New Orleans photos (Lakeside area) - One plus year later

I did a little roadtrip this morning and went down to the Lakeside area. It looks like a war zone! I unfortunately went in the Civic and wished I had my truck. The roads were the worst paved roads I've ever been on. I bottomed out once because I did not see a huge azz dip in the road... pissed me off.

Here are some photos of the area. There were almost an equal number of condemned houses as where people are attempting to rebuild. It is a VERY SAD (not in a funny way) area. Remember that it has been over a year since the cleanup has started!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060003.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060004.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060005.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060007.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060008.jpg

Nice high water mark!
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q178/keith_757/LA%20-%20New%20Orleans%20-%20Katrina%20Damage/P1060010.jpg

This is AWFUL... It is heart breaking to see such a wonderful place being left to destruction. I am from Louisiana. New Orleans has always been one of my favorite places. This makes me so sad.:(

This is AWFUL... It is heart breaking to see such a wonderful place being left to destruction. I am from Louisiana. New Orleans has always been one of my favorite places. This makes me so sad.:(The Garden District and the French Quarter are in really good shape. Sure they are on higher ground, but I think that it has a more to do with the tourists.

There were places that were much worse than what you see here, but I just didn't feel right about stopping and taking a photo. It seemed disrespectful to me. I certainly did not feel like I was in the USA.

I am embarassed for the citizens that call LA home. The area appears to be a place that the USA doesn't want to know about. How come people aren't on CNN daily making a stink about not rebuilding or at least ensuring that people that call these streets home are helped? The country should be ashamed.

(don't flame me with the politics of it all...that is no excuse)

The Garden District and the French Quarter are in really good shape. Sure they are on higher ground, but I think that it has a more to do with the tourists.

There were places that were much worse than what you see here, but I just didn't feel right about stopping and taking a photo. It seemed disrespectful to me. I certainly did not feel like I was in the USA.

I am embarassed for the citizens that call LA home. The area appears to be a place that the USA doesn't want to know about. How come people aren't on CNN daily making a stink about not rebuilding or at least ensuring that people that call these streets home are helped? The country should be ashamed.

(don't flame me with the politics of it all...that is no excuse)

I hear you K757 !!! There is NO EXCUSE FOR THIS !!! :( :o :mad:

Have any of you seen Spike Lee's When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts? I've only made it through about two and a half of the full four hours so far. It's a pretty fascinating view of everything from the politics of the disaster response to what I find hardest to watch, the stories, through interviews and footage, of the victims. Definitely gut/heart wrenching, but important to watch....

Great insight K757. The sad part is there are areas like this in every metropolitan area of the US...I would bet some rual areas do not look much better. There is a statistic that the richest 1% of the US hold about 40% of all the money in the US. Now that is news we should all be crying about. The gap between the rich and poor is growing. Also, the poor class is increasing in numbers. History has shown that a larger number of poor vs. wealthy does not bode well for that society. I hate to change the intent of this thread but the sad part is this type of social apathy is not uncommon in the good 'ol USA...I think the saying is, "just as long as it's not my neighborhood." Just my 2¢.

Great insight K757. The sad part is there are areas like this in every metropolitan area of the US...I would bet some rual areas do not look much better.

the sad part is this type of social apathy is not uncommon in the good 'ol USA...I think the saying is, "just as long as it's not my neighborhood." Just my 2¢.I agree for the most part. Except in this case, a disaster caused this problem. It did not look like this before the flood. The photo with the water mark on the wall, that looked to be a good (approx.) middle class community that is just gone. I have heard that the Lakeshore area was one of the better areas of the city. I definitely saw some million dollar plus homes, now I did see some newly built houses there; now raised off the ground! But this was the exception rather than the norm.

Univ. of New Orleans has a nice arena that is still FEMA trailer city. It is fenced in with it's own security force. You can still not drive the apparantly great park that runs along the lake. I can imagine that is where many people used to go all the time to jog, picnic, bicycle and walk along the shore.

I was in Gulfport for mobilization. It was a sad site after more than a year had passed.

