[Cob] Solutions for housing shortage? (fwd)

[Amanda Peck]

I've no idea if cob--or any other form of earthen/low to the ground 
building--is appropriate for a land that is sinking, as South Louisana is.

Or whether the local soil is suitable for cob--the right mixture of sand and 
clay.  I'd expect a whole lot of silt down there, deep alluvial soils.

Cob can go up fairly quickly if it's a community work project.

But aren't earthbags faster, less dependent on proper soil, possibly better 
aerodynamically in the case of a blow?

.......................
Michael wrote:
Cobbers,
This is a email I received from a victim of the hurricane. I'm not sure if 
she would like her info placed on the list, so I will relay any information 
or contacts until I hear otherwise.
Someone out there might be able to help.
Any ideas?

Michael

<snip>

I had purchased the book the hand sculpted house and have been planning to 
build my own cob cottage in the near future. I live in the New Orleans, 
Louisiana area and I am one several hundreds of thousands of  people that 
has been displaced due to hurricane Katrina.You may have watched the news 
and seen the devastation in the gulf south region. Our city has been 
engulfed by water and is now expected to be toxic and uninhabitable for many 
months or longer.
I am asking anyone that may be able to help up to come up with solutions for 
our housing shortage to please offer their input. We have close to a million 
people that may be homeless for a very long time. I feel that cob structures 
would be a practical and economical building method. I ask anyone with the 
time and knowledge to help educate and instruct us to cob and other building 
methods that could work for us here in this region. Any suggestions and help 
would be so greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Angela...