Prometheus 6

Plunking down traumatized people from the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans on a farm in the middle of nowhere may sound like the premise for a reality television show or, as Mr. Carmichael said, “an African-American version of ‘Green Acres,’ ” the television series in which Eva Gabor resisted going rustic. The village residents, in fact, while grateful for the generosity, suggest that the situation is odd, and sometimes uncomfortable.

Describing his thoughts when he arrived, [Allen C. Wyman] said: “Man, we’re in the country. That’s not going to last long. The whole kind of plantation vibe was going through people’s heads.”

Urban to Core, Storm Evacuees Give Farm a Try
By LESLIE EATON

SIMMESPORT, La. — Faced with the televised devastation of New Orleans and the despair of Hurricane Katrina victims, many people have sent them charitable checks.

Frank Stronach bought them a $2.4 million farm.