In fact, we're not well-enough connected

If Mississippi can help homeowners who didn't have insurance, why can't Louisiana?

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour that he would direct the lion's share of his state's allocation to homeowners struggling to rebuild their damaged property. Barbour is targeting the money to what he sees as the hardest-luck cases: an estimated 35,000 homeowners who lacked insurance and whose property lies outside the federally designated flood plain.

The Mississippi program will direct an average of $115,000 to homeowners with hurricane damage.

The Louisiana Recovery Authority estimates that more than twice as many Louisiana homeowners -- about 77,000 -- also lacked flood insurance and lived outside the flood zone. To give Louisiana homeowners the same level of benefit as those in Mississippi, the authority estimates it would take more than $9 billion.

"Even if we wanted to do what Mississippi plans to do, we don't have enough money to execute that policy," said Sean Reilly, an LRA board member.