Six months since Katrina's landfall, New Orleans remains primarily in a gut and wait mode. Homeowners have gutted their houses, but are waiting to invest in their homes until they receive greater signs of certainty. Families are awaiting confirmation of levee strengths, guidance from the forthcoming FEMA revised flood plain zones for the state, results from a city-wide neighborhood planning process to determine which neighborhoods will be rebuilt, and details about additional housing aid, especially from new federal Community Development Block Grant funds. Despite this overall standstill, there are signs of promise.