Of coruse the last photo is just after the impact of the Ms K

Jan 9, 2007 09:40 AM CST

New Orleans (AP)-First lady Laura Bush returns to New Orleans Tuesday to give out more grants from her foundation to restore damaged libraries.
One of the schools includes St. Rosalie in Harvey. They lost several buildings during the storm including the elementary school library.
The grants are to replenish the supply of books that were lost during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

It appears that it is more important to get the libraries reopened before helping get people back into houses. Curious as who will attend these schools if not many people have houses to live in? (granted I do not know the area very well)

Personally, I am embarrassed to call the US of A home (especially after serving in the USMC). We're assisting other countries with rebuilding, money, food and whatever else after these "Mother Nature" visits and for some reason - can't seem to help our own citizens.. Blows my mind.

Not to take it political but:

“From our own experiences, we know that nothing can take away the grief of those affected by tragedy. We also know that Americans have a history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges and of providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across the devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained compassion and our generosity, and our assurance that America will be there to help.”

President George W. Bush, January 3, 2005


The Whitehouse's Agenda (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/tsunami/)

My mom lives in NO, LA and the thought of her being homeless was too much to bear, so she was with me for some time. Working for Tulane, she was also VERY lucky to get her job back.

Personally, I am embarrassed to call the US of A home (especially after serving in the USMC). We're assisting other countries with rebuilding, money, food and whatever else after these "Mother Nature" visits and for some reason - can't seem to help our own citizens.. Blows my mind.

Not to take it political but:
“From our own experiences, we know that nothing can take away the grief of those affected by tragedy. We also know that Americans have a history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges and of providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across the devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained compassion and our generosity, and our assurance that America will be there to help.”

President George W. Bush, January 3, 2005

The Whitehouse's Agenda (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/tsunami/)

My mom lives in NO, LA and the thought of her being homeless was too much to bear, so she was with me for some time. Working for Tulane, she was also VERY lucky to get her job back.I can't argue with ya.

I find it interesting that the Baton Rouge newspaper covers the lack of progress, but very rarely is it covered nationally. It makes me start to think that LA is the state that the USA wishes would secede. :eek:

Over here on the Mississippi coast, there has been some progress but there are huge sections that show little change except for the decay of the debris... In other areas, the debris has been bulldozed & carted off but nothing has been done to rebuild...

One hold-up is insurance. Hundreds of homeowners are in litigation or arbitration with their insurance companies. In many cases, the argument is whether the house was destroyed by storm surge (flooding) or wind. Many people did not have flood insurance because they didn't live in FEMA flood zones. And some municipalities didn't update their flood zone maps for decades, even though the feds had issued new maps. This really isn't an issue in NOLA, because almost all the damage there was due to flooding. And NOLA defines the term "flood zone."

A lot of people have noted -- and an equal number have ignored -- the partisan political aspect of Katrina recovery. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is former head of the Republican National Committee, while Louisiana Governor Blanco & NOLA Mayor Ray Nagin are both Democrats. One guess which was able to get POTUS' attention faster. A pretty good review of all that is in Doug Brinkley's book The Great Deluge, which I recommend.

Over here on the Mississippi coast, there has been some progress but there are huge sections that show little change except for the decay of the debris... In other areas, the debris has been bulldozed & carted off but nothing has been done to rebuild...

One hold-up is insurance. Hundreds of homeowners are in litigation or arbitration with their insurance companies. In many cases, the argument is whether the house was destroyed by storm surge (flooding) or wind. Many people did not have flood insurance because they didn't live in FEMA flood zones. And some municipalities didn't update their flood zone maps for decades, even though the feds had issued new maps. This really isn't an issue in NOLA, because almost all the damage there was due to flooding. And NOLA defines the term "flood zone."

A lot of people have noted -- and an equal number have ignored -- the partisan political aspect of Katrina recovery. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is former head of the Republican National Committee, while Louisiana Governor Blanco & NOLA Mayor Ray Nagin are both Democrats. One guess which was able to get POTUS' attention faster. A pretty good review of all that is in Doug Brinkley's book The Great Deluge, which I recommend.
I agree totally with ya. I do have one question though and it is one that most people just scratch their heads and stutter when asked... What do you expect the government (U.S.) to do??? We had a really bad flood several years ago close by and everyone was mad the "government" did not "do" something immediately. What should they do? Should they have "made" people buy flood insurance? Should they "make" insurance companies pay instantly? Should they just rebuild like it was before for free? Which government? Local? State? Federal? Just want to know. By the way, I'm proud to live in the USA

Personally, I am embarrassed to call the US of A home (especially after serving in the USMC). We're assisting other countries with rebuilding, money, food and whatever else after these "Mother Nature" visits and for some reason - can't seem to help our own citizens.. Blows my mind.

