On Tuesday, December 2, 2008, O.U.T.R.A.G.E. announced a bold new initiative. In those communities where the devastation was still so pronounced, new crews of volunteers would be dispatched to help rebuild communities, including a grand plan to create tens of thousands of new apartment complexes for people who hd been displaced, or left homeless. Colin Powell flatly stated that a $100 billion budget had been established for the project, would reach into virtually every community where any residents still remained without shelter. "Not since Hurricane Katrina have we seen this level of destruction," said Powell. "And, we will not allow the same thing to happen that happened in New Orleans." He, of course, was referring to the appalling failure of the Bush administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to take care of the victims of that horrendous hurricane. More than three years later, in 2008, Katrina victims were still waiting to be moved into FEMA trailers; thousands were still living in tents or ramshackled remants of their former homes, while many more had evacuated to other communities and were still waiting for the government to provide housing so they could return to their beloved New Orleans. Even Powell acknowledged that O.U.T.R.A.G.E. had waited too long to take on such a new initiative. He explained that local volunteer efforts had been ongoing since the first days the disasters struck, but the primary goals had always been the search-and-rescue operations, as crews untangled all the wreckage from O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombs, east coast hurricanes, and an unprecedented west coast earthquake. In fact, those efforts were still ongoing in many parts of the nation. Materials would be purchased from those same corporate warehouses that had been opened to the public. The money would go to local stores - not to the 'national headquarters'. In other words, if building materials were taken from a Lowe's distribution center, it would be paid for by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. The money would not go the Lowe's 'corporate headquarters' in North Carolina. Instead, the money would go existing Lowe's stores in various areas of the country so that local managers could continue to operate their stores on a local level.
A group of O.U.T.R.A.G.E. architects had designed an environmentally-friendly layout that would produce "cookie-cutter" apartments all over the country. While the apartments would be comfortable and adequate, they would all look alike and would be built with every cost-efficiency in mind. All materials would be recyclable, so that as the apartments aged or residents moved out after getting back on their feet, these apartments would not be left standing as remnants of the 'Rebellion of '08' or as abandoned shelters for the victims of the U.S.A.'s two worst natural disasters in its history. As tenants moved on to their own new housing, these structures would not be left to rot and taint the landscape. Powell acknowledged that many of the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. volunteers were "weary and exhausted". Still, there was lots of work left to do, and the construction of these new dormitory-style barracks had to get done before winter set in; a harsh winter with people still living outside was "not an acceptable option". Some of the northern states were already starting to experience cold waves, although - so far - parts of the country most affected by the devastation had seen relatively mild conditions.
Powell, McCain, and Obama were determined that a 'repeat' of the Katrina disorder would not happen in the "new" America.