I think Ruby is half right - people who build on sand don't deserve to have their house re-built at government expense, although they often are in the Carolinas.

The reason I expect the feds to help in N.O. is because we don't simply allow our cities to be destroyed. Why did they clean up after 9/11? Why not leave that smoldering heap? Some of us would like to see at least a little tax money go to helping people in this country. What a concept!

I think Ruby is right on target about the mayor, governor, and state senator from Louisiana - clueless, incompetent, and partisan. Still, I do think that the U.S. has a vested interest in rebuilding New Orleans. It's a vital port and has great historical value. However, rebuilding should be done thoughtfully and strategically. For example, there should be some kind of buffer zone so that people can't build right under the levies and there's a natural barrier between potential flooding waters and homes. I'm sure there's a way to rebuild the city to preserve its best attributes, while minimizing the risks.

One other point: it seems that people talk about rebuilding as either the government's or individual's responsibility. It seems to me that the responsibility falls on both the government (at all levels) and citizens who want to live there. It would be very difficult for people to rebuild without some support from the government in rebuilding the infrastructure. That doesn't mean that the government should just be writing checks to replace somebody's house. We're probably all at risk from some potential natural disaster no matter where you live in the U.S. We have to find some balance between individual responsibility and the government's role in citizen's lives.

Barbara--I am aware of the New Madrid Fault and that a quake would devastate a huge part of the South and Midwest that would include Peoria--and have read about how big the 1811 quake was that affected St. Louis among other places and made the Mississippi run backwards. The lucky thing about that one was that the area was so sparsely inhabited or built-up back then there was very little in the way of damage or casualties.

And I've also seen "It Could Happen Tomorrow" on the Weather Channel that showed what the horrific effects on currently much more populous and built-up Memphis and St. Louis, and the surrounding area, would be were a New Madrid Fault quake to happen anytime soon.

Very occasionally we've had earth tremors--and the worry that a larger quake could happen here pops into my head. I just hope that if it happens in our lifetime, our state and local governments will be up to the monumental tasks that will ensue...

Olivia Elizabeth Burden - I always injoy your observations. They are relevant and well written.

While your comment about being landlocked is accurate, according to recent studies, you have a disaster literally under your feet and the clock is ticking: the New Madrid Fault Zone. We in Tennessee also are at risk.

These mega-disasters can happen anywhere, at anytime, and we limp along with a less than adequate rescue office.

I agree that our Government has no business offering rebuild funds outside our boarder. However, people should take responsibility for themselves and, in this case, their choice to live in a flood zone. It should not be expected that tax payers will replace their homes or other personal property. After the rescue and population placement issues, getting the infrastructure repaired and the hazards cleared is all the different levels of government should be responsible for. Buy the proper insurance that will accomodate the regional hazards that you might have to deal with. Now, this will require people to think for themselves, can't have that now can we.

If you look at the way Mississippi handled the aftermath of Katrina and then you look at New Orleans and the Louisiana's state government you see a world of difference. Mississippi's state government was prepared and organized. New Orleans had a mayor who didn't have a clue about evacuation of large groups of people that should have been shuttled out of new orleans on buses prior to the hurricane. Louisiana had as far as I could see a governor who was incompetent and a state senator who wanted to blame President Bush for the hurricane. There are certain fundamental facts. The governor has to request the deployment of national guard troops. The governor has to request help from FEMA. None of that was done prior to the levy breaking.
I lost a condominium during Hurricane Hugo in Charleston, SC. The entire city was ordered to evacuate and we did. My condo was on the Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the coast of Charleston. I could not even get back on the island for two months. The Condo was gone. We did not expect the Federal Government to replace our home. We didn't apply for government money. It is amazing to me the mind set of so many americans today. Why should the government replace your home in a disaster? Why should the US rebuild New Oleans. They have known the levy might break for many, many years and did absolutely nothing. They continued to build homes right under the levy.
It's time people took a little responsibility for their lives instead of expecting everyone else to provide for them.

