Maxine Harris: No slowing her down

Maxine Harris, 48, Westwego, La. Married and the owner of an insured house worth approximately $90,000.

Every time we talk with Maxine Harris, she is optimistic, even back when we first met her at an evacuation center in Natchez, Miss., about a month after Katrina drove her and her large extended family from their homes in the New Orleans area.

At last visit several months ago, she was busy with two jobs — doing home health care and working in a restaurant. The only time we were able to get an answer on her home phone she was, as always, at work.

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This time, we were unable to reach her for comment.

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It would be great to know that her insurance check — which last time we spoke was supposed to be in the mail — had actually arrived. At that point, Maxine was ready to hunker down and replace the mold-damaged sheetrock and other fixes her house needed after suffering relatively minor Katrina-related flooding.

Regardless, after following Maxine's progress over the course of the year, there is every reason to believe that she hasn't let any grass grow under her feet.