Beyond Katrina

If Gustav Copies Katrina, US May Tap SPR

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--It's late August, and a major hurricane may soon be bearing down on the key U.S. Gulf oil and natural gas producing region and the nation's main refining hub. Comparisons with August 2005 and the havoc of Hurricane Katrina that spurred prices to record highs above $70 a barrel are inevitable.It's far too early to say whether gusty Gustav will prove to a be Katrina clone. But, if oil output or refinery operations again suffer heavy damage, the Bush administration may well tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to stave off supply shortfalls and calm prices.Continue>>>

Astrodome not open for evacuees if Gustav hits

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said the Astrodome will not be open for evacuees if Gustav hits New Orleans.  The reason, according to county officials, is common sense. Continue>>>

New Orleans Pumping station requires repairs

Officials will begin temporary repairs to one of the city’s drainage        pumping stations Wednesday.     The station, which is listed as Drainage Pumping Station No. 7, is located on Orleans Avenue and helps protect the Mid-City and City Park areas. Continue>>>

The Cone of Insanity!

A spot of some humor by New Orleans blogger Michael Giordano:

You’ve seen it. You’ve heard about it. You’ve read about it. And you’re probably talking about it more than you could ever have imagined. The National Hurricane Center calls it the Forecast Cone...Continue at Best of New Orleans Blog.

On Tap for the Republican Convention: Karmic Payback?

This is one way of saying pay back is hell...From the New York Times Blog:

And now, a brief word about the Republican National Convention:There is apparently a real chance that Hurricane Gustav could hit New Orleans next Monday — which happens to be the day that President Bush, Laura Bush, and Vice President Cheney are scheduled to speak. Continue>>>

Katrina 3-Year Coverage: New Institute report finds faith groups "critical" to long-term rebuilding

The Institute of Southern Studies has just released a report on the contribution made by faith based groups in Hurricane Katrina recovery - see Chris Kromm's wonderful post on the subject, here.  I very much concur with Chris' observations:

After Hurricane Katrina struck three years ago, faith and religious groups mounted an unprecedented response that made them the go-to resource for tens of thousands of storm victims. Now, as New Orleans and coastal Mississippi struggle to rebuild, the expertise, resources and commitment of faith groups will be an indispensable ingredient to the success of long-term revitalization of the Gulf Coast.

Do go check out his full post - it's a great read.

Download the Report via the following link:Download FaithGulf.pdf

 

Louisiana Lifts Deadlines for Most Road Home Applicants

State extends time for homeowners to make their Benefit Option Selection

BATON ROUGE, La. (August 27, 2008) - The state of Louisiana is lifting deadlines for the 12,000 Road Home applicants who were facing a series of rolling cut off dates to move forward in the program and extending the timeframe for homeowners to make their final benefit option selections.

This change affects more than 7,000 Road Home applicants who previously had been facing deadlines to return documents, prove occupancy and ownership or resolve title and financial issues. The state is also rescinding deadlines for 5,400 applicants who sold their homes prior to the program's launch.

"After meeting with homeowners and community leaders, it became clear that many applicants affected by the deadlines were elderly and low income Louisianians who would be unable to comply with the program deadlines," said Paul Rainwater, Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. "I judge this program not by the number we have served, but by the homeowners we haven't yet been able help."

Applicants who have not returned their Benefit Selection Forms now will have until November 1, 2008, to choose their Road Home option. More than 2,615 applicants are affected by this deadline.

"We will focus these next months on working with individual homeowners to resolve their outstanding issues and to help them get the rebuilding dollars they desperately need," Rainwater said.

By extending timeframes for applicants to resolve their long-standing issues, the state is providing additional time for applicants to receive legal advice and complete complicated title work.

Homeowners who are affected by normal program deadlines, including timeframes related to the appeals process, must still comply with program rules and timelines.

"We had hoped that by offering case-by-case extensions, we could help individual applicants in the program. Because of the extremely difficult issues facing our homeowners and because these extensions were not always provided on a consistent basis, we determined that the fairest action to take was to give everyone affected more time," Rainwater said.

<Affected Homeowners

The following groups of homeowners do not currently face deadlines:

• 1,200 who have yet to provide documents proving they occupied their homes at the time of the storms;
• 2,700 who have yet to provide ownership documents;
• 900 whose files are missing other documents, such as social security cards;
• 2,800 with legal, title, financial and power of attorney issues;
• 5,400 who sold their homes prior to the program's launch and now want funding from the Road Home.

