Reconstruction of New Orleans
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The effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans was catastrophic. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history. By August 30, 2005, one day after the once-Category Five storm made landfall as a Category Three, 75 percent of the city of New Orleans was flooded. Over 150,000 properties in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed by wind, water, and fire in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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[edit] The damage
The wind damage was not as severe as had been projected by meteorologists and most buildings survived intact. The failure of several levee systems, however, caused extensive flooding in New Orleans and surrounding parishes and resulted in extensive water damage to nearly 80% of all structures in Orleans Parish. Many buildings that withstood the storm and the direct force of the flooding were damaged by the deleterious effect of long immersion. Among the threats to buildings is the rapid propagation of mold.
The flood waters were contaminated by a very high number of sources, and interactions between these sources and the urban environment are very hard to predict. It was feared that the mixture of chemical and biological contaminants would not disperse naturally for months or years. There was concern that contamination from these pollutants remaining in domestic and street environments would be pervasive and ubiquitous, thus presenting considerable difficulties in ensuring a complete decontamination of affected areas. Testing found these floodwaters were not unusual, however.
[edit] Parts of town: differing circumstances
Reconstruction has been easiest and quickest in the areas least damaged by the storm, mostly corresponding to the parts of the city developed before about 1900. These areas were built on naturally higher ground along the River front (such as Old Carrollton, Uptown, the Old Warehouse District, the French Quarter, Old Marigny, and Bywater), along with areas along natural ridges (such as Esplanade Ridge, Bayou St. John, Gentilly Ridge). Most of these older areas either escaped serious flooding because the raised design of older architecture prevented floodwaters from entering homes. Another high area, much of which escaped serious flooding, was the set of Lake Shore developments between Lake Pontchartrain and Robert E. Lee Boulevard, built at a higher level than nearby land from mid-20th century dredging.
As the levees held on the West Bank section of the city, Algiers was spared flooding and became the first part of the city itself to officially reopen to residents.
In neighboring Jefferson Parish, the West Bank communities were similarly spared all but some wind damage (with a few spots of light, rain-generated flooding). On the East Bank, while parts of Metairie and other Jefferson communities experienced some flooding, due to lack of levee breeches this was much less severe than across the Parish line in Orleans (or the devastation of the 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane which flooded most of Jefferson's East Bank).
Most catastrophically damaged were the areas that suffered not just flooding but storm surge, channelled into the Metro area by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. Storm surge hit New Orleans East and parts of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, most devastatingly the Lower Ninth Ward below the Industrial Canal. Much of Saint Bernard and Plaquemines parishes experienced similar devastation.
[edit] Federal funding debate
Some people, including former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, have questioned whether federal funds should pay to rebuild New Orleans. Others consider New Orleans's unique cultural heritage and history to be as important to the United States as, for instance, Venice is to Italy, and maintain that to not rebuild and reoccupy the city would be an immeasurable loss in that regard. The Times-Picayune ran a front page editorial arguing for national help. It has been noted in part that the federal government has had oversight over the levee system since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and most of the destruction in the city occurred due to the levee failure. Senator Mary Landrieu said that Louisiana's off-shore petroleum leases have generated billions of dollars in revenues for the federal government's general fund, more than would be needed to restore wetlands and upgrade levee/flood control for South Louisiana to withstand category 5 storms, and argued that the federal government should either earmark some of that income for such projects or allow Louisiana to keep a significant portion of that revenue so the state could take care of its needs itself.
[edit] Reconstruction
Despite numerous problems, reconstruction of New Orleans has been ongoing. By Monday, September 5, power began to be restored to buildings in the central business district of New Orleans on a priority basis.[1][2]
By Tuesday, September 6, the Port of New Orleans, the biggest U.S. port in terms of tonnage handled, was able to receive and service relief ships. It was estimated that resumption of commercial shipments would take at least 14 days.[3].
[edit] Levee and pump repairs
The Army Corps of Engineers has been working to plug the breaches in the Industrial Canal, 17th Street Canal, and London Avenue Canal since shortly after the storm, and planned to replace the temporary breach fill with reconstructed levees and flood walls before the start of the 2006 hurricane season. While the Corps takes general credit for levee repairs, initial work was actually conducted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development in conjunction with City of New Orleans agencies. Only after these local first responders provided the initial patch did the Corps become involved.
Estimates for unwatering New Orleans, also taking into account average annual rainfall, were as follows: Orleans Parish (week of October 2), Eastern New Orleans (week of October 8), Chalmette (week of October 8), and Plaquemines Parish (week of October 18).[4]
[edit] Relief agencies
Relief agencies have helped many returnees. The Red Cross made a belated significant entry into the city in mid-September, and by the start of October had a number of relief centers set up around the city. These provided hot meals, packaged food, bottled water and other supplies like diapers, mops, and dust-masks. The Salvation Army also had many stations giving food. Temporary free clincs provided some medical care. Towards the end of 2005, the relief centers were wound down, starting with those in functioning parts of the city. Red Cross meals continued at a much smaller scale into 2006 from trucks traveling around the worst-hit and poorest neighborhoods.
Food Not Bombs was active in providing food early after the disaster. A community kitchen was set up first in Washington Square in Faubourg Marigny; after a few months it was moved to a park by Bayou St. John before being closed down. A number of church groups and smaller charities set up aid stations for a time.
Common Ground Collective has two relief centers in the 9th Ward, providing food, clothing, and a tool library. The larger center is in the Upper 9th Ward, with a smaller one in the worst hit part of the Lower 9th Ward. They have also helped gutting houses.
Habitat for Humanity has been active with volunteers gutting and repairing damaged houses and constructing new houses. Catholic Charities has also been very active with volunteers repairing damaged houses and churches throughout the area. Camp Hope in Violet, LA has housed volunteers in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort of St. Bernard Parish since June 1, 2006.
