. I know many Mississippians are living and doing the same as we are. We even had to change the license plates on our vehicles due to the fact we couldn’t get anybody in hancock county then Jackson Ms. to help us out.We were put in a box and I guess forgotten, the only thing I have left of home is my driving license. I wrote to the Ms. DMV in Jackson and they wanted to know how long we’d be staying in North Carolina??? Now how could I answer that, FIRST my house has to be torn down also all of the trees removed (for which we have signed for the corp of engineers to do this awesome task). Then we have to get a trailer on the property to live in, then of course jobs to pay our bills, so how can I answer that silly question (dumb huh).

Even the Electric company got on the band wagon by sending me a bill for the month of SEPTEMBER for which is impossible because there was NO livable house there in Sept. so how could someone READ our meter that wasn’t there So I had to send a NASTY letter to find out what was going on. They mailed me back and said OH it was just a mistake. (haha) Now we went to the food stamp people over here (North Carolina) and this young lady said we were NOT eligible and wanted to know why we weren’t back to normal (is this a joke or what) just because it wasn’t on the news anymore she just thought our lives were back to normal. Can you feel what I felt at the time… I tell every one just go to OUR MISSISSIPPI and see what it is really like. We have been turned down for food stamps because we make Too much money. We are both unemployed and I know many Mississippians are going through this same nightmare. The heck with New Orleans, let’s get Mississippi back together. The news every night is about the good ole New Orleans, but Mississippi is more important. I have lived in Bay St.Louis, Ms. for the past 14 years,which I came from the Westbank of New Orleans and love Mississippi so much and would like to come HOME. It is very tough living in some one else’s home and not your own.

- Don Lee

People of Pass Christian Lost; Big Time ! and still losing: Not only what Katrina took; BUT Free wheeling LOOTERS allowed to roam free while “US” Residents were denied access for WEEKS: .. held at bay by lies, nothing more:

Questions Need Answering: You bet; City Officials have loads of explaining to do, that’s a fact !

I wont rest until we get the answers we DESERVE !

We also Lost everything to Karina and the Theives she brought along with her for the ride !

Mad you bet I am and plan to stay precisely so: No ones gonna shove us in a corner and tell us to forget’ we should move on; Hell you say; that aint happening not this time:

L. Taylor
Cedar Avenue
Pass Christian Mississippi !

From my home in northern MS, I was glued to CNN in the days after Katrina, angered and saddened by what I saw - namely the abandonment of individuals and families for days on end, and this was happening in the so-called greatest country in the world; it was surreal. My husband and I made multiple contributions to the Red Cross just after the storm in hopes that they would be able to provide aid quickly with the millions (billions?) of dollars that were being donated.

Reading in the aftermath about the experiences of those in east N.O. and the Gulf Coast who did not see the presence of charitable organizations, did not receive FEMA assistance, and still continue to get faulty information and rude “assistance” from seemingly uncaring FEMA employees is unacceptable, but for some reason, this treatment is allowed to be perpetrated on people who have suffered unimaginably.

This site is a noble effort at giving a voice to those displaced by Katrina you are to be applauded for providing this service. I only hope that FEMA, the insurance companies and the government will pay attention, but somehow, I think the status quo will remain. Even in the greatest country in the world, the right hand doesn’t seem to know what the left hand is doing.

My husband and I are moving to New Orleans in in a few months. We have just closed on a house and are excited about moving to the city we have loved for a long time. However, I feel that potentially, living there could be huge disappointment if the city, state and federal govt’s do not stand up and give this region the help it needs and if the powers that be do not FIX the levees and rebuild the city in a way that is true to its roots. Don’t let greedy developers have their way with New Orleans - Disneyland is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

One last note, God bless Sen. Thad Cochran. He is a great man who should go down in history as someone who fought for the gulf community without looking for headlines or personal advancement. Isn’t that what our elected government is supposed to do, and isn’t that what we pay them for?

- Alicia Curtis

Howdy from Wisconsin,

As a small bit of consolation, you, at least, got some FEMA help. Being as how we in Wisconsin did not vote for the George and Dick show in the last election, and the representatives are not Republican, we did not get any FEMA money for a tornado disaster we had. I suppose that I have it all wrong, but actions speak louder than words.

- Joey

To properly establish relationships, I’ll open with the following path of players: Hurricane Katrina > National Flood Insurance Program > Harleysville Insurance Company > Wells Claim Service > Jeff Wassom, adjuster > me.
On October 13, 2005, I finally met the adjuster for Wells Claim Service, Jeff Wassom, in my damaged apartment on Transcontinental Drive in Metairie, LA. Although I told him twice before meeting that I had no photos because the shutter in my camera had failed, his first question was to ask if I had more pictures. I had two that were supplied by my landlord. At the end of his inspection, Jeff said I would hear “something” in about 10 days, and went on at length about how busy he was / is. How busy he is isn’t my problem. I didn’t tell him to take the job. To shorten this story, It is now December 22, 2005. Jeff has still not submitted my claim paperwork. I furnished, as requested, a list of items lost to Katrina and, again at his request, annotated it with an approximation of ages of items on the spot (since he didn’t bother to say he needed that beforehand). The total amount of my claim is for more than the insured amount under my NFIP policy. It seems, therefore, that Harleysville > Wells Claim Svc should be able to issue a check for the full amount of the claim. I am seriously considering suing this adjuster in a court of law for malfeasance and / or negligence. I really don’t want to because of the cost, but if it’s the only avenue open, I’ll take it. It’d probably be handled under his errors and omissions coverage, anyway (if he bothered to get that). There is NO reason I, or any other person affected by Katrina, should be forced to wait four months because some twit of a contract adjuster wants to demonstrate his “power” over others . . . This individual needs to be fired rapidly and placed in a form of employ which denies him contact with others on a permanent basis. Grease trap cleaner comes to mind. I’d like to know if others have also encountered this individual and whether they have had similar problems because of his lack of performance. I need to have this claim finalized because, until it is, I cannot move forward with SBA, FEMA, or any other entity. They all want to know how much NFIP paid first. Well, I can’t tell them that because Jeff won’t send in my paperwork. He really does need to be fired and financially penalized for his inaction. Wells Claim Service, are you reading this? Hint. Hint.

- Richard Caire