How’s That Recovery Going
Jeff Fecke posting at the back-up Shakesville blog caught a sad truth in A Doctor Quits.
Dr. Scott of Just Practicing, was a pediatrician in Waveland, Mississippi, the little town on the Gulf Coast that caught the eye of hurricane Katrina. He has been hanging on in Waveland, hoping for the recovery, but, as he explains, he has had Enough.
Despite the fact that 90+% of all structures in Waveland, and 100% of all public structures are gone, the Federal government won’t waive the requirement of 10% in matching funds before the town can receive assistance. All of the utilities are gone, so they can’t bill for them until they exist. Without utilities people can’t live there, so there’s minimal rebuilding. The only funds being spent on health care are going to regional hospitals.
The Doctor gave it his best for almost two years, but he has a family to support, so he has left. It isn’t just New Orleans that is being ignored, it’s the entire Gulf Coast. The Republican governors of Mississippi and Alabama just aren’t complaining, which you have to assume is for political reasons.
