It is so ironic that this weekend, when we remember the 6th anniversary of Katrina, we were treated to so much national news coverage of Irene. As hurricanes go, Irene was not that intense. But if you are the victim, dealing with a flooded basement, or related to any of the 18 deaths from Irene, even one of the millions without power tonight, it is very intense! Like so many storms, Irene will be more about the subsequent water events from now into the week ahead than the wind. And so it was with Katrina.
Six years ago on a Sunday night with the same date as this year, we were arriving in the north Alabama town of Cullman. We settled into a hotel room that we thought would be home for maybe 24 hours and took the family to dinner. That was after we settled 3 dogs and 2 cats into a hotel room.
I shared our epic week on the road in last night's post. Tonight I want to share that despite how much we have come back post Katrina, six years later it's still way too easy to find evidence of her terror. Because of the space my bank owns in Chalmette, I find myself working in that community about a day a month. The fact that Chalmette is a working community in any capacity is a tribute to the people. Chalmette is the largest community in the civil parish of St. Bernard. This is a coastal area and every structure except 5 flooded. And most flooded past the roof line. The community was devastated. Many people died there. So many buildings are still vacant and a quick drive into the residential area reveals empty lots or cleared slabs. The population of St. Bernard Parish, over 65 thousand before Katrina is still in the upper 30 thousand range today.
Driving north out of St. Bernard brings you through the iconic and well known lower 9th ward and the adjacent upper 9th. This is in New Orleans city proper. Here, many homes, right on the main highway, remain shuttered, falling apart and bearing that tell tale spray paint of the result of the search and rescue from the weeks after Katrina struck. Now there are a few signs of life and renewal. But the scars are right in front of you.
This story would not be complete without sharing the good news of recovery and the hope that comes from rebuilding. New Orleans is better in some ways and the surrounding communities and parishes, to be frank, have picked up any slack. New Orleans seems to be an even more intense tourist destination now. Ironically, we have more restaraunts today than we did on August 28, 2005. Some businesses have returned, others moved their corporate offices to Baton Rouge, Jefferson Parish or across the lake in Mandeville or Covington. The school system in New Orleans is much better today that before Katrina and the private/parochial school system is booming.
Neighboring parishes like St. Tammany, St. Charles and Tangipahoa now are home to many relocated New Orleanians and St. Bernard natives. The overall population of the Greater New Orleans area is almost 100% of pre-Katrina levels six years down the road.
So part of me recalls this Sunday night the memories of that Sunday night and the days that followed in 2005. But I won't dwell on it because we look forward with great hope to a wonderful future for New Orleans and southeast Louisiana.
And I cling to my Scriptural prayer: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!
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