Habitat For Humanity

[Fung Koo]

As a fellow maritimer

'ey, by

you will appreciate the same situation on a much smaller scale happening in Fredericton. Their river floods every year and has had several horrible instances over the past 50 years. They did nothing to help in case of another flood situation and it finally came.

Mind this is a much smaller situation than NO. Only a few hundred homes and businesses ruined. No deaths. I still find it odd though, that people would build million dollar homes in a guaranteed flood zone and then look to the government for assistance.

That's kinda it.

In my hometown (Windsor, NS) we had a brief argument once upon a time about certain areas where flooding occurred pretty frequently. The residents blamed the town for not putting proper infrastructure where their homes were, and the town told them to sod off because they bought their homes there because they were cheap because they were built in a low valley that was below sea level and subject to unavoidable flooding.

I think the town's response is basically criminal, delinquent at least. They should have either declared the area unsafe to live in (the whole place was a bog, so the bugs were insane and the kids were sickly, the repairs were making the people their poor and their insurance was ridiculous, and no one will buy their homes because they constantly flood) and kicked everyone out, or done something to improve the situation. Since both options are basically impossible because people will claim it's their right to have the home and nothing that was done could foreseeably help, what's the town council to do?

I maintain the town should have said "fine, we'll give you parity on your house and bulldoze them and declare the area a nature sanctuary." I can see the hurt feelings, but it's the only sensible action. And they should have added "if you choose to stay it's of your own volition and we accept no responsibility for your health, costs, actions, etc."

Meanwhile further up the valley in Kentville flooding happens on their rivers every year. So the people living along the rivers set up a community group to build up the flood wall dykes along the rivers. They did it themselves with a town permit (which the town comped) and did it for free.

Proactive solution.

As for Fredericton... I feel bad because the flooding this year is definitely particularly bad. But that's what insurance is for. If you've taken proper precautions to protect your home from damage and it still gets damaged... that's what insurance is for. The government is not responsible for comping you for your own failure to look after your own investment. And when the government does comp people, it creates a dependency. And engenders a false sense of governmental responsibilities.

[Fung Koo]

There is no safe place in the world though some are less risky than others.

True, but people also take precautions to protect what they have. If you live in the desert, you have to have access to a well and emergency water reserves, right? That's just common sense. If you live on the beach in Hawaii, you have to accept the risk associated. Build your house on stilts and lock it into the bedrock. If you live in San Francisco build your house with whatever earthquake protection is available.

Some places really need to have population caps.

Take GW's own New York. With the seas rising, shouldn't everyone get the hell out of there?

Actually, that's probably not really such a big threat. Most of the arctic ice is floating, which means it displaces roughly the same volume of water that it's composed of. When it melts, sea levels will rise a little bit, but not that much. The only major rise will come from the ice that slides off of the land, so water levels are maybe going to up by a metre or two. It's not actually a big threat. The media just loves to spin it because it sounds scary.

I live in a desert where the population continues to grow exponentially while the sources of drinking water continue to shrink into oblivion. Anyone with any sense would get the hell out of here.
But, then, name a place they could go.

Survivalism and tribalism, my friend. Head for the nearest watering hole and drink, and be prepared to fight with the locals when you get there. Leave the idiots who haven't prepared behind.

[Fung Koo]

Fung, you are one callous bastard.

I do my best!

The ignorant, the uneducated, the poor are victims.

Universally? Or you mean in this specific case? Claiming the uneducated ignorant and poor are victims by universal default is awfully arrogant, no? Just because you can't read and don't have a job doesn't mean your brain eyes and hands don't work. Self-preservation aught to kick in at some point despite being considered an economic burden to society.

On "Idol Gives Back" they featured an extremely poor region of Kentucky (or someplace) where people had no jobs, no education, and crappy homes. It was all about how these people needed education to improve their situations. Yet every time they showed these people's houses, their lawns were covered in **** -- old rusty pickups, hubcaps, dilapidated swing sets, piles of milk crates and old tires.... you know the look. Highway 9 through Maine is riddled with such lawns. But just because you can't read and don't have a job doesn't mean your lawn needs to be covered in ****. Your roof shouldn't leak if you live on a property with trees and mud. Cut one of 'em down and patch your roof you lazy sod. And plant yourself a damn vegetable garden while you're complaining that you're hungry.

Sheesh...

They had few alternatives. They weren't insured. They didn't have summer homes to go live in. They lost their jobs, their homes, their pets, their families.

Yet they have the right to vote and protest and force their representative government to find a way to look after them. They have the capability to build up earthen walls around their properties. They have the right to take action, and the ability to look after themselves.

Habitat homes aren't gifts. The people who are entitled to them must put in 700 hours of labor in the community, be able to put up a cash downpayment and be able to demonstrate that they can handle the debt service on the low interest federally subsidized mortgage. They have a stake in the homes.

Oh I know. I think that Habitat is an excellent organization. I think alleviating people's suffering is great and important. I just question calling these particular people victims.

The disadvantaged neighborhoods are still a disaster.

They always are the ones to go first, eh? Once upon a time they were the fastest to come back, too. But not with modern housing regulations and the illegality of "squatting."

[BrianC]

G, next time you're going to go do something like this let me know in advance. I might be able to join in.

[Gary Wassner]

Since I've returned, so many people have been asking me about it. I think maybe I've started something here, in my own little piece of the world. My IT manager has just planned to go to New Orleans in August with his son and wife, and they volunteered for one week at Habitat. I'm hoping now to go again in September with my whole extended family, about 20 people, to continue to work in the 9th ward and build Habitat houses. So I'll be happy to let you know when, and maybe you'll join us there!!

[CMBillett]

Hey Gary - I just found this thread. Haven't been able to swing by here as often as I'd like recently! This is awesome though, seriously. I have three weeks in the US after Lollapalooza in Chicago. It's a shame you're not down there then, I would have tried to volunteer too!

What kind of things do they have volunteers doing down there? Are there different areas for different skills? Is it mostly just manual work?

[Gary Wassner]

It's manual labor mostly, yes, but they also need administrative work done. The entire project is volunteer based. I built the subfloors on three houses during my work. It was great work, healthy and fulfilling.