Missy in Slidell, LA--What a beautiful, heartfelt post--especially the last couple of paragraphs where you eloquently not only give voice to the psychic strain many South Louisianians are enduring these days, but also provide extremely cogent arguments why NBC Nightly and other newscasts should bring their cameras back to the Gulf Coast and not wash their hands of the region the way President Bush seems to have done. I feel the way you feel in Katrina's aftermath--and hearing about that new tropical depression in the Atlantic also has my adrenalin flowing--even though I'm in the landlocked Midwest. I just shudder to think about what will happen if this country is hit by another serious storm this year.)

And Steve--here's another thing which has my hackles up regarding Bush's $230 million giveaway to Lebanon. If New Orleans doesn't rebuild the blame will be all on the shoulders of Allan Hubbard, the evil bean-counter who is Bush's economic adviser. He was responsible for handling the Baker Plan--which would have given Louisiana about $30 billion to help her hurricane-stricken people rebuild. He said no, saying "We don't want to set up another bureaucracy," (Ironic because now that federal housing funds are supposed to be flowing into Louisiana, it's bureaucracy that seems to be holding them up) and then on Jan. 24 President Bush rejected the Baker Plan and replaced it with the paltry sum Louisiana's people are still waiting for today. According to Congressman Baker, this rejection was a "death blow" to New Orleans. (I read this in the New Yorker article "The Lost year: Behind the Failure To Rebuild" by Dan Baum.

HELLO? PRESIDENT BUSH? How about sending that $230 million to LOUISIANA and getting some of that money to the people who need it?

As a resident of the second most hurricane state in the country (NC), I expected better leadership from the governor of LA in the events leading up to and immediately after Katrina. North Carolina has had several major hurricanes (Cat 3 or higher) over the last 10 years that prompted evacuations, major wind damage and flooding and massive cleanups. In all cases, the governor took an active role in working with local officials to assess the damage and to secure federal assistance. While I agree that we can't expect government officials, at any level of government, to take care of us and that individuals have to take some responsibility for protecting themselves and their families, in my opinion, Gov. Blanco was woefully ineffective in her duties as governor of LA. I think the citizens of LA. have a right to expect much better leadership from their governor. Someone who makes efforts to reach out to local politicians and not only recognizes that the governor is a critical liason between the federal government and local commmunities in times of crisis, but can function effectively in that capacity. Frankly, I would hope that as Gov. Blanco reflects on how she has changed politically and personally over this past year, that she would be able to look at her own serious shortcomings and the role she played in the fiasco after Katrina. The opportunity (and responsibility) for her to step-up as a leader still exists if New Orleans is ever to rebuild. I hope that the citizens of Louisiana hold her to high expectations and if she can't do the job, vote her out!

Steve, Once again "Thanks" for covering "Faces From the Gulf." I find it interesting to read your perspective and those who chose to write on the blog. I totally agree with the resident from Florida who stated we all knew the risk of living down here. Does that excluded us from getting the help from OUR government that is so readily given to others during a time of disaster or given to other countries during war? Don't miss understand I believe we should help others, however, I don't believe that we should forget those in our own country. And our government hasn't. It may not be what we think it should be or maybe not enough to fix all your problems but it has come. The plight of the Louisiana and Mississippi citizen this past year to rebuild our lives have been difficult, hard and many times painful, but we have endured and we are rebuilding our homes, towns and lives.

Gov. Blanco's comments about not trusting are surprising to me. I am not a big fan of hers. I feel, as a Louisiana resident, my governor should have been more informed about the situations and the ALL the aspects of what could have been, should have been and possibly will be again. I do not feel that it is unreasonable to expect our local, state and federal governments to know enough about each other that they can work together, instead of bickering, in a crisis such as Katrina. Like most residents down here, I feel action instead of words should have been done in the following days after Katrina.

Yes, we knew the risk of a hurricane coming here and the possible damage it could cause. The Florida Keys are beautiful and hit often by hurricanes but the resident there chose to stay and chose to rebuild every time because it is "Home". For whatever you may think should have or shouldn't have taken place here this is home. We chose to come back, stay and raise our families.

