Five Years Later: Katrina's Scars Remain

The 9th Ward, a predominantly African-American area that was hit by some of the worst flooding, was neglected before Katrina and continues to be neglected now.

It’s hard now to imagine New Orleans as a city underwater. Everyone here has a story: of evacuation, of breaking curfew, of the complete lawlessness of the city.

But five years after Katrina, an outsider could bypass completely the memory of bursting levees, floating bodies, and looting locals. Bourbon Street is as bright and boisterous as ever, an in-your-face feast for the senses. Saxes belt out Michael Jackson hits on Frenchmen Street, drunks meander through the French Quarter – and along the tourist-y strip, the air is a flurry of beads and glitter.

Out of sight, however, the scars of Katrina remain. The 9^th Ward, a predominantly African-American area that was the site of some of the worst flooding, was neglected before the disaster and continues to be neglected now.

Overgrown lots litter the block, boarded up shops fester, and houses where the National Guard had spray painted body counts remain abandoned. Where there are no houses, cement steps serve as the only reminder that people once lived there. The post-Katrina flooding in those areas had been so bad that the houses were uprooted with their foundations and carried away in the torrent.

When La Nouvelle-Orléans was founded in the early 18^th century, the city was built above sea level. But having been built on the loose sediment deposited by the Mississippi, the weight of the growing city soon pushed it downwards. The spongey nature of the ground here explains in part why the city’s roads are so terrible, and why the city requires levies.

Although New Orleans is surrounded by water, you will see none as you drive through the city. Levies block the view – perhaps contributing to a false sense of security – and you’d have to climb on top of the levies or cross a bridge in order to spot water.

Absent the 9^th Ward, New Orleans has largely rebounded. And with tragedy came opportunity – the shock of post-Katrina New Orleans allowed for a radical retooling of the educational system and the dismantling of some of the most dangerous housing projects in the country. Appalled by their government’s incompetence, voters swept away ineffective representatives. Entrepreneurs who left the city came back to be part of the rebuilding effort, and are more committed to the city than ever.

It’s not politically correct to say this – but many locals say privately that Katrina had a silver lining. A more in depth look at this later.

More to Come.

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