Most white people say the recovery is going well. Most black people believe the opposite.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Myths surrounding Katrina still flow from reporters, politicians after 10 years
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods from the failed federal levees, out-of-town media and politicians are still getting some things wrong. Here are five of the most stubborn myths about the disaster, the recovery and the city of New Orleans — plus one self-delusional bonus myth we just can’t let stand.
Posted inSchools
Top charter-school advocate talks about changing attitudes here and Baton Rouge
The Lens sits down with Caroline Roemer Shirley to talk about charter school changes in the past 10 years.
Posted inInside the News Room
Replay our online video discussion about PTSD with documentary filmmaker
You’re invited to watch and participate in the video forum Thursday at 1 p.m.
Posted inInvestigations, Land Use
Missing Home: A look at what we demolished in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
Thousands of houses and buildings were razed after the storm. We went back to some of those properties to see what’s there now. What we found shows how some parts of the city have rebounded while others struggle, just as they did before the storm.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Did recovery leadership lie at the grassroots level or does the elite deserve credit?
Two authors approach the recovery from divergent angles, gleaning fresh insights into the long road we’ve traveled.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Katrina’s deadly lessons led to improvements in evacuation process
Today when a hurricane turns toward the Louisiana coast, it kicks off a comprehensive $2.5-million-per day evacuation system designed to move up to 46,000 residents who lack transportation from New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. It will use as many a 700 chartered highway coaches as well as airliners. And yes, pets are included in the plan.
Posted inEnvironment
Best-ever levee system is here to protect property, not lives, experts warn
Of all the questions being asked about New Orleans’ progress 10 years after the disaster that killed nearly 1,500 residents and clouded its future, the most persistent has been this: Is it safer now? Interviews with storm experts resulted in answers filled with caveats. The best summation: It’s safer for houses, but not necessarily for the people who live in them.
Posted inSchools
New Orleans has 19 new public schools as $1.8 billion building plan continues
Post-Katrina rebuilding plan is affecting campuses across the city.
Posted inEnvironment
People’s hero, Corps’ villain or both? Investigator’s life upended by Katrina findings
Like many Hurricane Katrina survivors, former Louisiana State University research scientist and instructor Ivor van Heerden sometimes tears up at certain memories. He didn’t lose a house or a family member. He lost his career. That still hurts because it was taken from him by the people he was trying to help.