Recovery

I had just completed a guided tour of the city.  You know, one of those City tours that I think every city has, like New York's double decker bus tour and San Francisco's Gray Line tour.  Well, I took the New Orleans City Tour.  It was well worth taking. Even though I've been here for almost eight weeks, I haven't manage to see ALL of the city because there are areas that I would not venture on my own which are not safe, especially at night.  

I am happy to report that most of the destruction that resulted from Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flood, to my eyes, have been removed.  The winds of the Hurricane did some damage but it was the FLOOD that really caused major destruction.  There was hardly any damage in the French Quarter and Garden district where it didn't flood. On the tour I visited parts of the Lower Ninth Ward where most of the advertised damage was.  I say advertised because 80% of New Orleans flooded and the levees broke everywhere.  Fourteen breaks in all.  There are areas like Lakeview and East New Orleans that also suffered heavy damage but was not as well known.  The amount of flooding and damage varied depending on where you were.  For instance the Lower Ninth Ward flooded 20 feet in some areas.  The Upper Ninth Ward flooded to 4 feet.  

The FEMA trailers, the broken Levees, the cars and boats that floated onto what was dry land, have for the most part been removed and when you visit the neighborhoods that suffered damage you'll see spots of homes newly renovated versus spots of homes that were never demolished, removed, or repaired sinced the flood.  It's like missing teeth.  There will be a row of good ones and then one missing or broken tooth.  Some of the damaged homes have markings on them from being inspected after the flood. There will be an "X" with a date of inspection, people found alive or dead, pets found, etc.  Some people left the marks even after the repairs as a memorial to the flood.


Although the physical damage seems to be on it's way to recovery, the social and psychological damage is a significant underlying fact that is not easily evident.  Since the storm there have been more suicides and more divorces.  The psychological damage is tremendous.  There are many people that had lost everything they had.  There are families that have been separated during the storm and people displaced for months and some for years before they can return to their home.  The people that were most affected were the poor who are mostly black.  These are the people you saw in the Superdome or the Convention Center in last week of August, 2005, who lacked resourses and money (the storm hit the 29th a few days before their checks arrived).  They didn't have a car and they could not afford the bus ride out of town and the buses promised by the government never came.

The flood created an empty city.  Everyone left because of the flood or because the National Guard forced them out.  There was chaos and disorder, looting and lawlessness the days after the flood.  Mayor Ray Nagin was quoted recently saying that recovery can take up to ten years but for the people that lived here before the storm, the memory is etched in their minds.



I have to admired the people of New Orleans who came back to rebuild their homes and to rebuild there lives.  It's often heard around here that they are "resilient".  I believe that to be very true.