Next Tuesday, is the anniversary of Katrina. I can't say that I don't cry anymore. I can't say that the tropical depression forming off of Africa doesn't scare me. I can't say when a bad thunderstorm comes and the wind blows that I don't get frightened. I can't say that when I see pictures of the Ninth Ward, or pictures of Biloxi that my heart doesn't break. The stories of the needless lost lives, of babies dying or the elderly dying in nursing homes; I can't say that doesn't tug at my heart.
What I can say is that at least in my little town, families, friends, neighbors and strangers have expressed love and friendship that will last forever. One request, in your coverage show some of the good going on. Show the neighbors helping neighbors. Show our residents reaching out a year later to help each. This is the real story, This is where you find your heros.

I'm with Barbara--we SHOULD keep Bush's $230 million here and use it to help rebuild New Orleans. His timing--about a week before Katrina's anniversary, was all wrong. If I were a reporter at his press conference, I would have asked him why this $230 could not have gone towards Katrina recovery.

Regarding Bush--I wonder if the fact that New Orleans' and the rest of the Gulf Coast's struggle to recover from Katrina has (with a few exceptions) been barely covered by the news media, which has been stuck on such things as the Lebanon mess, for at least the past month, he practically forgot that they still need help. Here's a facetious idea--maybe Louisiana should temporarily change her name to "Lebanon" to confuse Bush, who is not known for his geographical expertise--then she would get that sorely-needed $230 million.

All kidding aside, regarding Governor Blanco--I think while there were ways she could have done better regarding Katrina and the levee breaches and flooding, this was a disaster that was off the charts and I wonder if ANY governor would have dealt with an equivalent catastrophe perfectly. (I don't know what I'd do were I governor of Illinois and found out that 80% of Chicago had been taken out by a massive swarm of tornadoes.) I also agree with Barbara that Homeland Security should have been better prepared to help out.

Being a 20 year florida resident, I think I understand a little of what it is like to deal with hurricanes. I think that people would be more interested in the facts and how to fix a problem rather that spending all of the time laying the blame on someone else. Lets face the facts. New Orleans was an accident waiting to happen. I believe there was an article in National Geographic from around Oct 2005 describing exactly what would happen if a category 3 or above hurricaine were to hit New Orleans. The author couldn't have been more right about the destruction had he been able to move ahead in time. The city of New Orleans, it's parish leaders and the state of Louisianna have been betting against the odds for a long time and they lost. There have been numerous recommendations over the last 50 years for facilities to be upgraded and more money to be spent on levee repair. But they chose to avaoid those recommendations. For those of you who wish to blame the federal government, it's time for a civics lesson. This country is set up making the states soverign entities that allow them to govern and police themselves. The federal government, ie the congress, the president, the US army, FEMA, etc cannot just come into Louisianna and just take over. The legal and political backlash would tie up the courts for years. We have spent almost a year talking about whom to blame. Personally I would be happier if my tax dollars had been spent with the states and federal governments getting together to create a precise chain of command in these types of situations. It would provide a means for the next entity in line to take control if the lower body faulters. That way the next time the city, county or state governments prove to be poor planners, the federal government can become involved without all the legal red tape. Unfortunatley that would make too much logical sense and take too many people who don't know when to release control out of the equation. Finally the ultimate responsibility rests on the shoulders of the private individuals. If you live in the florida keys and they tell you there is a hurricane coming, you board up your home and your business and get out. For those people who stay, they realize that they do at their own peril. There is no "I made the wrong choice but it's your fault and responsibility to bail me out". It's time that people start to take accountability for their own actions and begin to demand their local governments to be more proactive.

Gov. Blanco was no better or worse prepared to take her place in history than anyone else would have been; however, I do believe Homeland Security should have been ready to step in with all scenarios and contingencies ready to be met. Certainly we have given Homeland Security enough money and resources to handle anything. Now, while New Orleans still struggles, Bush is pledging $230 million to Lebanon. I vote we keep that money here and take care of a few US problems.