FEMAville

I like to call the part of New Orleans where I live the "sliver by the river." That's where most of what remains inhabitable after Katrina is--hugging the river. I've also heard it called the "Isle of Denial," but let's not go there.

Some good news today. SBA, the Small Business Administration, has approved me for a low-interest loan. Now mind you, I am not a small business, and neither is my family, but in the bureaucracy of the United States Government which I lack sufficient brain power to comprehend, individuals who are victims of properly declared natural disasters can get personal loans to rebuild and replace their homes and possessions.

So the nice SBA loan officer informed me that we will be offered a loan at the special post-K rate of 2.687 percent. Compare that to current market home loan rates of near 6 percent, and you see why I'm happy. Prior to the flood, I had a loan of 5.125 percent.

There's still a lot of paperwork to be done, estimates and building permits and we-can-only-imagine setbacks and slowdowns to come, but if we are able to finance the entire new house at that rate, we're going to be A.O.K.

On another note, I found this photo of what New Orleans is going to look like in the immediate future. Yes, travel trailers will be everywhere, but the wiser pioneers will make sure to raise their wheeled wigwams to stay safe from any future flooding this hurricane season.




A long climb to get home, yes, but then I'll be able to leave for work like the guy in that automobile commercial--with a parachute!