Because I have wonderful friends, I was invited to attend and witness a spectacular event. Former President James Earl Carter, Jr. went to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village to take part in a wall-raising ceremony for Jeremy Haydel, a New Orleans musician. The former President hammered nails, raised walls, and offered hope and advice to the volunteers in attendance.
At an informal press conference, the President compared the efforts in the gulf region with the efforts to restore the areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami. In the tsunami-affected regions, Habitat for Humanity will develop 24,000 homes. While grateful for what has been accomplished, the President called the current levels of effort "embarrassing". When asked what could an administration do to revitalize these efforts, President Carter called for revitalizing FEMA, and harshly criticized its place within Homeland Security, saying that the director should report directly to the President. The President also pointed out that of the more than $7 billion dollars allocated to rebuild the area, only 22 of the 79,000 loans applied for have been granted, which provides another cause for concern.
President Carter arrived and met with a Musicians village homeowner, and was given a tour of the house. He then got straight to work on two neighboring houses. After an hour or so, the Habitat affiliate provided a Cajun-style lunch and authentic New Orleans music before the President went on to Biloxi, MS to observe more gulf rebuilding operations.