Not to take it political but:

“From our own experiences, we know that nothing can take away the grief of those affected by tragedy. We also know that Americans have a history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges and of providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across the devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained compassion and our generosity, and our assurance that America will be there to help.”

President George W. Bush, January 3, 2005


The Whitehouse's Agenda (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/tsunami/)

My mom lives in NO, LA and the thought of her being homeless was too much to bear, so she was with me for some time. Working for Tulane, she was also VERY lucky to get her job back.

How can you say you are embarrassed to live in the USA? Especially after serving in the USMC? Why am I over here in Afghanistan for the second time to defend the freedom you live in Everyday? Why am I getting hit by improvised explosive devices watching my friends die? Why am I sleeping on a cot, in the rocks, in a hole hoping a rocket or mortar doesn't land on me while I'm asleep? Why am I taking 2 showers a week...if that? You know I salute you for being in the Marine Corps, but how or why would you say you are embarrassed to live in the United States? And on the subject of Katrina, people criticizing the military for not getting their fast enough? I was mobilized to go to NO, and we were boots on ground 1 September, which I didn't think we could get there any faster...

Sorry for my rant, but this post perturbed me.

What should they do? Should they have "made" people buy flood insurance? Should they "make" insurance companies pay instantly? Should they just rebuild like it was before for free? Which government? Local? State? Federal? Just want to know. By the way, I'm proud to live in the USA

I don't know what the actual answer is, except that I am also proud to live in the USA. The "Katrina experience" has taught me that Americans help each other regardless (and in some cases in spite) of what the government does.

A FEMA official told me that the federal government cannot tell a local government what to do with respect to zoning ordinances. Therefore, "federal" flood zone maps are purely advisory & local governments often ignore them for political reasons. (Obviously, building to a federally-recommended elevation can be very expensive & that can translate into voter backlash at the local level.) So in that sense, local government has a definite role.

One thing that I think does need to change -- and Miss. Rep. Gene Taylor is pushing this -- is the exemption that insurance companies have from anti-trust laws. The only "industries" where companies can collaborate privately to set prices are insurance & major league baseball. Related to this is the practice that some insurance companies have of "advising" their adjusters after a disaster. The only entity that can change the regulation of insurance companies is the federal government.

Sorry for my rant, but ths post perturbed me.

Here are a few reasons that I'm proud to live in the USA:

Habitat for Humanity
KABOOM!
Campus Crusade for Christ
Hillel
American Baptist Men
Salvation Army
United Methodist Council on Relief

... And countless others who will organize to volunteer & help others while government is wringing its hands.

I agree totally with ya. I do have one question though and it is one that most people just scratch their heads and stutter when asked... What do you expect the government (U.S.) to do??? We had a really bad flood several years ago close by and everyone was mad the "government" did not "do" something immediately. What should they do? Should they have "made" people buy flood insurance? Should they "make" insurance companies pay instantly? Should they just rebuild like it was before for free? Which government? Local? State? Federal? Just want to know. By the way, I'm proud to live in the USA

Insurance is only part of the issue. We all know you can't "force" people to buy insurance and even a good number of the people that had it are still in litigation with their underwriters.

I'll answer your "head-scratching" question with another one: What are we charging Iraq to rebuild their infrastructure? (Oh wait, is it oil??) Seems that we're spending a goot bit of money over there and yet we can't do anything about our own country? The United States -- the most powerful and richest nation in the world and we're ok with "There was nothing we could do." Ludicrous.

I'll answer your "head-scratching" question with another one: What are we charging Iraq to rebuild their infrastructure? (Oh wait, is it oil??) Seems that we're spending a goot bit of money over there and yet we can't do anything about our own country? If only it was that cut and dry... :rolleyes:

Insurance is only part of the issue. We all know you can't "force" people to buy insurance and even a good number of the people that had it are still in litigation with their underwriters.

