Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Communities rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike

Author: Casey Sanchez
Publisher: The American Prospect
Registration: No Registration

People Before Ports, Biloxi, Mississippi
Mississippi, the poorest state in the country, is the only place in the U.S. where the Bush administration waived a longstanding rule that at least 70 percent of community-development funds must be spent on low-income housing. As a result, in September 2007, Gov. Haley Barbour diverted nearly $600 million of Housing and Urban Development grants originally slated for low-income Katrina victims who owned homes to a $1.6 billion plan to transform the state port at Gulfport into the country's largest container port. The port, known for its imports of Central American fruit, is the 17th largest in the country and takes in $10 million annually. It suffered $50 million in damages during Katrina.

Other Details

Viewed: 649
Comments: 0
Permalink: http://www.stepscoalition.org/news/article/communities_rebuild_in_the_aftermath_of_hurricanes_katrina_rita_and_ike/

Read at: The American Prospect »