ray nagin: thank you. >> good evening, mr. mayor. my name is barbara johnson, i am representing my 87-year-old mother-in-law who is a resident of a lower ninth ward. she is on the florida side. we have had someone go into look at her property. we have a house , which used to be across the street, which made itself into a raft and is now on her car and carport. as i said, i am representing her because she cannot come here. she has been displaced to alexandria, louisiana. i heard you in your opening remarks make the statement that we should make intelligent decisions. we are just about there. we are of the decision where we either say buy me out. she is too old for a loan. we are at the point -- i heard you make a statement about, if you have 50% or more damage, according to the website, she does have 86.63% damage. it is gone. my question to you today is will the corps of engineers may contact with residents? or should the residents make contact with the corps of engineers? if so, with whom? what number? what is the process? what is t

ray nagin: thank you. evening, mr. mayor. my name is barbara johnson, i am representing my 87-year-old mother-in-law who is a resident of a lower ninth ward. .he is on the florida side we have had someone go into look at her property, we have a house , which used to be across the street, which made itself into a raft and is now on her car and carport. as i said, i am representing her because she cannot come here. she has been displaced to alexandria, louisiana. i heard you in your opening remarks make the statement that we should make intelligent decisions. we are just about their. -- there. we are of the decision where we meher say by me out -- buy out. she is too old for a loan. we are at the point -- i heard you make a statement about, if you have 50% or more damage, according to the website, she does have 86.63% damage. it is gone. willestion to you today is the corps of engineers may contact with residents, or should the residents make contact with them? if so, with whom? what number? what is the process? what is the pro

come on out. >> hello, mr. nagin. i come before you today is not the latter man, but the construction worker or ex-construction worker. sunday night i was out talking to my neighbors. they seem to inspect or set my place is not livable. i got half of the 2300-dollar relocation fee. i am out there talking to a camper down there down below me and they said somebody just ran in your apartment. i turned around and i saw this guy go in my apartment. elaborate 335 dogs is treat. i ran up the steps and he said they yelled up at me, he ran down the hallway. i run down the hallway yelling he was in my apartment. that's a nice way to put it. the landlord calls me. now i am a big day because i'm the only tenant that was there before the storm. he's got all new tenants there. he wants to chat to rent out. i know that's the reason. i've got until sunday to get out here but why do? i'm the latter man. some of you all have seen me. i have been homeless in the city before it ended a fun. and now it's in the open. at about $2000 to re

mr. nagin was very controversial when he said that.ing why should we have to prove our viability? it seemed very unfair. but when you look at it and you look at what has happened in some of the other neighborhoods that are coming back, maybe we did not have the best job if he or maybe they didn't have a lot of wealthy people could afford it who are doing tremendous work. people bother viability from the people who live in that neighborhood with their determination and severe as that proved aided -- proved a neighborhoods viability. end, a neighborhoods strength is not due to the brick-and-mortar in the buildings. it is due to the residents and homeowners and how much they believe in coming home announcer: the holy cross area of the lower ninth ward was flooded but did not receive as much water as other parts of the ward during again, jim stark from fema talks with us about their efforts in the neighborhood. jim: we are still in the lower ninth ward. this is where modern utilities have been restored. reporter: what is the process they h

mr. nagincontroversy when he said that initial people were saying, why should we have to prove our viability? and it seemed very unfair. but when you look at it, and you look at what's happened in some of the other neighborhoods that are coming back, that maybe they didn't have the best geography or they didn't have a lot of wealthy people that could afford it, that are doing tremendous work, a neighborhood proves its viability from the people who live in that neighborhood and it's their will and determination and perseverance that proves a neighborhood's viability. so in the final analysis, a neighborhood's strength is not due to the bricks and mortar and the buildings, it's due to the residents and homeowners and how much they believe in coming home. >> the holy cross area of the lower ninth ward also was flooded but did not receive as a much water as other parts of the ward. again, jim stark from fema talks with us about their efforts in the enabled. jim: we're still in the lower ninth ward.

mr. nagin was very controversial when he said that.eople were saying why should we have to prove our viability? it seemed very unfair. but when you look at it and you look at what has happened in some of the other neighborhoods that are coming back, maybe we did not have the best job if he or maybe they didn't have a lot of wealthy people could afford it who are doing tremendous work. people bother viability from the people who live in that neighborhood with their determination and severe as that proved a neighborhoods viability. so in the end, a neighborhoods strength is not due to the brick-and-mortar in the buildings. it is due to the residents and homeowners and how much they believe in coming home. announcer: the holy cross area of the lower ninth ward was flooded but did not receive as much water as other parts of the ward. again, jim stark from fema talks with us about their efforts in the neighborhood. jim: we are still in the lower ninth ward. this is where modern utilities have been restored. reporter: what is the process the

