2008 Woodie Awards
Rebuilding and Recovery Continue in New Orleans
A month after Katrina hit New Orleans, officials and citizens work towards reconstruction.
Kelsey Field
Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: News
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As New Orleans opens up and those who have decided to rebuild their lives in the city under the sea, many are discovering the hardships of living without drinkable water, unreliable electricity, and the massive amount of mold growing in the houses that people are attempting to salvage.
There is not much left of the dazzling city, and those who are returning are left with sights that are haunting reminders of the disaster that destroyed New Orleans.
The recovery effort is not easy or simple; dead bodies are still being found and looked for, search and rescue volunteers are continuing to go through all the houses. But there are signs of hope, such as the limited bus services, the "home game" of the New Orleans Saints (which took place in Texas), and the openings of varying cathedrals throughout the city.
One month after the hurricane and it remains unknown just what it will take to restore New Orleans, or if it is indeed impossible. Nearly two thirds of the power is still out, telephone and internet connections are still down, and tens of millions of cubic yards of debris is just hanging out in the city, waiting to be cleaned out.
Now that the water has finally started to recede, New Orleans has a new problem to conquer: mold. Experts warn that the mold could affect 20% of the population with allergy problems, most notably children and the elderly. They also worry that due to New Orleans high asthmatic population, most significantly in the African-American population, the mold will become a larger problem than they are equipped to handle at this point in the recovery.
A major problem to the rebuilding of New Orleans is how to ensure that it will be protected from next year's hurricane season. The immediate hope is that the 350 miles of levees will be restored to their former strength in time, which is based on a 1965 model of a category 3 hurricane.
With two months left in this year's hurricane system, the Corps of Engineers recognizes that New Orleans cannot with stand a modest storm surge and the flood walls, drains and pumps can handle a maximum of six inches of rain.
There is not much left of the dazzling city, and those who are returning are left with sights that are haunting reminders of the disaster that destroyed New Orleans.
The recovery effort is not easy or simple; dead bodies are still being found and looked for, search and rescue volunteers are continuing to go through all the houses. But there are signs of hope, such as the limited bus services, the "home game" of the New Orleans Saints (which took place in Texas), and the openings of varying cathedrals throughout the city.
One month after the hurricane and it remains unknown just what it will take to restore New Orleans, or if it is indeed impossible. Nearly two thirds of the power is still out, telephone and internet connections are still down, and tens of millions of cubic yards of debris is just hanging out in the city, waiting to be cleaned out.
Now that the water has finally started to recede, New Orleans has a new problem to conquer: mold. Experts warn that the mold could affect 20% of the population with allergy problems, most notably children and the elderly. They also worry that due to New Orleans high asthmatic population, most significantly in the African-American population, the mold will become a larger problem than they are equipped to handle at this point in the recovery.
A major problem to the rebuilding of New Orleans is how to ensure that it will be protected from next year's hurricane season. The immediate hope is that the 350 miles of levees will be restored to their former strength in time, which is based on a 1965 model of a category 3 hurricane.
With two months left in this year's hurricane system, the Corps of Engineers recognizes that New Orleans cannot with stand a modest storm surge and the flood walls, drains and pumps can handle a maximum of six inches of rain.