The Future of New Orleans

September 1, 2005

The situation in New Orleans is dire and life threatening. Most have no potable water or food and there is little shelter. Looters with guns are taking control and occasionally shooting refugees and rescue teams in their way. Plus some victims have been raped.

All the while, officials promise aid and nothing happens for days and days. Bush promised and nothing happened. The Louisiana Governor promised and nothing happened and people died.  The mayor of New Orleans made an impassioned and desperate public call for help since the situation in his city was out of control. A trickle of emergency supplies started to move into the city.

Congress will throw money at the problem and people worldwide will donate but a big chunk of that money will be lost to corruption. Still, it will help.

It will take: 

Several months to evacuate the city and remove bodies (November/December 2005);

Six months to fix the levees and pump the water out. (June 2006);

Several months after that to assess the destruction. (September 2006);

At least two years to fix the major problems: water, electrical and sewage then buildings will begin to be repaired. (September 2008) and

Five years after that to complete the rebuilding and re-population of the city (2013) 

In the end, there will be a new New Orleans but not a city for the poor who used to live there. There is no profit in building affordable homes for them so the rich, the developers and big companies will win and take over. This is their kind of situation to exploit and they will do it with religious zeal.

The American way.