. >> mr. nagin i have talked you to you a couple of times before. i come before you today not as mike krause the latter man for the construction worker or ex-construction worker. sunday night i was out talking to my neighbors. the same inspectors at my place was not livable. i got half of that 2300-dollar relocation fee. i am out there talking to a camper down there, an electrician and his wife down below me and they said somebody just ran in your apartment. i turned around and i saw this guide so into my apartment. i live at 335 dolphin street. i ran up the steps and they yelled up at me and he ran down the hallway. iran down the hall blake yelling, who is in my apartment? that was a nice way to put it. now the landlord calls me and now i'm getting evicted has i'm the only way -- the only tenant that was there before the storm. he has got all new tenants there and he wants to jack the rent up. i know that's the reason. i have got until sunday to get out and now what do i do? what do i do? i am one of the best street entertainers you've got out here

mr. nagin, i am the utmost respect for you. i'm here for a different reason and everything. first off, i'm own fixed income and i'm renting but during the time of the flood and everythings i was out of town. when i returned a lot of stuff in my house was missing, to be able to have my house up and functioning again. and, i spent thanksgiving alone without my family and i don't want to go through christmas likes that. and, that's my problem. i guess, if you could say i'm here to ask you for some help and what do i do from here? >> what do you need? you need some help as, do you have a home that you living in. >> yeah. i'm renting. i've been there ever since going on six years. the house didn't get flooded or nothing like that. during the time when there was water around the house and i was out of the city, some way or another, someone left my door wide open, but at same time, a lot of my stuff was taken, like stolen. washing machine, dryer, stuff like that. my house feel empty and, even more empty without my family. i refuse to send for my family with my house on that. being

nagin: thank you. [applause] >> good evening. my name is eloise, as a community activist, mr. mayor, i do not -- you do not see me too often, but i am there to say look at my community. right now what i see i do not like. katrina has passed and gone, but we are still living in debris. we organize to move all of this out of the way so work can be done. it is months now. i have been home -- i came home on the fifth of november. to this day i am trying to get caught -- get my utilities back. cox cable sent me a bill. you know what i'm saying? we need to stop playing games. stop playing thanking everyone is naive. i don't want to pay energy anything and say i will wait later for them to pay me back. they will not. i am not looking to pay no $200 upfront. i was not at the party that told you not to have money. i was not there. i am not going to be responsible for anything that is not my doing. mr. mayor, i want to say to you, thank you. i got on the bus, no fair. -- fare. i could not believe it. i said, thank you mr. mayor for that. there is a whole lot of things that are keeping u

nagin: you have been doing a little homework. >> yes sir, i have. i got it from the horse's mouth. i would like to ask you, mr. mayor, to ask the state coordinating officer, to ask fema, to direct the army corps of engineers after we signed the waiver. so that we do not have to pay for this demolition all on our own, because congress allowed my home in lake view to be demolished, or flooded, not god. i believe fema needs to step up to the plate to help pay for me to demolish my home so i can rebuild it up to code, to give me the $30,000 to raise my ouse 15 feet so fema doesn't have to come into my neighborhood again so i won't be flooded anymore. that is one situation. i will contact you, sir. i will. mayor nagin: you understand the process. end us a letter, saying you have to come into my neighborhood again so i won't be flooded anymore. that is one situation. i will contact you, sir. i will. mayor nagin: you understand the process. send us a letter, saying you want your house demolished. please, i ask you for one more minute. it doesn't sound like it will be very advantageous to let the united states corpora

mr. mayor, you say would not -- and lots of knowledge history behind you that errors were made. i would agree. i think people made decisions of money over man. i think when mayor nagin did not made thebuses, he decision, money over man. people who died after day two are not counted as victims of katrina. i'm not -- i don't know what they count them as, but they don't count them as victims of katrina. those people are victims -- this is the part where if i was not tied to a corporation, i would fill in the blank with the names. but the people who made decisions kill those people because they could not get water and they couldn't get food. one person came up to me with a said, feel hand and my babies forehead. my baby is hotter than humans can be. my baby is going to die if you don't get us somewhere. we are on the overpass across the superdome. the water is there. we don't ever put this on television, but there is video to prove it. we stand in front of the place where the cops are screaming by, make the cops stop, and put the camera on a cop and say this baby is going to die and in -- baby jims you take the on the baby's going to die and i'm putting it on the news t