Rebuild 2,215 New Homes in New Orleans' Lower Ninth

For the cost of one day in Iraq, 2,215 new homes could be rebuilt in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, the area that suffered most during Hurricane Katrina. This is nearly half of the entire neighborhood, and 15 times the number of homes that Brad Pitt's foundation, Make it Right, has pledged to rebuild with private donations.

(Based on Make it Right's estimate of $150,000 per house)

Three years after Katrina, New Orleans residents are still waiting for the promised long-term rebuilding funds from governernment organizations to trickle through. Fewer than half of New Orleans' previous schools and hospitals are up and running.

The amount in emergency funds sent to New Orleans by FEMA immediately following the hurricane was $343 million - just about the cost of one day in Iraq. The city's reconstruction plan is slated to cost $1.1 billion total - just about the cost of 3 days in Iraq. For the cost of 3 days in Iraq, New Orleans would have the entire funding for their reconstruction plan instead of waiting another 3 years or longer.


Sources: Make it Right, Christian Science Monitor, Scholastic

Thanks to Jessica at CommentsinRED!