The only homeowners facing a deadline of November 1, 2008, are 2,615 homeowners who have not yet returned their benefit selection forms. All deadlines relating to the appeals process remain the same.
>
Outreach Events

The Road Home has served more than 4,100 applicants at its first nine events being held statewide to support homeowners facing deadlines, with many of the applicants able to move forward because of action taken there. There are two more public events scheduled, one in Plaquemines Parish and another in New Orleans.

• For a full list of Outreach Events, visit http://www.road2la.org/homeowner/events.htm

Applicants with Questions

Homeowners with questions about their files or program deadlines have three options:

• Attend a Road Home outreach session and meet with Road Home counselors who will review the file and explain what action needs to be taken;
• Call the Road Home hotline at 1-888-762-3252 (TTY: 1-800-566-4224);
• Call the Road Home representative that has been handling their case.

Sold Homes

When the original Road Home action plan was written and approved in 2006 it included a provision to pay grants for applicants who sold their homes at a loss prior to the launch of the Road Home, but only if the program had funds remaining after paying compensation and elevation grants.

Applicants must have owned and occupied the damaged property and used it as their primary residents at the time of Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) or Hurricane Rita (September 24, 2005).

Applicants must have applied to the Road Home program before the application deadline of July 31, 2007, and must have attended their first appointment by December 15, 2007.

Single units, double units, town homes, mobile homes and condominiums are eligible. The residence must be located in one of the 37 presidentially declared disaster parishes, must have been registered for FEMA assistance and must meet one or more of the FEMA criteria listed in the Road Home program policies.

Applicants must have sold their homes before August 29, 2006, during these dates:

• For Hurricane Katrina: The home must have been sold between August 30, 2005, and August 28, 2006, and the sale must have been recorded with the parish no later than September 29, 2006.
• For Hurricane Rita: The home must have been sold between September 25, 2005, and August 28, 2006, and the sale must have been recorded with the parish no later than September 29, 2006.

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Katrina victims memorial taking shape

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Six mausoleums for the unclaimed dead of Hurricane Katrina stand on what was vacant land just five weeks ago, as New Orleans - in what could be a testament to its determination - scrambles to complete a memorial by Friday's third anniversary of the storm. Continue>>>

Bringing New Technologies to Lousiana

From Governor Bobby Jindal:

Dear Friends,

I was very pleased to announce last week that EA Sports, the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company, will be creating a North American Test Center on LSU’s South Campus. As Sharon Knight, EA's senior vice president, said in the New Orleans Times Picayune  reported, the center will be “the first of its kind for the company, which has never before partnered with a university on a job project,” and is a great example of the sort of technologically-driven jobs we must continue to bring to Louisiana.

The center will create 20 full time jobs and more than 200 part-time jobs for Louisianians. As the Baton Rouge Advocate reported, these are the “kind of jobs” that have “the potential for keeping young people excited about staying in Louisiana.” This announcement is a critical step in creating a digital media economy and is a great example of drawing on the strength of our universities. For example, as I said in the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, the University of Lafayette has “one of the most advanced 3-D imaging centers and its video game design degree program provides a well-trained work force for a company seeking to locate a manufacturing facility here.” We will continue to work to bring new companies to our state creating the sort of opportunities that will allow our children to realize their dreams right here in Louisiana.

Supporting our Teachers

Last week in Monroe I announced that Louisiana has received a two-year, $3.4 million grant from The Wallace Foundation to support educational leaders across the state.  The Monroe News-Star reported that “The Wallace Foundation has funded administrative training in other states for several years because research has shown the difference that qualified leaders make in struggling districts.”

The Wallace Foundation grant will allow the Governor’s Office, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Department of Education, the Board of Regents, and the University of Louisiana system to work hand in hand to continue using various educational leadership initiatives to ensure that Louisiana is moving forward in its ability to recruit, train, and retain qualified school principals. As I stated in the Baton Rouge Advocate, “we know that the key to strengthening our children’s education is to put a good teacher in every classroom…and ensuring that we have innovative educational leaders is critical to supporting the efforts of our dedicated teachers.”

