6 Months Later, New Orleans Far From Whole

Guardian Unlimited UK & AP ^ | February 25, 2006 | RUKMINI CALLIMACHI

[Saints fan]

NEW ORLEANS

[CrawDaddyCA]

The rest of the state is doing great, Lake Charles, Lafayette, and most of the southern towns clean ups are coming along quite nicely.

The biggest job is repairing the platforms and pipelines off the coast, and the oil & gas industry is repairing them at a rapid pace.

Thanks for asking, BTW.

[Saints fan]

I don't think the article is asking anyone to baby them. The point is that people see Mardi Gras going on and they think everything in NO is back to normal. Believe me, it is not.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Frankly, I am just all out of NOLA sympathy factor as of late. Getting damned tired of seeing healthy, robust and well fed adults sitting on their sorry arses whining, hep me, hep me. In the real world, many of us have had to belly up and take a big bite out of the old $h!t sandwich, chew it, swallow it, digest it, and then get the hell on with living.

In short, root wild hog or die.

[goldstategop]

My friend, nothing there is normal. And it will never be. You think this country is normal after 9/11? Every time something bad happens in a community or to a family, there's never going to be return to the way things used to be.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Saints fan]

I agree with you totally. I am just as damned tired of seeing healthy, robust and well fed adults sitting on their sorry arses whining. But these sorry arses are the only ones you see on the MSM. They are a very, very, very small percentage of South Louisiana residents who are just as outraged at the slow pace of recovery here.I still don't have electricity at my house yet. That is apalling to me but there is nothing I can do about that but bitch and complain to Entergy. I might as well complain to a brick wall for all the good it does. All you people say you're sick of hearing about New Orleans. Try living through this nightmare.

[the invisib1e hand]

Wow, a whole 6 months later and a city nearly destroyed by a natural disaster isn't whole...what a shock.

The People demand an investigation.

[Boondock_Saint]

I read somewhere with the money government has spent so far on N.O., they could have gave each displaced person a million bucks.

...

[Mind-numbed Robot]

And how long before they rebuilt Atlanta after Sherman took it in 1864?

Who was head of FEMA then? Wait, Atlanta was in a foreign country. That would require foreign aid. Wrong department. Down the hall and to the left.

[RaginRak]

I'm Confused! I thought it was renamed "Chocolate City"

[gulfcoast6]

This is the best I have seen, so much politics and they never cease the 'blame game'. Until they develop a plan the city will be like this for years.

The sad part...price gouging by the contractors. $750 for a hot water heater, $350 to install it. No one that it can be reported to, and permits, must have one before Anything can be done and it takes months to get an inspector out to inspect the work, the city is using this excuse to bring in money. The workmanship is far being professional. It is a sad thing to see.

[Right_in_Virginia]

How are things going in the rest of the state (since nobody every bothers to talk about that)?

Don't forget Mississippi.

[chainsaw]

I am appalled this city has not been cleaned

IMHO the people of New Orleans are waiting for someone else to come in and clean it up. It's not gonna happen.

I know two church groups (about 15 men in each) that went down there for a week and got little or no help from the locals. These groups were composed of carpenters, masons, electricians etc.

Most of the work done was in homes that were not completely destroyed, and consisted of tearing out wallboard, removing destroyed contents etc. Jobs that the locals could have done so these groups could start putting it back together.

God helps those that help themselves.

[Ninian Dryhope]

The lack of housing is the reason that there are more jobs then workers.

True. We have some workers in St. Bernard Parish, helping with the cleanup. They are living in trailers parked in a church parking lot and running generators for electricity.

It is a big job. It will take a while. But work is being done and, eventually, New Orleans will be nicer than it ever was.

I was in New Orleans a month ago for a week and I was just in New Orleans last week. In some ways things look worse now, but that is just because in order to rebuild the city, one has to rip out all the damaged material, and much of what has been ripped out is stacked up on the curb. Still, I saw crews and trucks going around and picking up the piles of trash and debris from the curb.

[Caipirabob]

I can't imagine that the local are too into Mardi gras this year. 4 months after Wilma and we are "full-blown" into rebuilding mode for our hurricane damage, it took this long for the majority of us to get our first post-hurricane coverage checks. Their devastation was so severe that I can't imagine they'd be distracted by all those tourists. Heck usually I'd be partying for Carnaval this week, but we've only just finished repair on the master BR. Roof, screen, pool, windows...other...are still pending. And that's a not-so-damaged by comparision home. I wish the hard-working people hurt by Katrina well...

[river rat]

"The point is that people see Mardi Gras going on and they think everything in NO is back to normal."

Trust me....
Most of America hopes New Orleans NEVER gets back to what Louisiana calls "normal".

Especially on Federal taxpayer's money...

Semper Fi

[Ima Lurker]

All you people say you're sick of hearing about New Orleans. Try living through this nightmare.

Well said Saints fan. I was thinking the very same thing as I read post after post from "....healthy, robust and well fed adults sitting on their sorry arses whining".

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

There are literally millions who would swap their personal nightmares for those of the Katrina survivors, and feel themselves blessed in the bargain.

Life is often a bitch, but in the end, it is what you make of it.

[Coleus]

send them another $50 billion. Nagin and blanco will love that.

how long did it take s. Florida to recover from hurricane Andrew? a lot more then 6 months. and the press is still ignoring those who suffered in Mississippi.

[realpatriot]

What's Mississippi? /sarc

[dfwgator]

Don't forget Mississippi.

Or Alabama.