[edit] Repopulation and restoring homes
Repopulating the city has been steady but gradual, with neither the rapid return of most evacuees hoped for by some optimists nor the long term "ghost town" desertion of the city feared by some pessimists. In early 2006, the RAND Corporation estimated that, even in 2008, the city's population will only be little more than half what it was before the storm hit.
The areas with little or no flooding were the first to be officially reopened, have utilities restored, and a sizable portion of residents and businesses return.
Flooded-out areas have presented more problems. The city has no comprehensive plan for what to do about flooded areas. Thousands of property owners have been gutting and repairing their property, some in the lowest lying areas of town. Contractors and workers from out-of-state and other countries have come in great numbers doing demolition and reconstruction work, some filling hotels and rental property, others living in trailers and tent cities set up in city parks and parking lots. Sportscaster Mike Tirico incorrectly generalized on Monday Night Football in September 2006, some areas, like the Lower Ninth Ward and Gentilly, still looked as badly damaged as it was the day the storm passed through. Actually, in each of those neighborhoods thousands of truckloads of debris have been removed, hundreds of unsalvagable houses demolished, and work on gutting and repairs has been constant since the city has reopened-- but those who did not see the destruction in detail in the days after the city first reopened can be deceived into thinking little has been done since, as the city still has mile after mile of neighborhoods in ruins.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of New Orleanians are living in the largely intact upper stories of their homes while the flood damaged downstairs are being repaired, often being stripped to the wall joists in the process.
The Army Corps of Engineers set up the "Blue Roof Program" of putting blue tarps over damaged roofs. The tarps are to keep out rain until more permanent roof repairs can be made. Thousands of blue tarps can be seen throughout the city, since even areas without flooding suffered wind damage. A number of official restrictions, however, mean some residents are unable to benefit from this recovery program. Likewise, a number of subcontractors paid by the Corps only do "easy" low-pitch one-story roofs, choosing not to return to do more difficult roofs. Some New Orleanians have been living for months in homes with sizable holes in their roofs, still unsuccessful in getting either a blue tarp or a contractor to put up a permanent roof. Among the popular handouts at Red Cross relief stations were 5-gallon buckets, many of which are put to use whenever it rains. Six months after the storm, many of the hastily-placed blue roof tarps are in tatters, and the Corps will only allow one tarp to be placed on a roof, leaving these homes vulnerable again. Many people have still not succeeded in getting permanent roof repairs from such reasons as long waiting lists for reliable contractors and waits for insurance payment.
Seven months after the storm, 2/3 of the requested FEMA trailers (designed for short term emergency housing immediately after a disaster) had been delivered. Many of these trailers, however, could still not be occupied or, if occupied, were not properly functional. Delays of weeks or months in hooking up electricity and water to trailers are common, and together with mechanical problems and bureaucratic problems prevent use of the trailers.
In June 2006, the State of Louisiana finally awarded a contract to DRC Inc of Mobile, Alabama to tow the thousands of abandoned cars strewn throughout New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
[edit] Businesses
Bars were the first businesses to reopen in many areas (indeed, two remained open in the French Quarter even during the worst of the storm and the official mandatory evacuation). Most other businesses, such as gas stations, supermarkets, appliance stores, and restaurants, followed somewhat later as they required more work before they could reopen. Some of the few businesses to do significantly better business after Katrina than before are new car dealers. Flooding totaled an estimated 200,000 vehicles in Metro New Orleans, and dealers able to get in shipments of new cars quickly found customers. After local reporters found a used car dealer selling partially cleaned up flooded cars with restored engines but still soggy trunks, the state legislature quickly passed legislation mandating that cars declared totaled must be dismantled, crushed, or otherwise disposed of and could not be resold.
Some three months after the storm, most open restaurants were serving food and drink in disposable plates and cups because of the shortage of dishwashers. Despite many restaurants offering wages double pre-Katrina levels for dishwashers, there were few takers as untrained laborers can make more money in demolition- and reconstruction-related industries. Ten months later, things had improved, though there are still labor shortages in many service industries.
[edit] Drinking water
Water and sewage has been gradually restored. The first section of the city to have a "boil water" order lifted (in the high ground of the old crescent along the riverfront from the French Quarter to old Carrollton) was on 6 October 2005. The last section of the city to have such an order lifted (a section of the Lower 9th Ward) was on 9 October 2006.
[edit] See also
- Bring New Orleans Back Commission
- Civil engineering and infrastructure repair in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
[edit] External links
- Stress and Trauma Relief Workshops in New Orleans offered for free and at reduced costs by the International Association for Human Values
- Common Ground Collective
- Reconstruction Watch
- NYT: Storm and Crisis
- Life In New Orleans
- Dennis Hastert's comments
- Times Picayune editorial
- A photographic survey of New Orleans in the winter and spring of 2006 from www.psychogeo.com
- Independent Levee Investigation Team Draft Report
- Levees.org - a non-partisan non-sectarian grassroots group formed in November 2005
- Repopulating New Orleans
- KatrinaAction.org - The Katrina Information Network
- Habitat For Humanity - New Orleans
- Camp Hope
[edit] Corruption Accusations
- Study: U.S. double-billed for Katrina work, AP, May 4, 2006
- Fed Inspectors: Katrina Contracts Wasteful, AP, April 20, 2006
- Multiple Layers Of Contractors Drive Up Cost of Katrina Cleanup, Washington Post, March 20, 2006
- Lobbyists Advise Katrina Relief, LA Times, October 10, 2005
- No-Bid Contracts Win Katrina Work, Wall Street Journal, September 12, 2005
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