Saudi contributions help habitat build homes for Katrina evacuees in Houston

Houston Chronicle:

AFTER moving to three different residences in three different cities since Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home in New Orleans last year, Sherrell Johnson finally feels at ease.

On Thursday, she smiled from ear to ear as she and her family entered their first permanent home in nine months.

Johnson, 32, and her two children are among 25 families who will receive homes built by Houston Habitat for Humanity through donations from citizens of Saudi Arabia.

"It is exciting for me to see these homes and realize that it is because of the compassion of the people on the other side of the world," Houston Habitat for Humanity Board Chairman Tom Owens said. " ... Those are the people I enjoy calling my friends."

Saudis donated more than $600,000 to Habitat for Humanity for 25 homes built on the 11800 block of Greenmesa in northeast Houston. The donations will not only build homes for hurricane victims in Houston but 150 homes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Through Habitat for Humanity, each family will be able to buy a house at cost and with a zero-interest loan.

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Deya Elyas, director of public affairs for Aramco Services Co., a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's national oil company, which facilitated the donations, said the pain and emotion in the faces of the hurricane victims struck the hearts of the people of Saudi Arabia.

"May your homes be blessed," he said to the five families who received keys to their homes Thursday. "I hope this will be the last of your sorrow."

In the home next door to Johnson's, Lynette Mearis and her 15-year-old daughter Raquel surveyed their home as they made plans to move in next week. Mearis said that the charity from Saudi Arabia reminded her of the U.S. efforts during the December 2004 tsunami.

"It's a really heartfelt thing for them (Saudi citizens) to do," she said as she stood on the porch of her new home.

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According to a 2005 report to the United Nations, Saudi Arabia donated more than $250 million to the Katrina relief fund — the largest contribution to come from any country outside the United States.

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Now if we could just get them to clean the bigotry out of their text books and mosques. The Saudi generosity should be appreciated and at least this time they did not say the storm was caused by our middle east policy, although I belive Osama bin Laden did, but he was just envious of Katrina's destruction, but it is hard to make that much of a mess with a back pack bomb.