The first thing I noticed was how clean everything was. If you had ever been to N.O. before, well it was not a place you especially wanted to experience in the summer. It was dirty and the smell tended to drive most people away while the sun was up. But in a strange way it’s like everything has literally been washed away and they’re starting fresh.
The next thing I noticed was how friendly everyone was. New Orleans has always relied on tourism but for some reason you kind of hated to go there because everyone treated you like they could care less if you were there or not. Oh, they wanted your money; they just didn’t want to be bothered with you. Now the attitude is completely different. The people were the friendliest I have ever seen! Everyone speaking to you, asking how you were doing and meaning it, wanting to know if you needed anything and actually wanting to do it for you. It really made me feel good to be there.
There are still signs of what they went through a year ago. The French Market is only half the size it was previously. It’s coming back though as more people return to N.O. Also, some shops are still closed; some restaurants are only open in the evening since there are not enough people for them to open for lunch. Little reminders but nothing serious. But what really gets your attention is to drive some of the neighborhoods and still see the painted Xs on the houses indicating when they were searched and the number of bodies found. Everyone knows what happened but this really makes it more real if that’s possible. The good news is there is work being done everywhere. You still see the famous FEMA trailers which are more like camper trailers then mobile homes a lot of people think of in the yards but there are also dumpsters everywhere from the rebuilding going on.
You can read a lot of dumb things that keep happening as stated in the email below – hey, we’re talking about New Orleans and Louisiana after all, but no one is waiting around for FEMA to dump money in their lap. People are busting their tails to rebuild their homes and lives with very little help from FEMA no matter what anyone is saying. FEMA might have spent millions but it hasn’t been in any rebuilding effort for New Orleans. People are doing it on their own with what they have.
Lastly I want to say something to anyone who asks why New Orleans should be rebuilt since it sits in a bowl and is only kept dry by levees. In the 250 year history of New Orleans how many times has this happened? Katrina & Rita (yes, there were two hurricanes which people forget) were such an unusual event that nothing like that had ever happened before and while it could happen again next year, it could also be another 250 years or longer before all the events come together in such a strange way. But what really bugs me is the causal way people will say N.O. should not be rebuilt because it’s below sea level. Would you choose to start a city below sea level, well obviously not but most of it has been caused by the growth of the city and has occurred over 250 yrs. That said though, why would anyone expect one of our original and major cities in additional to being one of the important sea ports in the country to be abandoned? People don’t bat an eye when California goes through its annual cycle of fires and then mud slides… or you can choose earthquakes. Florida has its hurricanes, Oklahoma tornados, floods in the Dakotas and Buffalo more snow than I care to think about but I haven’t heard anyone say those places should be abandoned so don’t expect us to walk away from New Orleans. Like a relative you might not always be proud of, just let someone talk about them and the fights on.
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