Parts of New Orleans
Weathered the Storm
by Diya Gullapalli
From The Wall Street Journal Online
September 08, 2005
Some parts of New Orleans might be in better shape than feared in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
While attention has focused on Katrina's damage in low-lying areas near the Industrial Canal, some residents are returning to the city to find other neighborhoods largely untouched. Besides the French Quarter staying mostly dry, some reported that Tulane University buildings appeared to be in good condition, as well as the Audubon Park near the Mississippi River. Historic areas like the Garden District and Warehouse District fared reasonably well, some say, as did the uptown neighborhood closer to Lake Pontchartrain.
"It's a pretty mixed bag," said Stephanie Bruno, a project director at the Preservation Resource Center in New Orleans, a nonprofit group that promotes the preservation of New Orleans neighborhoods and architecture. "As far as the physical condition of some parts of the city, people are going home, and most are relieved."
About 60% of New Orleans remains underwater as pumps work to empty the city of the water. Still, Ms. Bruno said the Preservation Resource Center has heard from many of the 35 neighborhood associations across the city, with some reporting positive news. Algiers Point, across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter and central business district of New Orleans, is "near perfect," she said, with electricity and water already returning to the area.
Those upbeat assessments differ dramatically from inundated areas such as the Ninth Ward, much of which remains almost completely submerged. The differences in damage throughout New Orleans could make it even tougher for city officials to decide how to rebuild, while further aggravating longstanding suspicions among some poorer residents that the levee system provides more protection for well-to-do areas than lower-income ones. The relatively light damage in some neighborhoods also could complicate efforts to force residents who remain in the city to evacuate.
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