New Orleans

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17 Stories

September 2008
- Don't Get Complacent, Big Easy: Officials
  
  New York Times | Sep 7, 08 4:06 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New Orleans residents may be celebrating Hurricane Gustav's near-miss this week, but that's no reason to get complacent, the New York Times reports. Officials admit that protective infrastructure still isn’t up to par, and there were several close calls when Gustav made landfall. “I want everybody to understand—we’re not there yet,” an Army Corps of Engineers colonel said. More »
- New Orleans Residents Head Home
  
  Washington Post | Sep 3, 08 6:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - All Hurricane Gustav evacuees are being allowed back into New Orleans after Mayor Ray Nagin abandoned a more drawn-out reentry plan, the Washington Post reports. Those returning had trouble locating supplies, and officials warned power outages would add to difficulties. "We'd like to say welcome back, but it's not the way we'd like to do it," one local official said. More »
- Gustav Histrionics Were Irresponsible
  
  Spiked | Sep 3, 08 2:48 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The way media and the state reacted to Gustav wasn't responsible behavior, but rather "responsibility avoidance ... motivated by a desire to avoid blame," Frank Furedi writes in Spiked. He says official overreaction diminishes a sense of community and individual resilience, rendering people passive to the whims of politicians who tell them, “You need to be scared,” and “Get your butts moving out of New Orleans right now.” More »
- New Orleans Residents Cleared to Return Tonight
  
  Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Sep 3, 08 3:36 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - People are returning to their southern Louisiana homes in the wake of a weaker-than-expected Hurricane Gustav, but New Orleans residents will need to wait until one minute before midnight, reports the Times-Picayune , running on an emergency generator. Mayor Ray Nagin warned the city is still "vulnerable" due to lack of power and medical personnel, but is allowing residents back in. More »
- New Orleans Levees Held — but Still Flawed
  
  Associated Press | Sep 2, 08 2:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New Orleans' levee system withstood the power punch delivered yesterday by Hurricane Gustav, but also revealed its continuing vulnerabilities, reports AP. The Industrial Canal flood wall was swamped, flooding again an area devastated by Katrina. The Industrial Canal is considered the system's Achilles' heel. The Army Corps of Engineers is spending $700 million on a canal barrier, but it won't be in place until at least 2011. More »
August 2008
- Big Easy Not Ready for '100-Year Storm'
  
  Newsweek | Aug 31, 08 3:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Hurricane Gustav set to thrash the Big Easy almost exactly 3 years after Katrina, Newsweek sits down with New Orleans Levee District executive director Stevan Spencer to find out what will change this time around. “We are better than before Katrina —we've raised the levees and strengthened or replaced the floodwalls,” he says. More »
- Lost Coffins Remain Part of Katrina's Legacy
  
  Wall Street Journal | Aug 30, 08 11:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Louisiana is still finding coffins displaced by Hurricane Katrina three years on, the Wall Street Journal reports. Katrina and Rita moved 1,500 bodies from their resting places in the state's swampy south, where floating coffins during floods have long been part of local folklore. Hundreds remain unidentified, and they are still turning up in woods and water. More »
- Evacuation May Come Saturday, La. Gov. Warns
  
  Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Aug 28, 08 5:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Some Louisiana residents could be evacuated Saturday ahead of Tropical Storm Gustav, which is expected to make landfall in the state Tuesday, Gov. Bobby Jindal said today. The storm, which could affect New Orleans, might produce damaging winds as early as Sunday, prompting the stepped-up preparations, the Times-Picayune reports. The Louisiana National Guard has been ordered to ready itself. More »
- New Orleans Braces for Gustav With Still-Weak Shield
  
  Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Aug 28, 08 4:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A nervous New Orleans is bracing for Gustav, well aware that weak spots in the city's hurricane barrier could lead to catastrophic flooding if the storm strikes, reports the Times-Picayune . Some $13 billion in work remains to be done before the city can be considered relatively well-protected. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has already declared a state of emergency and said evacuations could begin as early as tomorrow, Reuters reports. More »
- New Orleans Eyes Gustav, Readies Evacuation Plans
  
  Shreveport Times | Aug 27, 08 5:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New Orleans has a wary eye on Tropical Storm Gustav and may begin evacuations as early as Friday—the third anniversary of Katrina. The storm's path could yet spare the city, but if it hits this weekend, Gov. Bobby Jindal said he wants to be ready, the Shreveport Times reports. He's put Louisiana's National Guard on alert and declared a state of emergency that would make 700 buses available for the most needy. More »
- Trouble the Water Vividly Mixes Katrina, Race
  
  Salon | Aug 21, 08 5:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Trouble the Water , a new documentary, is ostensibly about Hurricane Katrina, centered around home-video footage shot during the disaster by a resident of New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. But the film, which frames Kimberly Roberts’ footage within a larger context, transcends that one event to put forth a peerless discussion of race in America, Andrew O’Hehir writes in Salon. More »
- Judge Clears New Orleans Cops in Katrina Shootings
  
  Associated Press | Aug 13, 08 9:48 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - A judge threw out murder and attempted murder charges today against seven New Orleans police officers accused of gunning down two men on a bridge in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In quashing the indictments, District Judge Raymond Bigelow agreed with defense arguments that prosecutors violated state law by divulging secret grand jury testimony to a police officer who was a witness in the case. More »
July 2008
- Goody Gumbo: Restaurant Reviews Back in New Orleans
  
  New York Times | Jul 25, 08 7:09 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina, the Big Easy finally has its restaurant reviews back, the New York Times reports. Judging that the city's famed eateries can now take the heat, the Times-Picayune has revived a ratings scale of 1-5 beans along with reviews. Many see the move as another sign the city is getting back on its feet. More »
May 2008
- New Orleans Is New, New, New Again
  
  Forbes Traveler | May 5, 08 9:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - No more pungent Bourbon Street or trashed French Quarter: Residents are returning, business is booming, and New Orleans is new again. Forbes Traveler offers compelling reasons to revisit the Big Easy: The fancy Royal Sonesta Hotel , with its tasty oysters and cool outdoor bar. The Swizzle Sticks Bar , which offers cocktail pairings to make each course go down easy. More »
April 2008
- Left Out of Prez Debates, New Orleans Goes Online
  
  Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Apr 29, 08 2:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Overlooked by the commission that schedules presidential debates, New Orleans has enlisted Google and YouTube in organizing its own forum, the Times-Picayune reports. The Sept. 18 event, 8 days before the first official debate, is intended to bring the political spotlight to the beleaguered city. Gov. Bobby Jindal touted it as "a discussion of many challenges facing not just New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, but our entire country." More »
- McCain Blasts Katrina Response
  
  Washington Post | Apr 24, 08 5:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - John McCain slammed the Bush response to Hurricane Katrina as “terrible and disgraceful” today after a tour of New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. "Never again, never again” will a disaster be handled so poorly, said McCain, making his most distinct break yet from the current administration, the Washington Post reports. For starters, he said, he'd put qualified people in charge of recovery operations. More »
February 2008
- Post-Katrina, Mardi Gras Revels
  
  Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Feb 5, 08 11:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Super Tuesday means Mardi Gras in Louisiana today, and the New Orleans bacchanal is slowly finding its feet 3 years after Hurricane Katrina. The predominantly black Zulu parade has as its king this year a 62-year-old native who left the Big Easy for Houston after the levees broke. He's only the second king, after Louis Armstrong, to live outside of New Orleans, the Times-Picayune reports. More »