 The
Red Cross has
updated its
“disaster
assessment”
for Hurricane
Katrina and
also has provided
an assessment
for Hurricane
Rita. The two
hurricanes destroyed
an estimated
356,000 housing
units, with
353,000 attributed
to Katrina.
This was more
than 12 times
the number destroyed
in any previous
natural disaster
(or series of
disasters) in
the nation’s
history.
Furthermore,
146,000 units
suffered "major"
damage (not
currently
habitable),
184,000 had
"minor"
damage (could
be occupied)
and an additional
206,000 had
"extremely
minor"
or "nuisance"
damage such
as a few missing
shingles or
broken windows.
Four-fifths
of the "destroyed"
housing units
(uninhabitable
and beyond
repair) are
in Louisiana
and nearly
one-fifth
are in Mississippi,
while Alabama
and Texas
got off quite
lightly in
this regard.
Total damaged
housing units
(needing major,
minor or extremely
minor repairs)
amounted to
329,000 in
Louisiana,
173,000 in
Mississippi,
33,000 in
Texas, and
about 1,000
in Alabama.
The Red Cross
has been trying
to categorize
destroyed
or damaged
homes by type
of unit. Current
estimates
say 88% of
destroyed
units are
single-family
homes, 11%
are apartment
units and
less than
1% are manufactured
homes. Census
Bureau numbers,
on the other
hand, show
that about
15% of the
housing stock
in Louisiana,
Mississippi
and Alabama
consisted
of manufactured
homes in 2000.
Thus, it's
likely that
the Red Cross
has been categorizing
many destroyed
or damaged
HUD-code housing
units as conventionally
built single-family
homes.
Whatever
the exact
numbers, it's
perfectly
clear that
the cleanup,
repair and
rebuilding
process in
the wake of
Katrina and
Rita will
be immense
and that the
implications
for residential
maintenance
and repair,
spending on
improvements
(including
replacements
of major systems),
manufactured
home shipments
and conventional
housing starts
are profound.
The timing
and composition
of the process
will depend
heavily on
the pattern
of government
responses.
|
