To the residents of East Texas and Western Louisiana:

As I write this Hurricane Ike is hammering your towns.  My heart goes out to you, especially because those of us in Mississippi still have fresh memories of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.

We have been through three years of reconstruction on our Gulf Coast and things are just beginning to get done.  Sadly, we now know that it will take several years to recover from the type of devastation you are currently experiencing.  So take a deep breath and read on.  What follows is my personal and professional opinion of how to proceed.

First, thank God in Heaven you are still here.  We had massive loss of life and you will likely have similar losses.  If you are able to view the damage, you are blessed with another day on this earth.

Secondly, steel yourself for determined self-direction.  There will be thousands of people – with all the best of intentions – seeking to help.  They are a blessing in the immediate aftermath as you deal with the basics – food, clothing and shelter.  However, their effectiveness drops off after a few months.  They cannot restore your life as it was before the devastation, yet tremendous resources are often poured into the effort.  It is primarily up to you – using all the resources available to you from private and government entities.

Third, banish the word “temporary” from your vocabulary!  Whenever you hear that word, think “suboptimization.”  What do I mean by this?  Temporary solutions take almost as much time and resources; i.e., effort and dollars, as permanent solutions, yet they only delay the day a permanent solution must be addressed.  By the time a permanent solution is considered, the effort and resources are often exhausted.  Don’t fall into the trap we did!  From a housing standpoint, Mississippi built three thousand tiny, temporary cottages yet the total cost is higher (Yes, that is correct) than buying a good, permanent home of more than twice the size.  Why is this?  “Temporary” buildings with kitchens, bathrooms, electrical systems, HVAC systems, etc. cost essentially as much as permanent structures.  Don’t let your locality do this!  If you place a temporary structure, at least try to make it something that can be well used somewhere else once removed. 

Lastly, take time to again thank God you are here.  The Safeway family stands ready to help, and we welcome your call or e-mail.  We can put a truly good home on your site faster and cheaper than government can get you a temporary structure -- even if, in deference to the availability of temporary funds, we just lease it to you for one to three years.

With prayer for your recovery,

Dan Hobbs

CEO