New Orleans is Coming Back, But It Will Be a Long and Painful Process
The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina has brought New Orleans to it’s knees. The city was hit by the storm, flooded when the levies broke, had its population spread throughout the country in one of the largest relocations that has been witnessed in the history of the United States.
Now it is preparing for its comeback. The restaurants are starting to return. There is a shortage of labor, but some of the better restaurants are returning, 200 in the past week, and many others are making plans to return.
On the housing market, the destruction is not as bad as originally thought. Shortly after the storm hit, the city was thought to be a wasteland and never to return. Now after the storms have ended and the water receded, the damage can be more honestly assessed. The word is that about a quarter of the homes of the city will have to be bulldozed. This will allow some opportunities for the city to revitalize and return stronger if the infrastructure can be developed to keep the water out in the future.
So New Orleans will rise again. It will be very interesting to watch the process.