The Death Of Lakeview

Yesterday I decided to have a look at one of the four areas of the city that were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. This part of the city is called Lakeview, about 10 minutes from my home, just across the border from my parish (I live in Jefferson Parish, Lakeview is in Orleans Parish). I wanted to see first hand what the storm did to demolish the area, and Lakeview is open to anyone now as reconstruction of the infrastructure and collection of debris is ongoing. Also, a few (foolish?) homeowners are gutting what is left of their houses and remodeling them.
Most homeowners wait to see if Bush commits to fulfill his promise in several speeches to the nation last September) to rebuild the levees that broke and flooded Lakeview. But as usual, Bush's talk does not match his actions. He does nothing for the city. Here is some of what I saw. The most striking sight is how different the left side of the 17th street canal looks in comparison the the right side (Lake view). On entering the flooded area one drives over a slightly elevated bridge and into Lakeview, the side from which I entered looks fairy normal, having suffered mostly wind damage and little flooding.
But the Lakeview side looks like a bombed shell of what used to be homes for many. Even the vegetation is dead, killed by the salt water that flowed from the canal (the canal is connected to a salt water lake , Lake Pontchartrain). All bushes below approximately 10 feet are brown, even some smaller trees were killed and brown from sitting in the salt water for 10 to 12 days. Of course, there is no live grass anywhere. As I drove through the beginning of the first Lakeview's subdivision I was amazed that even sections of the roads had collapsed from the weight of flood water sitting on top so long.
All of Lakeview's streets must be rebuilt if anyone is to live there. There are few electrical wires up, and few have electricity in Lakeview. The rebuilding of that system is on hold. Mounds of trash and debris line every home (or what is left of the homes). Some piles reach as much as 6 meters high. I saw garbage trucks removing this debris and more debris being deposited by city workers or residents gutting homes. I think it will be at least a year before all of it is removed. Lakeview was both a middle class and upper income area, in some parts the neighborhoods mixed by income. It was a grand place, very pretty, but now an eyesore of ugliness. Most of the homes are torn apart, few doors or windows remain on homes and one can see mold climbing to ceilings. There is little content in most houses.
A few jokesters even put up handwritten "For Sale" signs in front of the rubble that used to be a grand home. I doubt if anyone except the government would buy those homes. Even the land is worthless, because Bush and Congress have not honored their commitment to rebuild the levees around Lakeview. No one will rebuild if their home is unprotected from another flood. Homeowners there do not know what to do as government officials twiddle their thumbs in apathy and indecision. Many of houses were pushed off their slabs by the force of the on-rushing flood water. They lean forward or backward, looking if the slightest wind will blow the into the street or just break apart what remains of the brick and wood that once was a building.. All look dirty, covered with mud and grim. There are even some cars still parked in driveways, totally covered in a dry mud cake as the flood waters covered them for so many days. Eventually they will be picked up for their scrap value. I saw one car still on top of a house. It had floated on top in a 12 foot flood of water and has yet been removed. The home owner probably has never even returned to that house. Roofs were damaged, or missing on some homes.
A few homes had burned, leaving charred crisps on top of slabs. Those homes exploded and caught fire after gas leaks from broken gas lines ignited. I think those home owners were the lucky ones. They will have little trouble getting a full insurance settlement and can move to a new area if they wish. A sad sight in all cases were the personal items on curbs- childrens' toys, mold and decayed family picture albums, someone's guitar etc. The flood water ruined it all.
I drove on to another section of Lakeview, this one between the 17th street canal and the London Avenue canal. That area was the hardest hit because both canals broke and about 12 to 15 feet of water covered the homes. Every one of these houses has the orange X! Military personal painted those after the waters subsided enough to enter the homes to check for dead or live bodies.
Although only about 1200 people died in the storm here, it is a large total given that 95% of the residents of the area had evacuated before the storm came. The orange X was spray painted each house entered to show that a search had been done. On top of the X the date entered was painted and a number put in the bottom portion of the X. If a 0 was there it meant the house was searched and no bodies were found. I did see one x that had a 2 on it, meaning two people droned in their home as the water rushed in. Most probably they fled to the attic and were trapped their in 120 degree heat, perishing from dehydration.
Most homes in Lake view had been searched because flood waters were so high there. A chilling site was the number of roofs that had man sized holes chopped in them. Those people had chopped their way out of the attic as the waters rose, and fled to roof tops to be rescued. I could almost imagine those people frantically chopping the roof to escape as waters lapped at their feet. Unfortunately, many dead bodies were found in those attics because not all people brought a chopping tool with them into the attic.
Too, the flood waters rose so rapidly many panicked and headed to the attic immediately. Those who tried to wade through water by escaping on ground more often than not drowned. Typical of residents of New Orleans, I saw much optimism and humor among the mess. Residents hand painted the names of their former streets and nailed them to trees, one guy wrote "FEMA- This is your stump. Please pick it up (FEMA is the agency collecting downed tree stumps), a nearly totally demolished home had full sized Santa Clause figure next to the house (Evidently, Santa didn't know how to enter the destroyed home), and even a temporary trailer on a home site decorated with Christmas lights.
An amazing aspect is that there are two streets in Lakeview that hug the lake which did not flood. They look as they did before the storm, a reminder to other residents what their homes and Lakeview used to look like. As a life-long resident of the area seeing all of this was heartbreaking, a once glorious section reduced to rubble because levees were not built to the stated specifications of safety by those responsible for building them. Many locals, even those who have never lived in the Lake wood, who have seen Lake view and three other sections as badly destroyed are said to have weeped uncontrollably.
I was saddened and emotional in seeing it as well, knowing how many lives had been, lost ruined or damaged by the flood. And too, by the fact that this President and Congress now seem uncaring about the future of a city that gave so much to the country (for instance, we supply 30% of all natural gas and other petroleum and 40% of all seafood). I think the apathetic view of those who could help, but won't, is as bad as the waters that rose during the storm. They are throwing mud on our casket every day.