Relief...

So, today I am going to indulge myself in a rant...

On August 29, 2005, I experienced Hurricane Katrina. Like the 750,000 other people that experienced it and survived (my prayers for the souls of the 1,000 plus that didn't... especially for one little woman that was found in a ditch near my home... and never ID'd to my knowledge), that event changed my life forever.

I had a beautiful home in a beautiful development only ten or twelve blocks from the Gulf of Mexico, and only one block from a bayou with deep-water access and a great marina. I didn't know many of my neighbors prior to the storm, but those I did were genuinely good people that I enjoyed spending time with.

The storm brought five very large trees down onto my roof, blew my 12' by 16' shed into a pile of kindling (along with all in it) and carried 5 feet of saltwater and untold quantities of raw sewage into my home. My two vehicles were destroyed (my Dakota pickup actually floated out of my yard and onto my driveway before sinking).

After the storm, we lived with no power for 29 days, no transportation for over 45 days, and no drinkable water for 5 months. My roof wasn't replaced until January 20th of 2006, and my heater-a/c wasn't replaced until March of '06. The house was declared "fixed" and ready for sale in Nov. of last year.

In the past 2+ years since the storm, I have filled out or applied for every single dollar in relief, assistance, aide, or grant that the Federal Government, the State of Mississippi, the County of Jackson, or any private organization might offer.

Yesterday, I received word that my FIRST financial aid was being released to my account.

The Small Business Administration has finally gotten me the low-interest, Federally insured loan that I initially applied for in January of '06.

FEMA had estimated the value of my home (pre-storm) at $145,000. Both FEMA and my insurance company estimated my total damage and losses to exceed $117,000. My insurance cut me a check for a grand total of $38,483.61. Nothing from FEMA. Nothing to date from the Mississippi Development Authority. Nothing from the Red Cross. My profits from selling the home in Jan of '07? A net loss of $281.

My rant?

Why in God's good Name is it so frigging hard to get the assistance needed to put your life back together? I'm not even asking for charity, which I received MOUNTAINS of from good hearted volunteers in the days and weeks after the storm in the form of POD donations (Point of Distribution... which were organized and run by church groups, neighborhood organizations, PTA's, charity groups from around the nation) and in assistance and safe-guarding by the hundreds of National Guard and Reserve troops working in my neighborhood.... I'm simply asking that the process by which someone in my situation applies for and receives aid NOT be specifically designed to be MORE TROUBLE THAN IT IS WORTH.

An example? My MDA grant is being held up because I cannot produce an original or certified copy of a "Certificate of Elevation" for my former home. I lost mine in the flood, it seems... and normally it would only require that I go the the County seat and pay $5 for a certified copy of that document. Unfortunately, the County Courthouse was located even closer to the water than my home... and ALL pre-Katrina property documents were lost in the flood. ALL OF THEM.

This certificate says that the property in question was at a specific and measured elevation aove sea level... and is used for insurance purposes. MDA states that they need this document to further process my application, and can proceed no further without it. It seems that in the rebuilding, I may have elevated or lowered the house... and that would be bad. It isn't enough to be able to SEE that the house is built on a SLAB, and that the SLAB hasn't moved at all in the 16 years the house has stood. It isn't good enough that I would be willing to sign an affidavit stating that the house is at the same elevation as when it was built. Nope... they need a pre-storm document.

I won't talk about FEMA at all... don't even get me started.

So, now fully two years and more after the storm, I get my first governmental assistance in rebuilding my life.

Better late than never, I guess.