Rebuilding New Orleans: Progress Report from the Trenches

January 23, 2007: Rotarians were given a first-hand progress report from New Orleans by one of our own members, Bonnie Lester. Lester, who is with ICF Consulting, is a Project Manager for The Road Home project, which was created to get Louisiana residents back into their homes as quickly as possible. This program is the largest of its kind in U.S. history. Bonnie updated us on the progress of recovery efforts in this coastal area, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 and the subsequent collapse of the levees in New Orleans. The area most affected was the New Orleans Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).

Overall, Lester stated that recovery efforts are slow but taking place. 780,000 people were displaced, and the population of the City of New Orleans has decreased by 400,000 people since the storm. Most of the displaced have relocated to Texas (Houston, Austin), Memphis and Atlanta. 123,000 homes were damaged severely as a result of the storm, and many of these still have not been repaired or rebuilt. In fact, many areas of town still do not have power, and no means to get it until the State of Louisiana steps in with economic development funding. The demand for repair is so high that many people are taking the repairs into their own hands, even having to raise houses using their original structures. But neighborhoods are coming together to accomplish this with a great sense of community. Lester showed us many pictures of the devastation, but said it is hard to comprehend the scale unless you are on the ground to witness it firsthand.

Lester also updated us on the progress of the rebuilding of Warren Easton High School, a school with which our Club has been intimately involved. The school opened in August 2006 with 792 students learning in 23 classrooms. This is in contrast to the 1,500 who were registered before the storm, but Lester said there were an additional 1,000 on the wait list. The school is pushing forward with high spirits, but there are a few things they would like to have: a football team , uniforms for the marching band (who will march in this year’s Mardi Gras parade), and new printers for their donated computers. They also need a kitchen for the school’s cafeteria. The Principal of Warren Easton is hopeful for the future of her school, despite the fact that she does not even have power to her own house. She believes that the economic drivers for the city, such as infrastructure and jobs, need to be in place for growth and revitalization to occur. This truly embodies the spirit of the citizens of New Orleans and the commitment that many have for restoring the City back to its original glory. Please consider helping out! (See announcement below.) For more information on The Road Home, please visit www.road2la.org.

Submitted by Amy Riley, Keyway Committee Chair