New Pitch – Females with Katrina Stories

TLC’s show, “What Not to Wear” is currently filming it’s 8th season and we are casting women from the New Orleans area. We are looking to highlight deserving women around the city and we’d love to feature someone who survived Katrina and as a result, is struggling with wardrobe issues that are hurting their career and social lives.

I’ve included information about the show below and look forward to speaking with you further about this heartwarming opportunity. We are looking to film 4 episodes in the New Orleans area. Looking to get some amazing women with great personalities! If you could help out by spreading the word I would greatly appreciate it.

HOW TO SECRETLY NOMINATE SOMEONE: Fill out the information below and send it back to cweissman@bbcnyproduction.com with a few pictures that show your nominee’s poor style choices. Let me know if you have any questions! We will need this info back ASAP in order for a nominee to be considered!

• HER NAME:
• AGE:
• SIZE/HEIGHT:
• ADDRESS:
• OCCUPATION:
• MARITAL STATUS:
• DESCRIBE HER PERSONALITY:
• DESCRIBE IN DETAIL HER STYLE:
• HOW IS HER STYLE HOLDING HER BACK IN LIFE?
• INTERESTING ANECDOTES ABOUT CONSEQUENCES OF HER POOR STYLE:

*Include your info, your name, phone number and relation to the nominee!
*Attach AT LEAST 3 pictures of her that show her bad style

Sincerely,

Cara Weissman
Casting Producer
What Not to Wear
212-254-2629 ext 25

About the show:

“WHAT NOT TO WEAR” provides fashion intervention to people nominated by friends/family/co-worker as someone who desperately needs a style overhaul! Fashion experts, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly then confront the person and reveal their plan to teach them “WHAT NOT TO WEAR” sorting through the person’s current wardrobe and providing them with rules for maximizing their best assets and personal style. They are given a Visa card worth $5,000, and its time to hit the shops. After a consultation with Stacy and Clinton on these new clothing choices, along with a dramatic hair and makeup revamp, viewers will see a complete transformation and a stunning reveal.

Visit the website:

For fashion before and after photos visit the official Web site http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/what-not-to-wear/. More than 10,000 people per month are nominated by their friends and family members through the Web.

Connect with the TLC Audience:

• TLC is in 85 million homes in the US
• 23.3 million viewers tune into TLC each week
• 83 million viewers tune in to watch TLC each month
• TLC ranks #1 in concentration of upscale adults 25-54 and 18-49 in prime time

I also found more information here. Apparently, you are not supposed to nominate yourself.

To vote for us, all you have to do is two things (click images for larger view):

1. Go to http://facebook.com/historicflooring and click the “like” button (you must be logged into your Facebook account).

   

2. Then go to http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=447353487277&set=o.184672036945 and click the “like” link located at the top of the comments section.

   

Voting ends Sunday night so PLEASE vote.

… Going on year six now, and much still to do, I ask her what remains. She tells me. “Flooring, trim and painting.” The HardiePlank has been installed, but it is not yet caulked or painted. She tells me of a unique wood configuration in the downstairs bath, and it *is* at about this point that my title comes to me. Sure, here are these folks that have gotten the short end of the stick, but here they are . . .  still, persevering – on their way to what I would consider their dream home.

I mean — Look at this list of elements or features now installed in, on or around their house: OVE – 2×6, 24″ framing, soy-based spray foam insulation, passive solar, mini-split HVAC systems with HVAC condensation reclaimed/collected for garden, hybrid water heaters, Pex plumbing, bamboo flooring, metal roofing, HardiePlank siding, and the eXapath raceway system. Quite an impressive list I would say, and in many ways very “green” — right down to the low and No-VOC coatings used.

Read the full article at http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2010/10/a-well-built-dream-house-with-katrinasos/.

To vote for us, go to http://facebook.com/historicflooring and “like” their page. Then, go to http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=447353487277&set=o.184672036945 and like our photo.

Voting will continue until Sunday, Oct, 31st at midnight.

… I talked to Sadie via email, to find out about this extreme example of a major house renovation that tested the limits of budget, resolve, and hope. But, what came out of a grim situation was a call to solve her problems in the context of solving a wider problem experienced by everyone touched by the disaster, and to call attention to the plight of many people in their same situation.

Read more at http://blog.builddirect.com/interview-with-katrina-sos-sadie-hebert/.

