Supply & Demand - The Curse of Hurricane Katrina
One of the most frustrating things I’ve heard and read a lot recently is the complaint that Katrina Evacuees are mooching off the system when they should just get on with their lives and get jobs.
People like to point out that there are a lot of jobs in New Orleans right now. Why just about every business has a sign out that they are hiring. Anyone who claims they can’t find work must be moochers.
Meanwhile, people who are working in the city are getting kicked out of their hotels because FEMA won’t pay anymore. FEMA is handing out rent vouchers so folks can move into more “permanent” temporary housing. These are people who had places to live before Katrina. Some of them have houses they are trying to repair or rebuild. Part of the problem is that there is very little rental housing actually available in the city because of the devestation of that same hurricane. Those apartments and such that managed to survive in tact or have been repaired are already rented or are rental rates higher than what FEMA is handing out.
If these people are working why can’t they afford to pay their own rent? I imagine because they are also trying to recover from the financial and material devestation heaped on them as a result of this tragedy. I imagine that it’s difficult to work, buy food, pay bills, pay rent, pay a mortgage for a house too damaged to live in, pay for repairs your insurance company is refusing to reimburse you for, and repurchase your wardrobe, your necessities, and your life.
And what about those trailers FEMA promised? I have a friend who finally was told last month she could have one if she could find a place for it. Since she was living on rental property before the hurricane, she doesn’t have a place for it unfortunately, and FEMA has said she can’t put it on her parent’s property because there’s not enough space on the lot. Hundreds of empty trailers are sitting on large parcels of land all across the country and FEMA is paying rent to the owners of that land, while Katrina victims go homeless.
But what about those that are being kicked out of those hotels again? Those that have jobs in the city but no where to live? Some of them are planning on staying in their cars while others are going to the nearest shelter — in Shreveport 5 hours away. Some are having to return to their original evacuation locations like Houston, Memphis and Atlanta. So that’s more people who are being exiled from the city, more empty jobs…
And what about those countless vacant jobs? Most of the jobs that are advertising are minimum wage or manual labor. What about those New Orleans residents with degrees and experience in other things? Would you expect a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant to find work at McDonald’s or Target just so they could stay in the city or would you expect them to find work elsewhere?
And from there, we have a circle. Those who would work those available jobs can not afford the cost of what little housing there is and those that would be able to afford the cost if they had the jobs they are educated and experienced at are unable to find work in the current market.
The government keeps talking about how they need to bring the city back to life, but with no housing and no support, how do they expect people to return and stay?
tags: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, politics, FEMA
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on February 14, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Big Dog said:
Someone found out you can’t put trailers in flood zones. There are 10,000 plus trailers and no place to put them.
Instead of protesting in DC they can go push a broom. The reality is there are people in Florida who are trying to rebuild years after hurricanes.
The Katrina folks stand to get $250,000 for each household. Probably more money than they have had in their lives. But they will probably spend it on booze and gambling.
The other thing to consider is why is NO preparing for Mardi Gras? What kind of message does that send?
on February 15, 2006 at 9:51 am
n. mallory said:
O.K. First of all, I am aware that there are people in Florida still rebuilding. I spent part of this past weekend with family friends who just moved back into their house after Ivan ripped the roof off. The roof-work is still not complete.
Second, who’s getting this $250K per household? Certainly no one I know down there. Where did that number come from?
Third, what a rude generalization about the booze and gambling. Not everyone down there are drunk gamblers. Certainly none of my friends fit into either category. They’re just trying to get back on their feet and on with their lives. One friend is working on his PhD from a school in Florida and drives back into New Orleans every other weekend to help his family rebuild their home. One of my friends has been driving back and forth between New Orleans and near Baton Rouge every day since the hurricane to do his job and try to work on his house.
It’s easy to sit all comfy in your own living room and make judgements.
As for Mardi Gras, I haven’t been a fan of it since I was a kid but I have mixed feeling about this year’s festivities. On one hand it’s a show that they aren’t beaten and on the other it looks like they are ignoring the bigger problem.