This week has been quite full. My stack of jobs to review and estimate is growing. I made two trips to New Orleans this week and will make another tomorrow to Pearlington.
I had to fulfill a prior obligation Tuesday to give a talk at the Spring Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers on some work two colleagues and I had done a while back. The drive over is only about 1 and one-quarter to 1 and one-half hours depending on what is going on with traffic on the twin spans of I-10 across Lake Pontchartrain (that are being rebuilt from the damage from Katrina). Coming in over the east side the devastation in town is still unavoidable. Many houses still covered with the blue tarps, windows gone, some roofs buckling. The devastation goes on and on in that city.
I also attended there some meetings with organizations active in the Katrina and Rita recovery activities. At a meeting in Metairie I found that despite the visible work to be done, in 2007 at least 20,000 cases have been addressed and closed. In 2008 the groups estimate there may be 20,000 rebuilds. There are about 4500 families on the waiting list and about 1800 still in FEMA trailers.
Even though people wonder what we can possibly be doing in this area, there is still far more work than people to do it. The local agencies are estimating they may help 1000 families, about 55% homeowners and 45% renters. This rebuilding just in New Orleans is expecting to last into 2015 or beyond. So believe that your help is needed.
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