The University of Louisiana-Monroe and LSU-Shreveport have already begun their Louisiana Leader Fellows Programs, which will certify specially selected teachers to become school administrators in high-need areas throughout the state within the year. We will continue to work with educational leaders throughout our state to increase opportunities for both our students and our teachers, as we strive to make Louisiana’s educational system a model for the rest of the nation. Visiting Communities StatewideLast week we traveled to Oak Grove, Jeanerette, Napoleonville, Pollock, and Jonesville to talk face to face about the progress we are making in our state. I take your thoughts and concerns very seriously, and we most assuredly take them into account when looking at ways to improve our state. This week I will be travelling to Jonesboro, Columbia, Wisner, and Rosepine, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulating the Olympics

As the Olympics have come to a close in China, I want to acknowledge and congratulate all of Louisiana’s outstanding athletes that took part in the games.  Representing our state and country in international competition is a great honor, and our men and women are certainly worthy of it. Twenty athletes and two coaches with Louisiana ties traveled to Beijing to compete in eight different sports, the largest contingent from Louisiana ever.  Thirteen of the athletes currently live and work in Louisiana, while eleven were born in our great state.  They did a great job of not only representing our country, but Louisiana as well, to the rest of the world.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

 

My Encounter with Segundo Pastor

Keith Horcasitas (who is hosting the labyrinth walk for the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina) sent me this beautiful story about his love of the guitar and his encounter with Segundo Pastor. With several tropical systems in motion and the third anniversary of hurricane Katrina coming up on August 29, 2008, I thought it might be fitting to post something inspiring...

My Encounter with Segundo Pastor

With all the recent popularity of "Guitar Hero" and after reading the current Advocate article about Martin guitars, I was inspired to write about my love affair with that stringed instrument. 

“A guitar is like a woman. She needs to be caressed;” this is a quote by Segundo Pastor.  I had the blessing of meeting that famous Classical Guitarist in the late 1970's while attending Loyola University in New Orleans.  One of my elective classes was "Classical Guitar," so we were given the opportunity to attend his recital.  I had always hoped to see Andrés Torres Segovia, an even more well known Classical guitarist but never had had the opportunity.

In high school, my first motivation to learn how to play basic guitar was per the Beatles.  Still, the first song that I learned to play was "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens with those "G," "C" and "D" chords  When I was much later on able to consecutively play the quick changing chords to "Blackbird" from the Beatles White Album, I felt a lot more confident in my playing abilities.

Initially and most of the time, I could use a simple folk guitar pick to strum songs and never thought I could finger pick songs, a technique which would figure in greatly with my meeting of Segundo.

During my early college years, Scott, David and I soon got the chance to play our first gig at the Penny Post Coffee House, where an open microphone allowed for neophytes like us to play on off-busy days.  After a few botched renditions of "All My Loving" and "If I Fell" by the Beatles, the Penny Post staff passed the hat, as was the custom - we fetched a total of $ 2.57!  While it may have been "chomp change," it made us feel at least like quasi performers.

I can truly say that playing guitar helped me to grow as a person.  Normally, I had been very timid and shrugged from any leadership opportunities as a child.  At church, I got invited in my later high school days to join in the music ministry for Mass.  This was a scary thing - getting up in front of everybody and being embarrassed about likely messing up.  As time went on, I felt a greater sense of security and confidence in this and eventually became the leader in college for various church music functions.

It was special to be asked to play guitar at the graveside for my grandmother's funeral.  I started with "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" and ended with "Amazing Grace."  Everyone shared that they'd been holding back on showing their emotions, but when the music started, all the tears began to flow for all of us.

So back to my Segundo story - after the Loyola recital that I attended one evening, attendees were invited to a wine and cheese reception.  I waited in line and thought how I may convey to Segundo about my interests in guitar.  It should be noted that Segundo did not speak any English, so he had an interpreter at his side to help with the meeting line folks like me.

Even with an Hispanic name like Horcasitas, I never learned Spanish fluently, so I got an idea.  It happened that I used to always carry a spare guitar pick in my wallet.  So as I approached Segundo and made eye to eye contact with the celebrated performer, I proudly held up my pick in my hand and gestured it to the interpreter in a strumming motion.  Little was I prepared for the maestro's response.

Segundo's facial disposition abruptly changed from smiling to frowning, and he blurted out some loud Spanish words that I was unfamiliar with, as his arms went flying up as well to punctuate his feelings.  After he calmed down and I tempered my embarrassment, the interpreter told me Segundo's translation: "Don't limit yourself to just one pick, use all of your fingers!"

It has been many years since that encounter with Segundo, and I have gladly followed his suggestion.  I have been blessed by God to be able to write some my own songs and enjoy the acoustic guitar immensely with the plucking resonance of not using a pick.  Recently, I was finally able to figure out the exact chords to "If" and "Aubrey" by David Gates of Bread - some real beauties that sound better with picking.  And I was inspired recently to pen a song for Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta based on the Beatitudes (Matt 5: 1 - 12).  Thanks, Segundo, for getting me straight back then!

Keith John Paul Horcasitas, LCSW, MHA, Prayer Care, 1133 Knollhaven Drive, BRLA 70810, [email protected], June 29, 2008