Mississippi a place to learn from

[GalvestonDuck]

No Texas cities...that's nice. Considering out of the top 10 largest cities in the U.S., Texas has 3 of them, that's great. (for Texans)

We have guns.

Seriously though, I think some of it has to do with what statistics/surveys/articles a person quotes. I agree with Linda -- I'm sure there are lists where NOLA is number one in one regard or another. I just can't find any right now, except those that show it was in the past.

[timNms]

Sad to say, but I really have no idea what our coastline looks like. All we see on the news is what is going on in New Orleans. I realize that they got it bad there with the flooding and all, but I would like to know what is going on in my home state. I am not trying to take anything away from the people in that great city.
Someone said that MS was not densly populated along the coastline. That is not exactly true. If my information is correct, it's the most densly populated area of the state.
Regardless of the population, from what I've heard, MS took a big hit and it will be years before things are close to being back to normal there. I know of a family who lost everything (3 homes and all of their cars). They lived in Waveland. They were trapped in a hotel by rising water and had to spend 5 or 6 days there before they could get out.

[mikey mike]

timnms:everything south of the csx tracks is either totally destroyed or mostly destroyed.I've rode down hiway 90 numerous times and I get sick every time I see all the destruction.We have even gotten lost because all of the familiar landmarks are gone.

[Recurve]

Yikes, what a topic. The destroyed area of one Gulf state is a shining example, and the partly destroyed city in the neighboring state is a shameful example of "America at it's [sic] worst"?

I'm all for hometown pride, but that first post was just...brutal. You'd think NOLA refugees came over and tore down your house in Mississippi, stole your pickup and kicked your dog.

Not even sure who you're trying to condemn. The city itself? Its every citizen? Iberville and Bienville founded both Mobile and New Orleans, so I guess it's the fault of France.

[beachbum_al]

I have to agree but I need to add the Alabama Coast to that too. Areas like Bayou la batre, Coden, Mobile, and parts of Daphne, Fairhope, and Point Clear were hit hard. There were homes along the coast that are unliveable and all these areas have not complained. Actually between Mississippi, Alabama, and some of the areas of LA have not complained one bit. All I hear is how much they appreciate all of the towns and cities for helping them around the country/world.

[beachbum_al]

Yikes, what a topic. The destroyed area of one Gulf state is a shining example, and the partly destroyed city in the neighboring state is a shameful example of "America at it's [sic] worst"?

I'm all for hometown pride, but that first post was just...brutal. You'd think NOLA refugees came over and tore down your house in Mississippi, stole your pickup and kicked your dog.

Not even sure who you're trying to condemn. The city itself? Its every citizen? Iberville and Bienville founded both Mobile and New Orleans, so I guess it's the fault of France.

I don't think the poster meant it that way. Of course I could be wrong. What I think they meant is that areas that were hit hard are not complaining about what is going but thankful for what they have. And it is just a few people in NO that is making the town look bad. There is a lot of good in NO but it only takes a few bad seeds to turn it around and make the world think it is just a terrible place.

[alicia-w]

State to sue insurers over flood damage
Source: Mississippi attorney general wants companies to cover damage to homes caused by flooding.
September 15, 2005: 10:58 AM EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood plans to sue insurance companies to force them to pay for flood damage to homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The Democrat attorney general believes that Katrina's horrific winds caused the flooding, said the source, who declined to be named.

Homeowners insurance typically does not cover damage from floods but does pay for damage caused by wind, according to Jim Auden, a Chicago-based analyst with Fitch Ratings.

"(Hood) is calling illegal the provisions that prevent homeowners from getting a claim on their property that was destroyed in the hurricane," the source said.

The attorney general was expected to announce the lawsuit as soon as Thursday morning.

Hood's office is also investigating reports that claims adjusters are offering homeowners an extra $3,000 in living expenses if they sign waivers for flood damage, the source said.

The three insurers with the biggest market share in Mississippi, where even homes outside the flood plain were inundated, are: State Farm Mutual Group, at over 30 percent; Mississippi Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co., with nearly 20 percent; and Allstate Corp. (Research), at almost 10 percent, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group.

Allstate spokesman Michael Trevino said: "Flood insurance is the province of the federal government. Allstate homeowners policies all contain an exclusion indicating that flood is not covered by the Allstate policy, regardless of the cause of that flood."

A State Farm representative declined to comment.

The National Flood Insurance Program, run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, only offers homeowners up to $250,000 to rebuild damaged properties. And the maximum for replacing property is $100,000.

Companies that estimated the amount of damage done to insured property -- homes and commercial buildings -- by catastrophes such as Katrina have raised their initial estimates, Fitch's Auden said.

For example, Risk Management Solutions now sees an insured loss ranging from $40 billion to $60 billion. The company at first predicted $35 billion of losses, Auden said.

Such estimates easily top the $21.5 billion of losses inflicted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.