DENVER -- As killer storm Gustav threatened the Gulf Coast three years after Hurricane Katrina, Black Voices caught up with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin before he left the Democratic National Convention earlier than planned.In an interview Tuesday, before Gustav becoming a threat to the Gulf Coast, the Barack Obama superdelegate said the Big Easy is a "tale of two cities" right now.
"New Orleans is still a city in recovery," Nagin said. "Our economy is very strong, but we still have many, many challenges. We still have toxic trailers in our community, we have about 2,800 of those. But if you come downtown and to the French Quarter you will have a wonderful time in our city."
Forecasters are warning that Gustav is picking up steam and could slam into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane early next week. New Orleans is making evacuation plans. Gustav was not an obvious threat when Nagin and I spoke on Tuesday, but today his press official told us that the mayor left Denver Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule, when he got word of the ferocious storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast. ...
New Orleans has more restaurants now than pre-Katrina, Nagin says, and most of the major businesses are back at this point. On the other hand, largely black communities like Lakeview and the Lower 9th Ward have have not been rebuilt.
While unemployment is low, for a city at 75 percent of its original population, Nagin says housing has been a major problem. Affordable housing is hard to come by there because of supply and demand. People are paying double what they used to or more.
One priority is bringing relocated and displaced locals back home and getting them jobs.
"We do this on a daily basis," Nagin says. "We have offices in relocation cities that do outreach and support to bring them back."
So the obvious challenge is, even if you can get a job, where can you afford to live? Nagin said that new rent-stabilized apartments and homes are being built.
A number of events addressed the Katrina aftermath at the convention this week in Denver, including a fundraiser and concert dinner for post-Katrina causes as the convention opened. Various policy meetings also took place and a roundtable discussion focused on the failure to implement an effective recovery program in the Gulf Coast region after Katrina.
Meanwhile, Nagin says he is very comfortable with Barack Obama as president.
"We've talked about the needs of New Orleans," he says. "And I'm confident that when he is in office he is going to support us to complete the restoration of New Orleans."
Friday marks the official Katrina anniversary. Bodies that have not been identified by DNA will be laid to rest, he says. Friday evening a candlelight vigil in Franklin Square was expected to bring out thousands of people.
More Katrina Coverage
+ Nervous New Orleans Eyes Killer Storm
+ Katrina Memorial Taking Shape
1. Is there anything of value in Nawlins left to loot?
starboard at 6:46PM on Aug 28th 2008