More On "The East"

In an article in todays NYT, "Aching for Lost Friends, but Rebuilding With Hope"
Susan Saulny, a former resident of "The East", tells of the difficult task of bringing it back after Katrina's devastation:

Hurricane Katrina left most of New Orleans East in a shambles....although as a whole, it received less attention than needier black areas or equivalent white neighborhoods. In terms of size — both geographically and in population — it dwarfs the Lower Ninth Ward and Lakeview. It had close to 100,000 residents. As of May, about 30 percent of them were back.
…..Katrina still managed to shred the fabric of the black upper middle class living there, at a time when New Orleans desperately needs its black professionals to have a voice in the recovery process.

Jefferson Parish

Jefferson Parish has decided that it does not want to allow taco trucks in their jurisdiction

While I am all for cleanliness and safety of a food service business, a look at the TP slideshow shows me that the taco trucks appear much cleaner than some Burger Kings I've been in recently.

It appears that these Spanish Meals-on-Wheels are not unique to the Post-Katrina NOLA area. Here are some examples


Seattle, Washington


Another one in Seattle


San Francisco, California


Denver, Colorado


Austin, Texas


NYC


Yuma Arizona


Houston, Texas

Salinas California
is having an issue similar to Jeff Parish, in that it's trying to ban them in their area.

Discrimination? I don't know.
But if these vendors are Americans, they deserve the opportunity to start a new business, regardless of their ethnicity.

Twin Spans

A look into the future for travellers of the I-10 Twinspans.

The TP has put together a neat graphic which compares the future Twinspans to the current bridge that crosses Lake Pontchartrain.

Katrina destroyed the east bound lane of the Twinspans, as well as causing some damage on the westbound lanes, rendering the bridge useless for months. Ask dot com gives the history : The damage to the Twin Spans and to U.S. Route 90 to the east left only one route into New Orleans from the east, the U.S. Route 11 bridge just west of the Twin Spans.
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) accepted a bid of $30.9 million from Boh Brothers Construction Company on September 9, 2005 to reconstruct the bridges, starting with the less damaged westbound span. Phase 1 of the project was to reestablish two-way traffic on the eastbound span within 45 days. Scavenged bridge segments from the westbound span were used to fill in the gaps in the eastbound span. On October 14, 2005, the east span was reopened to traffic with one lane in each direction. Phase 2 of the project was occurring concurrently to Phase 1 and involved repairs to the westbound span. Prefabricated steel bridge spans were used on the westbound bridge in two areas to replace destroyed segments and segments used on the eastbound span. The west span reopened on January 6, 2006, returning 4 lanes of traffic to flow once again. Due to the prefabricated steel segments, there are both a 45 mile-per-hour speed limit and weight restrictions on the westbound span. Additionally, the span is closed periodically for maintenance work, which is covered by Phase 3 of the original contract.

State Farm Scuzzbuckets

Even though it's old news around here, I assume that the "rest of the world" may have not heard the latest about State Farm Insurance.
From the Scruggs Katrina Group blog:SCRUGGS KATRINA GROUP FILES RICO SUIT AGAINST STATE FARM
Investigation shows pattern of corrupt behavior violating Federal law; policyholders were cheated out of claims payments
Even before Hurricane Katrina hit, State Farm began holding strategy "meetings of the minds" at corporate headquarters to devise ways to avoid paying claims. A few days following the hurricane, a claims "council" continued to meet to develop a strategy for maximizing payment of national flood policy claims. Later, State Farm and Renfroe employees met to participate in "mock mediations" during which they practiced scripted dialogue designed to demoralize policyholders.
.....State Farm defrauded hundreds of policyholders by changing engineering reports which originally concluded that the damage was caused by hurricane wind in order to avoid paying the claim under its homeowners policy.
bastards.

NEW ORLEANS-STILL NOT OKAY

Here are some recent pictures taken by my husband on his daily commute into New Orleans. As you can see, things are not "back to normal".
Click on pictures for full sized versions
New Orleans East - the forgotten section of the city








That's grass from the marsh that washed in during the storm....almost 2 years ago....




Jazzland - a Six Flags Park - abandoned


Approaching the city, this is a typical sight.




"Fast Food" in New Orleans, Post Katrina





Thanks, Katrina.
Thanks, Insurance Company
Thanks, Nagin.
Thanks, Feds.

