Tuesday Katrina update

Following is from the past full day's news: sorry for thin updating today and tomorrow due to traveling weblogger. This page will be back to its usual post-Katrina pace as of Thursday morning.

In recent news and announcements:

- HUD is beginning to provide details of the major new disaster housing payment program. See today's press release, which refers readers to the agency's webcast page (try this link: the one in the press release itself may not work) for RealAudio or Windows Media versions of a presentation on how the payments are being set up. [UPDATE 9/29: they've corrected the link in the press release.]

- Satellite photos used to qualify households for transitional housing; and more on the new housing payments program.

- Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi testifies before Congress on housing aspects of the relief effort.

- Questions about a contract with the Carnival cruise company.

- Hurricane area mold hazards galore.

- Difficulties for recipients of the especially low unemployment insurance benefits in hurricane-hit areas; health coverage gaps for basically the same population.

- Freddie Mac to buy Gulf-area mortgages.

- A hurricane related SBA loan notice for Florida.

- Georgia real estate companies house 34 evacuee families.