Although a lot of information is missing or deliberately omitted, there is proof that rental assistance was approved. Is also shows where we provided our landlord’s contact information as required but does not explain why he was not paid or why we were not reimbursed.

I’m not sure what, if anything, we can do with this information without legal representation, but at least we now have evidence should we get the opportunity to use it.

We had the opportunity to meet Cheryl during a gathering on the evening of the last workday. She was very inspirational and positive despite all that has happened.

Read the article at http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=216956.

We did not have heat or insulation this past winter and it was EXTREMELY cold. The picture to the right was taken the morning after one of the coldest nights. We attempted to drip the water so the pipes wouldn’t freeze but you can see what happened (we later realized that PEX doesn’t freeze). But we now have working HVAC upstairs and installation of the downstairs units should be finished in about a week.

Thanks to volunteers organized by Heritage United Methodist Church in D’Iberville, most of the drywall is hung, several rooms are painted, the siding is installed, the decking is built, and the tile is finished in the boys’ bathroom. We cannot express enough gratitude to the people who have helped us along the way. It is you who have made this ordeal worth all the suffering. We feel that this is your home too and our door will always be open.

Today is the first day that we’ve had water in the kitchen. The plumbing has been there but we haven’t installed a sink because we don’t have cabinets or flooring. However, we finally realized that we may not have those things for a while so we may as well build something temporary to be a little more comfortable. Up to this point, we’ve been washing dishes upstairs in the laundry room utility sink and hauling water downstairs to cook.

Next on the to-do list is to move all of the tools and scaffolding out of the dining area and move a table in so we can all eat together. One of the hardest things about the current living situation is not being able to eat dinner as a family or sit together in the living room to watch a movie. For me, it is the simple things in life that are the most enjoyable.

We didn’t get as much done over the summer as planned because Jason mangled his finger on the router saw. We still need to caulk and paint the siding. We need to purchase and install interior doors, tile for the downstairs bathroom, and kitchen cabinets and counter tops. But the biggest issue is flooring because it is so expensive. We are out of construction funds and credit cards are reaching limits.

There has been no relief in the homeowner’s insurance situation so our mortgage is still more than double what it was in 2005. Although a new local company is offering windstorm insurance, they won’t insure us because we’re elevated. Also, the prices are much higher for people north of I-10 which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

It is hard to believe that five years have gone by. To put this in perspective, my youngest niece, who was a just newborn during the storm, started kindergarten this month. The new class of college freshmen were in middle school five years ago. And if you’re a local, you know that we’ve all come to remember past events by if they happened before the storm or after. It feels like we’ve been frozen in time. Hopefully the next five years will bring about relief for those of us that slipped through the cracks.

… The amount of money you get is based on your home’s damage assessment, previous benefits you’ve received, and available funds. To apply for the program, you can call Hope CDA at (228) 435-7180 or stop by their office on 425 Division Street in east Biloxi.

Read full story or watch related video…

Not like it was a piece of cake for us over this way. We were all in survival mode, trying to cope with the shock of it all. We lost entire towns..just washed away into the gulf. Looking back it all seems so surreal – destruction, razor wire, machine guns – like news footage from another country. How could I have endured this? How can I continue to endure this? Every evening I watch the local news on WLOX and wonder how long it will be before Hurricane Katrina is not mentioned on a daily basis.

Lee is quoted as saying “… South Mississippians are strong, too, but they need to have faith in the local, state and federal government – these folks have to do their job.” While I agree, I also know that it is hard to have faith in a system that fails the community time and time again. Whether it stems from corruption or a breakdown in communication makes no difference when you are faced with a disaster situation and help is not there.

I am a taxpayer.

I am a teacher.

I am a mother.

I am living in a house without heat or insulation.

Since we live in the country, and have a bunch of kids that eat a lot, we need a separate freezer to store food. The freezer will go in the pantry so it will be close to the kitchen. This got me to thinking that we really could do without the freezer part attached to a standard refrigerator. I mean, I should be able to save money by purchasing a freezerless frig right?

Come to find out, there aren’t many products like what I’m wanting. The first option that I found was refrigerator drawers. These are very attractive, but way too expensive. I did eventually find freezerless refrigerators and the prices aren’t bad. But one feature is missing from all of them – a cold water dispenser.

