Was in New Orleans November 8-10th...to attend the Communities First Association meeting. On the 8th, my colleague Al Santino (Northeast Community Transformation - NY) and I spent the day visiting much of the 9th Ward.
We spent part of the day driving around "site seeing". Felt a bit more than sad for what happened 5-years ago...lost lives, destroyed communities, etc. Then as we later learned, so much of the federal money (billions) earmarked by the feds for recovery, the vast majority still has not been used. And much of the 5th Ward is still in disrepair...whole blocks and apartment complexes are total ghost towns.
Al and I transitioned from sadness to anger as we learned this part of town has been so neglected and slow to get the resources they need.
In the afternoon, we had the very distinct pleasure to meet Marcia Peterson, Executive Director of CDC 58:12. She gave us a tour around a school building next to their offices. The building has been condemned...looks perfectly okay. But the salt water got to the structural beam foundations...and engineers can not and will not guarantee they will maintain integrity for 7 years out.
The most encouraging thing we learned from Marcia was that people are indeed starting to come back. There are new homes and apartments...not nearly enough, but some progress. The whole social glue and fabric once present, totally gone when everyone left 5-years ago, now will have to be regained.
Marcia's CDC and other groups like Desire Street Ministries, are the ones who are re-knitting this social and spiritual fabric. The strength and dedication they possess is most encouraging, inspiring!
Here's some pictures Al and I took.
The replaced levee that failed.
Al Santino and Marcia Peterson
Whole blocks of apartment buildings as "ghost towns"