Another Fest

A small one, but enjoyable to us denizens of the Northshore.


The Lacombe Crab Cookoff Fest starts today and runs
thru Sunday. Admission $3.00

A Blast from the Past

On Bayou Sauvage: the Life and Death of Jeanfreaux’s Fishermen’s Rest

Those familiar with "The Chef" might remember Jeanfreaux's right past Power's Junction.
This is a short story about Jeanfreaux's and its owners, penned by Miss Claire's grandson.

Katrina Recovery June '07

I was up early Sunday morning thanks to my two alpha male cats who decided to duke it out under my
bed, so I decided to venture out into the local area to witness post Katrina
progress.
click on photos for full-sized versions

My first stop was about a mile away from the house at Bayou Liberty Marina.
where I noticed that new boat slips are being constructed.




There is an old boat still sitting on the penninsula



Several houses are being built along Bayou Liberty Road while others lay gutted
and dormant.










I decided to circle Lake Pontchartrain, so I headed down to Highway 90 to check out the Lake Catherine
and Venetian Isles areas. On the way, I passed a FEMA trailer park still being occupied by Katrina victims


This eastern section of Slidell was just about ground zero during Katrina.
The storm made its third landfall here with 120 mph (195 km/h) sustained winds and 928 mbar (27.37 inHg) pressure, still at Category 3 intensity.
There is still a lot of work to do in order for the folks living here to be able to have a real home.
About ten miles away to the southeast, right before the Rigolets Bridge the there are signs of life.


This beauty sits on Lake Borgne.

There hasn't been a lot of activity in the Lake Catherine area since
my last visit, but I just HAD to stop and snap a picture of this fridge, still sitting in a tree, six or more feet off the ground.



Continuing on to Chef Pass I came to Venetian Isles.
Slammed by Katrina, since it is outside the levee system and it's surrounded by water. But the past few months have seen
a flurry of activity as people are rebuilding.





Heading north again, I passed through Irish Bayou. There are several raised houses popping up along this
small fishing community located on Highway 11 at the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.









The Irish Bayou Castle's been spruced up as well



Back in the Bayou Liberty area, St. Genevieve parishoners are awaiting the beginning of
the rebuilding of their church. The chapel, however, stood up to Katrina's wrath and won.



Back at home one of the earlier offending cats relaxed in the backyard


I thanked him for getting me up early enough to make the little "recovery progress" trip.

The Internet Attic

Dan Hammack of Biloxi writes about an email - dated August 31st, 2005 - JUST being delivered to his mailbox almost two years after the storm.

Has the USPO taken over email or something??

An Open Letter

Karen Dalton Beninato writes a tongue-in-cheek open letter to Paris Hilton and outlines the many ways that the poor dear can help the city of New Orleans.


Our coroner needs you to donate $150,000 to finish a mausoleum for the hundred unclaimed bodies still waiting for a decent burial. That's the cost of half a party appearance.

Our dead zone with Mississippi runoff from the rest of the country is growing. Fish can't live in it. There goes sushi.

I can guarantee that you have never been to better parties. We dress up at the drop of a hat. We don't spend time social climbing -- there's room for every lost soul who rolls down the country to New Orleans. There always has been. At the St. Patrick's Parade when they throw cabbages and carrots for Irish stew, Nicole could eat. Al Sharpton would like you again. Anderson Cooper is here right now. I think he parties.



Thanks, Karen

take that!!!!

Poppy Brite does what she does best in response to someone who wonders " ....when they're just going to give up, admit they're not going to rebuild, and raze what's left. Stop stringing these poor people along, let them start over someplace else."

I don't have to be polite in my own journal ... so fuck you. Fuck you sideways with a chainsaw. While it's certainly true that we are being strung along in any number of ways, I don't need your sympathy because I live in New Orleans any more than I need your contempt because I've chosen to stay. I am damn lucky to be here. There are still thousands of people hurting because they can't come back to New Orleans. This is my home, and their hearts' home, and it's still one of the most beautiful, interesting places on earth. Still, I guess we're even, because when I looked at your profile and saw where you live, I pitied you. It's actually kind of funny how often members of the "those New Orleanians are so stupid" crowd seem to inhabit some festering armpit that you couldn't pay me enough to spend a fortnight in.