New Orleans is still full of spirit in spite of the toll the hurricane, government & now the tornado have taken. We happened to be enjoying a coffee & beignet when this wedding party went by led by their jazz band.John & I had driven through New Orleans a year ago - the devastation almost incomprehensible. Today we took a "Katrina" bus tour of the city. The scope of the damage is still clearly evident although, in a year's time some things have changed. The removal of a large part of the trash/rubble/wrecked vehicles/downed trees is clearly evident - an enormous undertaking in itself. The houses damaged, which is most of them, are being semi-repaired, gutted, or slated for demolition. It is by no means neat and tidy but if you'd seen it before there has been some progress. Whole areas such as the St. Bernard Parish and the Lower Nineth Ward will probably be leveled. Folks here are no longer blaming the damage on the storm but on the government. One MAJOR error was the government's decision to build a canal from Gulf to the City. It not only allowed a path for the storm surge but it destroyed the wetlands which are a major factor in controlling flooding. The levees built by the government to protect the city were to have had 30 feet of steel reinforcements set in concrete - instead it was found that parts of it were built with only 11 feet of steel set in peat. Our guide bitterly told us the government had the NASA facility that builds the fuel tanks for the space shuttle up and running again before the last of the residents of the city had been rescued (and these folks were rescued by the Canadian Mounties). FEMA & the Army Corp of Engineers are dirty words in the this city. On and on it goes. The city is VERY grateful for the thousands of volunteers who have come to help.
And they're very happy the New Orleans Saints are back playing again! Go Saints!!
