I just got back from a trip to New Orleans. It was my first visit to the Big Easy since Hurricane Katrina, and seeing the city in person naturally evoked quite a few thoughts and feelings about the city, the hurricane, the recovery, and everything else.
First of all, let me say that I have always loved New Orleans. I have been there many times, and I always loved everything about the city, both good and not so good. I was going to go there on Labor Day Weekend of 2005, but of course that trip was cancelled because of the hurricane. I remember watching everything unfold on TV, from the initial reports that the city dodged the storm, to the flooding after the levee failures, and then the sickening chaos of looting and lawlessness of the following days. I've never been personally involved in a natural disaster of any scale, but knowing the city as well as I do, I couldn't help but feel sad for the people involved and for the city itself. I really did think the city might be abandoned forever.
But of course that didn't happen. So a little over a year later, I was able to return and see it for myself. You could certainly see some evidence of the destruction from the airport, but from the sky or the interstate it doesn't look that bad. But when you realize how many homes are empty, abandoned, or simply unliveable, you know you are not getting the real story. And when you get to the CBD and the Quarter, little evidence of the storm remains, except for the glurge of t-shirts with clever digs at Katrina, FEMA, Ray Nagin, etc. And you can only imagine what the shirts for sale on Bourbon Street say.
Without a doubt, my favorite parts of New Orleans are food, dining, and eating. Yeah, the music is good, the old neighborhoods are cool, the atmosphere is all its own, but for me, it's all about oysters, etoufee, gumbo, jambalaya, po-boys, beignets, and all good things edible there. So I'm glad that Katrina spared most of my favorite places. Mother's on Poydras Street (etoufee & gumbo) and Acme Seafood (oysters) are two places I try to never miss. The quality of food at both of these was just a good as ever, but I certainly noticed the shorter menus and higher prices. My favorite restaurant in the entire world is Commander's Palace, but I didn't know it had just reopened, and didn't have time to go. I'm sure they wouldn't be open if everything was not top notch, so if you've been there, let me know how it is.
Our group decided to go on a swamp tour. We went with Cajun Pride, and it was great. They picked us up at the hotel (La Quinta in the CBD, very nice) and the driver gave us some first hand hurricane experience. After telling us how she had to have a foot operation at Lord & Taylor, she pointed out many places where you can certainly see how high the water reached. She also said they are trying to keep the FEMA trailers away from the interstate as much as possible, so that tourists will think things are returning to normal. She didn't have many kind words for the leaders of the city, state, and country, but I guess most people there have been through so much that it's probably natural to feel that way. What she didn't say, but couldn't hide, was that no matter what happened she loved the city, and would not be moving away.
All in all, New Orleans is ready for the tourists to return. No doubt, it's not the same city, and it never will be. But it certainly has the capacity for people looking for good food and great fun. So don't be hesitant to check it out. Almost everywhere we went, the people were very friendly, and certainly appreciated our visit. One exception was Harrah's casino. We didn't really plan to go there, but thought we would check it out while we were there. The people were rude, and acted like we should be grateful to be inside. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Go to Vegas if you want to gamble.
Now a few other random New Orleans/Katrina thoughts:
Natural disasters are as old as the earth itself. And no matter how many precautions we make, mother nature will always win when she wants to. Imagine if Katrina had hit the city directly, or worse, just west of the city. The quarter would be gone, and we probably would be looking at the worlds largest junkyard.
With that in mind, some places are more vulnerable to mother nature than others. It's well known that New Orleans sits mostly below sea level, and has a giant river on one side and a giant lake on the other. For hundreds of years the city has avoided this kind of disaster, but it was only a matter of time. And it's also very likely to happen again. Since they are not going to be able to jack up the city to sea level, they will probably just try to make the levees higher and stronger, which will eventually make the disaster more catastrophic. Face it, it's a terrible place for a major city. Just like San Francisco.
Anytime there is a tragedy, people need someone to blame. Someone must take responsibility and be punished. FEMA and the federal government seemed to be the easiest target in this case. Did they do everything right? Of course not? Could it have been better organized? Certainly. But don't blame them for doing their best. We know that the city was told to evacuate, but most people decided not to leave. We know that the governor specifically told the National Guard not to deploy, until the disaster was in full gear. And anyone that has ever been in the military knows that it takes time for troops of any kind to organize and deploy. And what about the city leaders that ignored the size and strength of the levees? Louisana has a long (and for them, proud) history of corrupt politics. I say don't point fingers at anyone, but if the city must blame someone, start with a large mirror. FEMA will learn from Katrina, for sure, but they didn't bring the storm and knock down the levees, as some like to say.
The accusation has been made that the President and FEMA was slow to react to Katrina on the basis of racism. While I am not a big fan of anyone in politics or government, I have to say that I find this to be completely ridiculous. Even if they wanted to do this, there is no way they could, for several reasons. The biggest reason is that politicians are experts at one thing: Politics. They know that even a hint at such a thing would be political suicide. Maybe 100 years ago, but not today in the age of 24 hours news and scandal. The wheels of government are big and slow, and can't do anything in a hurry, even if it wanted to. So if you want to help the big easy, keep these reckless accusations to yourself. Expend the same effort trying to help the city in a positive way.
Rebuilding New Orleans is going to take a long time. This is something that no one will dispute. The hard hit residental areas like the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish will be especially time consuming. With so many different property owners responsible for either rebuilding, renovating, or just cleaning up a mess, I would say some places will look the same 5 years from now. There are just not enough resources to make speedy work of the cleanup.
On the subject of cleanup, one industry that should be under more criticism is insurance. After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida, the insurance companies that paid out millions in claims vowed not to do that again. And with Katrina claims possibly being 5 times more than Andrew, the industry is digging in its heels, and leaving it's policyholders empty. Granted, they don't have to pay for flood damage, and no one is disputing that fact. But they are treating the majority of damage claims as if they were caused by flooding alone. If a hurricane blows your roof off, that's not flooding, even if flooding is the result. If trees fall on your property, that's not flooding, even if it causes water to rush in. Several years from now, the insurance industry as we know it may not exist. When the legislators from Louisiana and Mississippi realize how their voters were shafted, they will start a crusade to take down the industry. If insurance companies were smart, they would see that their short term financial gain will lead to their eventual demise. Too bad, insurance issued by the federal government will probably be worse.
Of all the terrible scenes of the hurricane and it's destruction, none are more sickening to me than looting. There's no excuse, period. Stealing is stealing, whether it's bread, water, or a flat-screen television. I don't care if you are mad at the world, and think the stores deserve it. I personally hate Wal-Mart, but I'm not going to go in and shoplift. If you are trying to feed a family, and there really are no other options, then make careful note of what you take and then pay for it when you can. Just because you can steal something doesn't mean you should. Once you become a thief, you will always be a thief. Always be honest.
And finally, I hope the 2005 hurricane season will finally make people realize the value of life. We all know that houses, cars, and all our other stuff is just that, stuff. Would I hate to lose everything I own? Of course, I would be devastated. But I would trade it all a million times over to save the lives of my family. Those people that ignore the warnings and ride out major storms are morons of the first degree. Hurricanes are unpredictable, so when that cone on the projected path is anywhere near you, get the fudge out. Nothing is more important than life.
posted by JW @ 10:14 AM
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