We Didn't Know You Were There

Excuse me, does your boss keep letting you make serious mistakes like this? And keep your job? Don't they have a Republican governonr?

Tent City for the Forgotten - Los Angeles Times: "
So far, FEMA has provided about half of the trailers requested by households in Mississippi — 10,641 of 22,515 requests — and hopes to supply all of them by Dec. 1, Beeman said.

Delays, he said, can be attributed to several factors: communities have not yet granted permits to place trailers; sites are in flood zones; municipal crews have not cleared debris; and newly delivered trailers must be inspected by their manufacturer.

FEMA officials were not aware until recently that people were still living in tents in east Biloxi, Beeman said. Since learning of the encampments, Beeman has sent community relations teams out to determine which households should be a priority.

'It may have been an oversight on our part that we were not going back in there,' he said."

What, you forgot the poor side of town?

On Elmer Street — a narrow lane made narrower by the piles of debris that line it — three families have been living in tents since the week of the storm, suffering from coughs and rashes that crept up their arms and legs.

Asked why he stayed beside the house that has belonged to his family since 1932, Derek Pride smiled and gave a simple answer: 'It's paid for.'

Why didn't the Floridians leave their skyscrapers during Wilma?

East Biloxi's homeowners have always been protective of their neighborhood, settled by African Americans and Croatian fishermen, many of whom have passed down homes for two or three generations. In recent years, casinos have risen along the shores, making residential areas enticing to developers. Stallworth said several homeowners had sold their property "for little or nothing" after the storm.

"I'm encouraging everyone: Don't sell to the casinos, especially right now," he said.

But as the weather gets cold, options seem thin for residents sleeping outside."

The light dawns. I get it. Give up home ownership for very little money, disappear completely as any type of power base.

Deep sigh.