KATRINA

On the city tour, we had a chance to see the part of the city that was most devastated by Katrina in 2005. The bus driver is a native to New Orleans, and was one of the many who choose to stay behind instead of evacuating. Because he was a bus driver, he helped many of the elderly residence move to higher ground before the levees broke. He is also an artist, and he lost most of his work to the flood.

The holes in the roofs were made by the home owners after the flood. They would climb to the roof to wait for the rescue workers. The numbers on the front of the homes were a way of marking which homes had been checked, and how many occupants were still inside (some said things like "one yellow cat"). Even five years later, about 50%+ of the houses in this area still have the numbers on the outside and are abandoned. The third picture shows that many of the people are still living in the FEMA trailers.

Look closely at the next picture and you will see just a door standing. Most of the homes within the first five blocks of the broken levee were completely wiped away. The second picture shows just the steps. The bridge is the distance of the levee that broke.

KATRINA MONUMENT - shows the rising water level and the frame of a home

MUSICIANS' VILLAGE

80 homes built for musicians in the area. The homes are sponsored by a corporation or a family ($75,000). The new owners are given an interest free loan and pay payment of about $550 a month. The money is then used to build other Habitat homes in the area.

BRAD PITT'S ORGANIZATION "MAKE IT RIGHT 9 HELPING TO REBUILD NEW ORLEANS'S LOWER NINTH WARD"

50 homes designed by 21 architects. The architects' design was to be green, affordable, and durable. Most of the houses' electric bills are bewteen $8-$20 a month.

The new houses in these pictures are within sight of the levee that failed. I don't know about you, but I would have a hard time moving right back to the spot that had the worst destruction and flooding???