Issues of N.O. blighted housing

From New Orleans Wiki

What is the status of and debates surrounding the Mayor Nagin's plan to sieze blighted properties?

In New Orleans there are many untouched, flooded homes which have become a haven for breeding pests. Mayor Nagin has begun speaking of plans to demolish these blighted properties. The mayor clarifies that the city has made multiple attempts to contact the owners. How can the citizens of New Orleans know that proper measures have been taken to contact displaced property owners? If the owner does not respond right away, then how long and how many attempts should the city be required to make before taking matters into their own hands? Perhaps siezure of these properties is an excessive measure. Simply ridding the land of the uninhabitable home may be more effective help. <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width: 0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png"/></a>
This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License</a>.