Hurricane Katrina survivor cries 'fix my house' after Brad Pitt £20m housing war

As New Orleans marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, Lower Ninth Ward resident Robert Green has spoken exclusively to Express.co.uk about his long battle for repairs to the home he received from Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation. The Make It Right Foundation was set up by the Hollywood heavyweight in 2007 after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward.

Its aim was to provide affordable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly homes for families who had lost everything in the storm. Robert, who still lives in the property, said the gift of a house quickly turned into years of frustration as alleged poor construction left many residents with "unsafe and decaying" homes.

He told us: "I am still in my Brad Pitt house, I intend to die on Tennessee Street as the saying goes. Nothing will take me away from my home. I am living within the lawsuits against Brad Pitt and the Make It Right Foundation and as I often tell the lawyers I don't want rhetoric, but a cheque to make the necessary repairs to my house as it is one of the ones that's in need of extensive repairs."

Robert moved into one of the experimental Make It Right homes in 2009. At the time, Pitt and his then-wife Angelina Jolie would often visit to show support for a city they love and once owned a home in.

But over time, many of the homes suffered from faulty materials, leaks and apparently shoddy construction. Outside Robert's property, a sign now reads: "Fix My House."

While initially successful, the project faced numerous issues with the homes, including mold, leaks, and structural defects, leading to a class-action lawsuit by homeowners. In 2022, Make It Right settled the lawsuit for $20.5million.

Robert's story is harrowing. At 4 a.m. on August 29, 2005, floodwaters consumed the family home. Inside were Robert's brother Jonathan Green, their mother Joyce Hilda Green, 74, cousin Hyman Sheppard, and Robert's three granddaughters - Shanai, three, Shaniya, four, and Samiya, two.

The water rose within minutes. Jonathan smashed a section of roof and pulled everyone up and into the winds. But the house began breaking apart, forcing the brothers to cling to the remains as they tried desperately to shield the children. That's when the house began floating away.

As the family clung to the roof, three-year-old Shanai, known as Nai Nai, slipped into the floodwaters and drowned, while her sister Shaniya fell too but managed to paddle to safety.

Their mother, Joyce, died that night on the rooftop, and although Nai Nai's body was later recovered, Joyce was never found.

Today, on this milestone anniversary, Robert sums up his outlook with a positive message: "All is well on the Western Front, a World War One saying, better yet all is well in the Lower 9th Ward. I am doing great. I'm still looking at daisies rather than pushing them up."

Despite the problems, he still believes the initiative had a powerful impact. He added to The Lens Nola: "No question about it. To me, the Make It Right project had finally attracted a critical mass of people back to the wilderness.

"And those people attracted more people to return to neighbouring blocks, repopulating this part of the Lower 9. It was the catalyst they all needed."

While the $20.5million class-action settlement in 2022 should have provided funds for homeowners, residents like Robert continue to wait for the full repairs they were promised.

Express.co.uk has contacted Pitt's representatives. The Make it Right Foundation could not be reached for comment.

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