The most significant thing for me personally today was the completion of our team’s tour from yesterday. On Wednesday, we had to cut the short to get back to the office for an unscheduled client appointment. Today, we got to the end of our appointments and were able to get back out into the community to see more of the damage and recovery efforts.

 

The highlight? Stopping at the personal home of team member, Mark LaCour--a prince who has been a tremendous asset to this experience. Mark allowed us to tour the inside of his house where the water was standing 8 feet.

 

Mark is a normal guy. He comes from a good family and got his education at UVA. And his life has been upside down just like the other 280,000 home owners who lost their homes. While Mark didn’t lose his, he still faces the frustrations of getting reimbursement from the state’s Road Home program.

 

How does one get anything down here if it involves the government? It’s easy to get cynical fast. The real work will have to be done with non-profits and religious institutions that have the vision--and organization--to work around and outside the “system” that continues to plague honest folks who just want to put their lives back together.