This may not be the news story that will go viral, but it’s some great news. Actor Brad Pitt has built 109 new homes for Hurricane Katrina victims, 10 years after the violent storm destroyed the Louisiana area.
On Saturday, 1o years since its occurrence, residents remembered the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Pitt, along with approximately 20 architects chosen to reconstruct homes lost in the wreckage, organized for his ‘Make It Right’ foundation initiatives.
Their objective was to build 150 homes, as replacement for those destroyed; specifically in the Lower Ninth Ward. The area was visibly hit the hardest in the storm.
The road leading to the achievement of the goal was never easy. “We went into it incredibly naïve,”Pitt shared with the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “just thinking we can build homes – how hard is that?” He admitted he never had the slightest idea of the bureaucratic snags they had to hurdle, forgivable loan structure, lot rights, HUD grants and family financial counselling.
Today, 109 durable, brightly-colored and eco-friendly homes, designed by no less than the industry’s big names like Thom Mayne, Shigeru Ban and even Frank Gehry, line up the place. They are made from non-toxic, recyclable materials and solar panels, complete with energy-efficient appliances. The homes effectively reflect the belief of Pitt that low – income housing need not use use “the cheapest materials that keep families in a poverty trap.” However costly the initial materials used may be, it is seen that they will contribute to the improvement of life later on.
