The good
Levees
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, I was in Houston watching the horror. But, I went to bed that night thinking we fared ok. Then the levees broke. What we later found to be ill-designed, ill-constructed and ill-funded levees gave way and flooded 80% of the city. Ultimately, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Government admitted the flawed, under-funded levees were responsible for our devastation. But, out of that has come a new commitment by the Corps to re-design and re-build the levees as they should have been originally. That makes us feel a little better.
A unique chance to re-create a 300-year-old city.
We in New Orleans face the daunting task of re-building our lives and our homes and our city. There is not one New Orleanian who has not been changed forever by Hurricane Katrina. Many are still in exile around the country. Some will never return. But, those of us who are back, and those of us who will come back when that's possible, are realizing what a unique opportunity we have to re-create and renew our home. We have the chance to do community planning, redesign our school system, get rapid transportation, streamline government. The amount of devastation is so massive that it is sometimes boggles the mind. Yet, where there is nothing, anything is possible.
So, we've been working hard with urban planners from all over the world to create viable neighborhoods which will provide a good use of space for homes, business, green space and parks. Good schools and good health care are two of the issues we've set as priorities. Each neighborhood has a plan and that is being worked into a comprehensive city plan.
Schools
Virtually the entire public school system in New Orleans was destroyed. Schools were damaged beyond repair and teachers and students were scattered all over the country. Books, desks, computers, sports equipment were all gone. The 2005-06 school year which had just begun when Katrina hit was, for the most part, not continued. But that was then and this is now.
This year things are different. The New Orleans Public School System was in need of a total revision even before Hurricane Katrina. Abandoned by the middle and upper classes for private schools years ago, the students were the inner city poor. The system was also plagued by an ineffective school board. Now, a state and charter system has created a bright new promise for our kids. Instead of being forced to attend the school in your neighborhood, parents get to register their children in the school of their choice and the 28 charter schools open this year are in competition with each other for students. Because funding will be per student, we've seen marketing for the schools, making parents the consumers. Through this competition, the bad schools cannot survive.
Preservation of the past
With the building of the new, comes our greatest challenge, preservation of the past. While the innovations are exciting, we can never allow New Orleans to become "Anywhere USA." We must find a way to preserve what is truly unique. Our culture, our music, our food, our traditions cannot be lost. We who have chosen to return are committed to the preservation of New Orleans as a special place.
Habitat for Humanity has created an "Artists' Village" in the devastated Ninth Ward. Here our musicians can live and help preserve our unique music. Tipitina's Foundation is raising money to replace lost instruments and is providing a place for musicians to conduct business and find gigs.
Our food is better than ever
It has often been said that everywhere else they eat to live, but in New Orleans we live to eat. That's not far from the truth. Our kind of food is essential to our live style and the first thing most of us wanted to do when we returned from exile was EAT. Now, many of our great restaurants have re-opened, although with shorter hours due to staffing problems. Even better news is that many new restaurants have opened since Katrina.
Our Tourists still love us
Thankfully, the areas tourists come to see were spared by Katrina. The French Quarter, the Garden District and the American Sector are fine, and the Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Zoo are up and running. Tourists are starting to realize that bargains in hotel rooms abound, and the cruise lines are scheduled to return in the fall.
Our traditions and our soul are still intact
Mardi Gras 2006 was the best I can remember. Most of the parades rolled down St. Charles Avenue and New Orleanians re-united for the revelry were hugging and crying at the same time. The children were happy again and a sense of normalcy came over us for a while.
St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day went on as usual, and so did Jazz Fest and the French Quarter Festival. We just had a very successful White Linen Night and Satchmo Summer Fest.
