Are Things Getting Back to Normal?

I've been asked that question many times by people from other areas. It's natural for people who aren't in the middle of this area to think that things are getting back to normal. The media doesn't give the rest of the world a real indication of what it's like here.

Is the area getting back to normal?

No.

It will never be the same.

What could possibly be "normal" for a city that was almost 80% destroyed?

Yes, incredible efforts have been made to get the relatively undamaged parts of New Orleans back on its feet. That's very important, since any rebuilding efforts will require the city to have some sort of cashflow. The tourism industry is important. So the French Quarter, Uptown and the Garden District are gearing up for Mardis Gras and the upcoming Jazz Festival.

But even those areas, if you pay attention, are filled with dark, silent shops and houses. There is not enough health care in the city, and even buying simple groceries is hard to do.

New Orleans will survive. And I agree with the optimists who envision an improved city, with less poverty and crime than before. It can be done.

But it will be a lot smaller. The devastated areas can't be repaired. They must be rebuilt, and that doesn't happen overnight. I expect that 50% or more of the area of New Orleans will take years to come back to some sort of life.

Every single person who has visited the destroyed areas of the city says the same thing: "You just have to see it." There are no pictures or videos that can do it justice. You just have to see it.

Life must go on, and the strength of the human spirit is incredible. This event has shown me a side of human nature that I will always cherish. I saw that when I lived in New York during 9/11 and again in these months since Katrina. We survive and we prosper. And I've said this before...it's up to each of us to make good of what happens in our lives. There is a huge amount of good that can come from this.

But normal? No.