Interesting Disaster & Engineering Web Sites
Four years after Hurricane Katrina, current and former residents of New Orleans and the Gulf coast think about the future
Scattered around the country, residents of the Crescent City and the Gulf region are of many different minds about returning to their beloved city some four years after Hurricane Katrina. Chef and business owner John "Chappy" Chapman pines for the Gulf, even though he has set up shop in Nashville. In his own mind, he'll never return: "I'm not afraid. It's just that I lost so much." The city can point to a number of recent successes, including the reopening of the Hotel Roosevelt, a noted French Quarter landmark, a number of "green" reconstruction businesses that have been successful. Other commentators have been remarking on the work that needs to be done in and around the city, and some have also noted the continuing tensions between those persons displaced by Hurricane Katrina who ended up in places like Houston. Writing in this Sunday's New York Daily News, journalist Errol Louis noted that there is much to learn from countries like the Netherlands, which have dealt with issues surrounding land reclamation and flood preparation for centuries. It will certainly be interesting to see what the next four years holds for New Orleans.