Although an ice maker would be nice, I don’t mind using ice trays. But I must have a cold water dispenser. We have excellent tasting, chlorine-free well water and all of us, kids included, drink a lot of it at home. I realize that I could keep a pitcher of water in the frig but I know it would ultimately result in less water consumption. I could purchase a free standing water cooler but I don’t like the idea of my water sitting around in a plastic container, not to mention the hassle of refilling the thing. *sigh*

So what to do? I can’t be the only one wanting something like this. Please share your ideas and suggestions…

At Homepath Products we produce the eXapath™ in-wall cable pathway system. It’s a practical building subsystem that enables modification to or upgrading of low voltage cables, even after the walls are closed up. Ideal here because it allows the addition of wall outlets, from floor to ceiling, providing flexibility for the Hebert’s to easily add or upgrade at a future time.

Given the stage of reconstruction eXapath is a good fit and within our means to supply. We’ve donated the system, it solves a problem…it will help the Hebert’s…we wish we could offer more.

read more…

I’ve made the comment many times in the past about how much I dislike permanent cabling systems all tucked away behind drywall. Being total nerds, we’re constantly looking for ways to upgrade and expand our home network. We initially planned to build a fully automated smart home that would allow us to monitor energy usage and do stuff like turn lights off from work. However, that’s one of the things on hold due to our current situation. Mike has graciously donated enough eXapath in-wall cable pathways to ensure that, when the time comes, we will be able to implement the smart home system without damaging existing drywall or insulation.

Thank you Mike for EVERYTHING that you have done for us.

Please let me know if you have a tip to add.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people that I’ve met over the past month. I will be eternally grateful for all the assistance. Although I can’t say that I’m thankful for Katrina and the aftermath, if none of this had ever happened, we may have never crossed paths. I am also thankful for friends being there for us in our time of need.

We are moving in our house this weekend. Insulation is still in the works but we were able to order part of the HVAC system so we should have heat in the next week or two. We decided to go with the Art Cool mini-splits by LG.

Mr. XXXXXXXX,

My husband and I are rebuilding our home in Saucier that was damaged beyond repair during Katrina. Because we were underinsured, we’ve done most of the work ourselves, including the house plans, plumbing, electric, etc. We are both computer teachers so this is not something that we ever did prior to Katrina, but we have saved money and developed a great sense of satisfaction. We have five children, ages 10 to 17, that have also helped a great deal.

Last December, we hired a contractor to construct the decks, roof structure, and sheathing, for payment of $7,500. The contractor, XXXXXX XXXXXX of Slidell, did what he was hired to do but did it so poorly that we could not pass inspection. Code violations include use of interior nails on the deck and modification/cutting of engineered floor trusses that were already installed. Long story short, we had to hire another contractor to deconstruct and rebuild XXXXXX’s work. The total cost of repairs was $27,971.

Another problem is that FEMA told us to find rental housing because of the formaldehyde problems. At the time, we were living in two FEMA campers on our property and couldn’t get a permit for a full size trailer or MEMA cottage because we’re in a flood zone on the upper Biloxi River. FEMA said that up to $28,000 would be provided in rental assistance once our ALE was exhausted. However, after the ALE ran out, FEMA did not pay as promised. Each time we contacted FEMA we were told that we would be reimbursed but this has not been done and now we’re told that the deadline to receive rental assistance has passed. We have borrowed close to $20,000 from our construction funds to pay rent.

I know this is a lot to ask but we really need your help. I watch you on WLOX and admire the way you get things done. Up to this point, we haven’t asked for help from anyone other than FEMA and SBA. Even though we’ve been displaced since Katrina, I felt like any assistance that we received would be taking from other people with needs much greater than ours. But now I really don’t know what we’re going to do…we may be homeless before long because we don’t have enough money to finish our house and we can’t afford to pay both rent and mortgage each month. Especially since our mortgage is now $600 per month more than it used to be because of increased cost of insurance plus $300 per month for repayment of the SBA loan.

Here’s a picture of our house that was taken before Katrina: http://www.flickr.com/photos/5adie/2352990750/in/set-72157604028944106/

This is a picture taken earlier this month: http://www.flickr.com/photos/5adie/3707810854/in/set-72157606786420513/

Please email me or call 228-XXX-XXXX. Thank you for your time…I really appreciate all that you do for our community.

As of yet, I have not received any indication that my letter was received. If anyone knows of another way to deliver this letter, please let me know.