I'll answer your "head-scratching" question with another one: What are we charging Iraq to rebuild their infrastructure? (Oh wait, is it oil??) Seems that we're spending a goot bit of money over there and yet we can't do anything about our own country? The United States -- the most powerful and richest nation in the world and we're ok with "There was nothing we could do." Ludicrous.
I won't turn this into a political forum as there are zillions out there and everyone who posts in them is right all of the time anyway. Please understand though...it is hardly ever about the money in real life.

Djeaux, glad to see we support many of the same charities! I also spend some time with FCA and my kids do too.

I won't turn this into a political forum as there are zillions out there and everyone who posts in them is right all of the time anyway. Please understand though...it is hardly ever about the money in real life.

Djeaux, glad to see we support many of the same charities! I also spend some time with FCA and my kids do too.

This is precisely my point -- I understand it's hardly about the money, which is why I replied to your original post where you asked if the government was to rebuild the area for free.

If only it was that cut and dry... :rolleyes:

I don't have the answer but I refuse to believe that "There's nothing we could have done" is true. THAT is as oversimplified as it gets.

There are many things that could have been done and more reasons and discussions to why not yet.

It is sad that this is no longer news-worthy and the area is not back to the way it was, as the vast majority of people, away from the gulf coast, believe.

What can be done from today forward?

There are many things that could have been done and more reasons and discussions to why not yet.

It is sad that this is no longer news-worthy and the area is not back to the way it was, as the vast majority of people, away from the gulf coast, believe.

What can be done from today forward?
The only true way to rebuild is by each person doing it one at a time. I try to compare lifes challenges to a biga$$ flywheel: "To get it started requires tremendous effort. Each new revolution requires less and less effort. Once going properly, it will give as it receives."

How can you say you are embarrassed to live in the USA? Especially after serving in the USMC? Why am I over here in Afghanistan for the second time to defend the freedom you live in Everyday? Why am I getting hit by improvised explosive devices watching my friends die? Why am I sleeping on a cot, in the rocks, in a hole hoping a rocket or mortar doesn't land on me while I'm asleep? Why am I taking 2 showers a week...if that? You know I salute you for being in the Marine Corps, but how or why would you say you are embarrassed to live in the United States? And on the subject of Katrina, people criticizing the military for not getting their fast enough? I was mobilized to go to NO, and we were boots on ground 1 September, which I didn't think we could get there any faster...

Sorry for my rant, but this post perturbed me.

How can I say it, just re-read it, and you'll see it's been said. I understand what you going through overseas, been there myself. I am embarrassed of the fact that our government would quickly jump to the aid of foreign countries (Asia, comes to mind) and they lack the time or apparent consideration of there own people here in the US. Millions upon millions of $ have been spent outside of the US where it should be in the 1st place.

As for you being over in Afghan. That has nothing to do with our Govt's lack of compassion for NO, LA and the surrounding cities/states with damage from a life changing event such as Katrina. You are there protecting freedom and our right to critcize our govt for said actions. Like I said, I've been in your shoes(boots).

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/11/katrina.insurance.ap/index.html

IT IS VERY SAD THAT THE VICTIMS OF KATRINA HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN. THE PRESENT MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS MADE ALL KINDS OF PROMISES TO HELP THE PEOPLE. HE IS BACK IN OFFICE AND NOTHING HAS HAPPEN, BUT THE CRIME RATE HAS GONE CRAZY........................9 MURDERS IN 11 DAYS.

WHAT IS EVEN MORE SAD, IS MOST PEOPLE COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED RITA, WHICH WAS TWO WEEKS LATER AND SW LA. FROM CAMERON TO LAKE CHARLES, FROM THE GULF TO ERATH, ABBEVILLE, ETC. MANY FOLKS ARE WITHOUT HOMES, ETC.

THE PEOPLE IN SW LA. DIDNOT ASK FOR HELP ALONE, THEY HAVE ALREADY STARTED REBUILDING THEMSELVES. THEY DONOT RELY ON THE GOVT.
YOU TALK ABOUT WAR ZONES, CAMERAON PARISH IS GONE. LAKE CHARLES STILL LOOKS AWFUL. THE PEOPLE DOWN HERE KNOW THAT THEY CANNOT DEPEND ON ANYONE BUT THEMSELVES.

