Gov't may buy thousands of Mississippi homes (hurricane protection zones)

[jpak]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071010/ap_on_re_us/katrina_home_buyouts_3;_ylt=AptZbsAZ5QDlDRQA6o.HH9AE1vAI

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - The federal government is considering buying out as many as 17,000 homes along the Mississippi coast and remaking the land into a vast hurricane-protection zone, raising anxieties that it could destroy the waterfront lives many residents are struggling to rebuild after Katrina.

The Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program could cost $40 billion, including buying the homes, building levees and restoring barrier islands. The land could be converted into wetlands or other public uses, such as golf courses or bike trails, but could not be sold for private development.

For Finley Williford, a 42-year-old boat captain, a buyout offer would have been tempting if it had come shortly after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his Bay St. Louis home on Aug. 29, 2005.

But instead of leaving, he invested countless hours of labor and more than $400,000 in two new houses for his family and his father.

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[Donnachaidh]

1. golf courses -- yeah we NEED more of those.

Someone had better track the trail of this one. It stinks of potential cronyism. Golf courses *or* bike trails? Uhh yeah, wonder which one will win out? :sarcasm:

How about letting it revert to wetlands? Oh wait -- there's no PROFIT in that.

[kestrel91316]

2. Yeah. What Donnachaidh said.

[dbackjon]

3. No profit in wetlands

Just protection from future surges, pollution, etc.

[XemaSab]

4. Sort of weak that they're doing this YEARS after the fact...

For those of you not aware, DU'er merh has been living in a FEMA trailer on the site of her (former) house in Biloxi for the last two years. She got a new house put in recently... it's be sort of a slap in the face to tell her she'd have to move after all that, no? :eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7013694