Hurricane Housing: Big, Not Easy

It's heartening to hear that, as in the case of any disaster reconstruction, real estate is fueling much of New Orleans' recovery. And even if the Louisiana-run insurance costs more, that means more dollars going into state coffers, as opposed to private pockets.

Still, there's something a little ghoulish about statements like this:

"To use a terrible analogy, it's like watching 'Gone with the Wind' for the fifth time," said Arthur Sterbcow, president of Latter & Blum Inc., the 90-year-old real estate firm based in New Orleans. "It's completely predictable. The market reacts the same way each time. It's like watching a football game and having the play book in your hands."

I don't think even the most well-worn playbook accounts for the failures of the levees due to incalculable stupidity, but hey, I've been wrong before.

On the other hand, despite Haley Barbour's alleged ins with the GOP, the fables of the reconstruction in Mississippi don't seem to be going so well:

At minimum, says Rand, the Coast needs 27,000 affordable housing units. “It’s a crisis,” says Mark Bernstein, leader of the four-member Rand field team that spent most of the last eight months in the stricken area.

I think if people stopped yelling about the admittedly egregious misuse of FEMA money and started focusing on what still needs to be done to rebuild, we might actually make some headway. But that would involve putting aside boilerplate cliches and thinly veiled racist diatribes to really get some work done.

Can't have that. Not when there're much more important things to do.

(Image courtesy of Katrina Destruction. Well worth looking at.)

Posted at June 18, 2006 01:23 AM

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It's heartening to hear that, as in the case of any disaster reconstruction, real estate is fueling much of New Orleans' recovery. And even if the Louisiana-run insurance costs more, that means more dollars going into state coffers, as opposed to private pockets. Still, there's something a little ghoulish about statements like this: "To use a terrible analogy, it's like watching 'Gone with the Wind' for the fifth time," said Arthur Sterbcow, president of Latter & Blum Inc., the 90-year-old real estate firm based in New Orleans. "It's completely predictable. The market reacts the same way each time. It's like watching a football game and having the play book in your hands." I don't think even the most well-worn playbook accounts for the failures of the levees due to incalculable stupidity, but hey, I've been wrong before. On the other hand, despite Haley Barbour's alleged ins with the GOP, the fables of the reconstruction in Mississippi don't seem to be going so well: At minimum, says Rand, the Coast needs 27,000 affordable housing units. “It’s a crisis,” says Mark Bernstein, leader of the four-member Rand field team that spent most of the last eight months in the stricken area. I think if people stopped yelling about the admittedly egregious misuse of FEMA money and started focusing on what still needs to be done to rebuild, we might actually make some headway. But that would involve putting aside boilerplate cliches and thinly veiled racist diatribes to really get some work done. Can't have that. Not when there're much more important things to do. (Image courtesy of Katrina Destruction. Well worth looking at.)