Yesterday I made my first trip to New Orleans since before Hurricane Katrina. I sort of knew what to expect as we approached on I-59. I have seen countless hours of videos. Tree damage is still evident along the interstate south of Hattiesburg. As we started to approach Slidell, scattered signs of damage were visible to structures.
Along the water as you start to cross the bridges over the lake, many of the homes on stilts are gone. The bridge had lost many of the guard rails. The south end of the bridge was damaged by the hurricane, and pontoons are in place.
As you get into New Orleans East, you begin to see many homes that are abandoned and open to the elements, their interiors black with mold. Thick vegetation is growing over some of them. Large numbers of businesses are still closed.
As you get into the Central Business District, you can still see signs of the damage nearly anywhere that you look. The reminders of the storm’s fury are everywhere. But life and commerce are also going on everywhere. The city is certainly open for business and bustling.
We did not get into the French Quarter, but I hear that it is unscathed. The downtown hotels are a bargain right now, with lower rates than in some of the outlying areas. Conventions will start returning next year and 2009 should be a banner year as New Orleans returns to normal.
