NEW ORLEANS TODAY

By Diane and David Sikes

Our visit to New Orleans kicked off with all our traditional touristy stops — great food and music — but, we were also interested on this trip to know just how our beloved New Orleans was faring since Hurricane Katrina.

The French Quarter looks just the same: charming! And downtown is beautiful. You’d never know there’d been a hurricane and flooding. So we took a 3 hour tour bus through the neighborhoods that experienced the worst of the devastation, to check on the status of restoration progress. The bus driver talked in a constant 3 hour narration, which informed us more than any reading we could have done. The driver lives in one of the neighborhoods that was severely damaged, and explained clearly what happened, and why, and where the city stands today.

Our take: HOPEFUL!

The first thing to note is that New Orleans was not torn apart by a natural disaster. The storm did little damage. What almost destroyed the city was a man-made disaster — the failure of the levees to hold back the rising waters. The levees are the responsibility of the Federal government, the Army Corps of Engineers, who are tasked with keeping the waterways of the Gulf open for commerce to the nation.

What happened to New Orleans was entirely preventable. And the concerning thing is that while the levees have been restored, they are still not built to withstand a hurricane the magnitude of Katrina. The wetlands that have been destroyed over the decades would have protected New Orleans from Katrina if they had been restored, as many have lobbied Congress for over the years. As far as we can tell there are still no plans to restore the precious wetlands. And, the damage to the wetlands by the BP oil spill is incalculable.

And yet … the city is booming with tourists and construction equipment. The damaged areas, including the Lower 9th Ward, are teeming with building cranes and construction workers. There are homes that remain boarded up, with the markings of the first responders still visibly painted on doors indicating that the home was inspected and how many people were found inside (and if any bodies were found). There are homes with patches on the roofs where first responders cut through to gain entry in order to check for people needing help. And yet, there are also gleaming brand-spanking-new homes built, with flower gardens out front — speaking to the spirit of the people.

Businesses are returning. As our driver remarked, Walmart has returned to the city, “but what took them so long?” Pizza parlors, banks, Home Depot and little strip malls are brand new in the damaged areas of the city, old businesses are returning and new businesses are springing up. There are beautiful new public housing apartments built for those needing help with shelter, and schools have rebuilt and serving their areas’ families.

One of the most fun construction sites was the modern/energy efficient homes being built by Brad Pitt in the Lower 9th Ward. These homes are incredible, with solar panels on the roofs, and built high off the ground to withstand flooding. With contemporary architecture and Easter egg colors they are a delight to behold! To see and learn more about Brad Pitt’s green energy homes being built in the Lower 9th Ward go to his website at Make It Right.

And it is inspiring to see that the super wealth of some celebrities like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Katy Perry and Sean Penn can be put to use in the spirit of community to support our fellow Americans.

We’re so glad we had a chance to check in on N’awlins … it’s doin’ just fine, thank you!