Post Katrina

I'm not sure what I can add to the discussion about New Orleans, Louisiana almost two years since Hurricane Katrina changed the area forever. I feel compelled to say something...

"You can stand on Bourbon Street and the sounds of Jazz will wash over you as the deep smells of bread pudding and coffee laced with chicory fill your nose."

The New Orleans that many folks remember and love is still there, although it is harder to find. It is easy to think that everything is fine when you visit but much has changed. For the locals who still live there, basic services are a challenge. Water, electricity, banking, groceries and all the things we take for granted are slow in returning to "normal". There is a staffing shortage and many former residents never returned to the area. New arrivals are filling in the gaps and the new cultural influences on the town will change it too. This is a city in transition.

Some want it to return to the way it was and some want it to become something new. I'm not sure what will happen in the end but I am sure that we need to be willing to visit New Orleans and participate in her recovery. It's the right thing to do.

Trying to recover

(Heavy Sigh...) If touring the results of a natural disaster can be done tastefully, then the Hurricane Katrina Tour in New Orleans, Louisiana has managed it. I won't pretend that it was easy to hear the stories and see the damage but the guide was respectful and compelling. We travelled to the hardest hit areas and heard the very personal stories of hardship and recovery. This tour is a good reminder of how quickly your life can change. It is a tribute to the folks who are helping New Orleans recover. It is a testament to the residents who didn't give up or give in. Less than two years after Katrina much has been done and there is much work still. I'm glad I was able to see it...