This article on CNN pretty much sums up the condition of New Orleans one week after Katrina hit:
Saying the city was “completely destroyed,” the New Orleans deputy police chief on Monday urged remaining residents to get out because there is no power, drinkable water or supply of food.
Deputy Chief Warren Riley told reporters that a week after Hurricane Katrina struck, thousands of people insisted on remaining in “a hazard.”
“We advise people that this city has been destroyed. It has been completely destroyed,” Riley said.
“We are working with them to try to convince them that there is no reason — no jobs, no food — no reason for them to stay.”
Outside of the criminal element, which will have to be dealt with eventually, I think that the people who have stayed behind are going to be tough to get to leave. We may see in the not too distant future images on our television screens of people being forcibly removed from their homes and I’m sure there will be those who will play up the inevitable racial angle of that particular story. If New Orleans is ever going to be rebuilt, though, these people, or most of them, are going to have to leave. Many buildings will have to be destroyed. Its not going to be a pretty sight.
On a more personal level, I am happy to report that my family appears to have made it through the storm fine. My Aunt & Uncle’s home in Metarie suffered relatively minor damage and a some flooding on the first level. My cousins’ homes seem to have made it through okay. After talking with my Uncle, who is in Charlotte, NC at the moment, it sounds like most of the suburban areas made it through Katrina in alot better shape than New Orleans did. At this point, though, they have no idea when they’ll be going back.
Technorati Tag: Hurricane Katrina
