New Orleans

I spent a few days(Feb. 4-5) in "Nawlins". Apart from Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, the Saints going to the Super Bowl and some nice "rich" areas with beautiful estate homes, there wasn't a lot to see; maybe because the city left me a bit depressed. I had a weird CS experience and seeing the devastation caused by Katrina, I was left somewhat deflated. Mind you, a Mardi Gras Parade I attended was special and seeing all the people in the French Quarter partying it up was certainly an experience, still, I wasn't sad to leave the place.

I took a three hour guided tour of the city which was very interesting. We visited one of several cemeteries with lots of history. In this area, because of the land being saturated with water, bodies are not buried in the ground. In the past when they did this, whenever there was flooding, the bodies often came out of the ground and sometimes they were washed away. So, now they are all placed in cemented vaults. One type that we saw belonging to a religious order had close to 100 bodies intombed in it.

The damage caused by Katrina and the subsequent flooding was very devastating. Seeing all the reports and videos on TV at that time and now four and a half years later does not begin describe what really happened. 80% of New Orleans was flooded. They don't have statistics yet but our guide said that maybe up to 50% of the people had not returned. A resident told me that in one district, only one of four schools had reopened. Everywhere in the flooded areas, you see abandonned homes, homes boarded up or in some state of disrepair.

One neighourhood where our guide brought us had "Brad Pitt" homes: built on stilts and with a number of solar panels on the roofs with unique designs, colourful and eye-catching. Other areas have whole streets where all you see are for rent or for sale signs on them and no one to take them up. About the pic with my car in front of the stop sign, the flood waters got up to the sign and stayed there for four days before they receeded. Irreperable damage...mold...

The CS host that I stayed with in New Orleans owns a turn of the century home. It has 12 foot ceilings in the living room and kitchen. It was flooded up to three feet on the main floor. He replaced some of the damaged walls and put in new wiring, changed some cupboards in the kitchen and that's about it. It could be a beautiful home but it isn't, either for lack of money or lack of energy.

So, on Feb. 6th, I left for Fort Morgan, to meet up with Mike, my brother François' former co-worker. I drove through Mississippi and into Alabama where Mike rents a very nice house(and faily inexpensive) on a beautiful strip of sand, similar to Veradero, Cuba. He has just retired and decided he had enough of winter so he moved here for six months. Most of the residents here are northerners escaping the cold. We saw the Super Bowl at a local bar and celebrated the Saints vistory with everyone there. Mike was a very kind host. Good luck with the girls Mike and wish them well for me.