THE BEST NEWS I HAVE HEARD IN MANY MONTHS IS............STATE FARM LOST A CASE IN WHICH THEY COULDNOT PROVE THAT A COUPLE'S HOME WAS NOT DESTROYED BY A TORNADO AND WERE AWARDED LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE THE REAL VILLIANS HERE, PEOPLE PAY PREMIUMS FOR 40 YEARS AND ONE TIME THEY LOOSE THEIR LIFE'S BELONGINGS AND THE INSURANCE COMPANIES TURN THEIR BACKS...........................................

IT IS VERY SAD THAT THE VICTIMS OF KATRINA HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN. THE PRESENT MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS MADE ALL KINDS OF PROMISES TO HELP THE PEOPLE. HE IS BACK IN OFFICE AND NOTHING HAS HAPPEN, BUT THE CRIME RATE HAS GONE CRAZY........................9 MURDERS IN 11 DAYS.If you want to include the last 2 days of '06, add another 3. Happy New Year!

THE BEST NEWS I HAVE HEARD IN MANY MONTHS IS............STATE FARM LOST A CASE IN WHICH THEY COULDNOT PROVE THAT A COUPLE'S HOME WAS NOT DESTROYED BY A TORNADO AND WERE AWARDED LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE THE REAL VILLIANS HERE, PEOPLE PAY PREMIUMS FOR 40 YEARS AND ONE TIME THEY LOOSE THEIR LIFE'S BELONGINGS AND THE INSURANCE COMPANIES TURN THEIR BACKS...........................................Th e ones who will lose out are the people. When I lived in Florida and I moved from Tallahassee (small place for sure) to an EXTREMELY small place, just south of there, Crawfordville, I of course alerted my State Farm car insurance agent. It turns out that due to the hurricanes the previous year, thta my insurance increased by 40%. I was dumbfounded. So I call the State Farm 800 number to lodge a complaint, and I basically got the "this is what it is now" It didn't matter that I was a customer for ~13 yrs. So I asked them, that since I am moving to a much smaller place, logically, if I moved to a HUGE city, say Atlanta, would my insurance be basically free? :rolleyes: I was only a customer for about another hour, then called them back and cancelled. My new company was 30% cheaper than I was originally paying! Thanks State Farm!!!

What will happen is State Farm will drastically increase rates and when people change to a different company, eventually they will be able to pull out of the state.

Under fire, Google goes back to maps showing Katrina damage
By CAIN BURDEAU
Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Google Inc. is once again showing this city in ruins after the company came under fire for replacing post-Hurricane Katrina imagery on its popular map portal with views of city as it existed before the storm.
An Associated Press article on Thursday highlighted the changes, leading a U.S. House subcommittee to accuse Google of "airbrushing history" for depicting a New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast without hurricane damage.

The new satellite imagery, which is a bird's eye view of the world, now is a window onto a more authentic New Orleans - one dotted by blue protective tarps on damaged roofs and a Lower 9th Ward that looks like a debris field.

The new imagery, though, is still outdated. For example, there is no sign of the massive floodgates that the Army Corps of Engineers built on three drainage canals. And Google is still using imagery from before Katrina for some small coastal towns on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Places like Waveland, Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian were obliterated by Katrina but as of Monday looked peaceful and intact on Google.

John Hanke, Google director for satellite imagery, said in an entry on Google's blog Monday that the imagery was changed last September "with pre-Katrina aerial photography of much higher resolution as part of a regular series of global data enhancements."

"Given that the changes that affected New Orleans happened many months ago, we were a bit surprised by some of these recent comments," Hanke wrote in his blog. "Make no mistake, this wasn't any effort on our part to rewrite history. But it looks like this April Fool's joke was on us."

Late Sunday, Google replaced the pre-Katrina imagery with aerial views from 2006, Hanke said.

Meanwhile, Google is expected to brief the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee on investigations and oversight on the changes. Edith Holleman, the subcommittee's staff counsel, said that briefing has not been scheduled yet.

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., asked Google's CEO Eric Schmidt to explain what happened to cause Google to use the old imagery, and to disclose whether federal or local officials asked the company to use the old imagery, perhaps in an effort to show the sluggish recovery in a better light.

Miller wrote in a letter to Schmidt that "Google's use of old imagery appears to be doing the victims of Hurricane Katrina a great injustice by airbrushing history.