Press Releases

• The Times-Picayune, Steel Framing Factory Sets Up Shop In Reserve (12/27/06)
  
  
• The Cajun Contractor Website
  
  
• USA Today, Making A Difference (10/28/06)
  
  
• The Washington Post, Katrina's Cottage Industry (11/04/06)
  
  
• The Orlando Sentinel, The Little House That Could (11/12/06)
  
  
• The Washington Post, New Door To Affordable Housing Opens (10/29/06)

Sun Herald (Biloxi, MS)

READY FOR RECOVERY

August 12, 2006

Thousands flock to expo on rebuilding
PRISCILLA FRULLA, pfrulla@sunherald.com

Thousands trekked through the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Friday and to a model-home village in the sweltering parking lot to learn about rebuilding stronger and smarter at Gov. Haley Barbour's Recovery Expo.

The expo continues today and Sunday, when a home will be given away to a family left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. "This is an opportunity for everyone to learn about tools for rebuilding available on the Coast and for making the best possible decisions about rebuilding their homes and communities safer than they were," Barbour said at the expo's opening.

More than 180 vendors, government agencies and nonprofits were represented. An overwhelming majority of booths offered housing-related products such as panel systems, modular homes, flood vents, kit homes, steel-frame homes, concrete homes and homes on wheels. Ray Taylor with Housing International said his company is building a plant in St. John Parish, La., that will begin production in about six weeks on steel-frame homes that will be available in South Mississippi. Housing International also had a model on display that was under construction. Taylor said they wanted to show the changing face of the home throughout the three-day expo. He said his company also offers a 1,000-square-foot home that can be constructed by five people in five days on a ready site.

Modular One representative Donny Meadows was pleased with the crowd his display home was generating. "It looks like it is going to be a big success. We have been covered up all day," Meadows said.

Throughout the day, four areas offered simultaneous presentations. FEMA representatives presided over several sessions, including one detailing their findings published in the Coastal Construction Manual. The manual lists recommendations for rebuilding South Mississippi homes and communities strong enough to stand up to hurricanes. Many vendors also presented their solutions to help enact those recommendations. Other agencies dealt with topics ranging from financing to employment. More sessions will be offered today and Sunday.

The Harrison County Long-Term Recovery Coalition is accepting applications at its booth for a Lexington Cottage to be given away Sunday to a needy family. The giveaway is open to homeowners with a FEMA number whose home received more than 50 percent damage in Katrina. Income-eligibility guidelines also apply. Barbour urged residents, builders and developers to take advantage of the opportunities for improvement being offered at the expo. "No government is big enough to take care of every need of every citizen," he said. "The best way to prepare is self-preparation." Visitors look over modular homes displayed at Gov. Haley Barbour's Recovery Expo on Friday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.