maybe israel could help

New Orleans to tell owners before bulldozing homes-report
18 Jan 2006
alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18389880.htm

WASHINGTON - New Orleans officials have agreed to notify homeowners before bulldozing their hurricane-wrecked homes, clearing the way for demolitions to begin in a few weeks, according to The New York Times.

Housing advocates in New Orleans filed a lawsuit against the city last month, demanding that residents be notified before any homes heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August were demolished, The Times reported in its Wednesday edition.

On Tuesday, the city agreed to give homeowners advance notice, the advocacy groups dropped their suit and Judge Martin L.C. Feldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana signed an order dismissing it, according to the newspaper.

New Orleans officials agreed to give seven- to 10-days notice before bulldozing 123 of the most heavily damaged homes, most of which are in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, the paper said. In that seven- to 10-day period, owners can challenge the demolitions, the paper said.

The addresses of the targeted properties also will be listed in an advertisement in the Times-Picayune newspaper, according to the paper. New Orleans officials will post a warning on the city's Web site listing the homes scheduled for demolition and it will try to contact homeowners by mail, the paper said.

To owners of about 1,900 homes less seriously damaged, but considered in danger of collapse, the city will give 30 days' notice, according to The Times.