Grant applicants coming home

Almost three-fourths of New Orleans homeowners applying for federal grants say they will use the money to rebuild their flood-ruined properties rather than take a buyout or relocate, a figure that far surpasses the state average and may signal the potent recovery of a city still largely mired in decay.

The data, released Tuesday in the most detailed report so far of the intentions of homeowners who have applied to the state's $7.5 billion Road Home program, suggest the potential for the widespread rebirth of New Orleans, even as blight continues to pervade neighborhoods 13 months after the flood, the top official of the Louisiana Recovery Authority said.

"I think that's good news," said Andy Kopplin, the LRA's executive director. "I think it says that folks want to stay in New Orleans, and those who have been dislocated want to come back home, and that's a very positive statement."

from the Times Picayune