Day 368: Why Don’t You Quietly Rebuild And Get On With Your Lives?

August 29th has come and gone, and the token visit by Arbusto and camera crews with it. The nation has poured out a little liquor for L’Isle d’Orleans and returns to its business. Just like people died the city over last August 31st, the third battle of New Orleans continues today. We still need a rebuilding plan, disaster insurance relief, city sanitation workers, affordable housing and small business impetus. As if affected by the summer heat, the New Orleans Momentum seems to drag its feet on the sticky asphalt, pausing occasionally to grab a cold beverage.

Someone named ‘jh’ commented on my recent Sepia Mutiny post: “I don’t hear Mississippi whining. Why can’t people just quietly rebuild and get on with their lives? They’ve gotten ridiculous sums of money to rebuild that city …” While I didn’t bother feeding the troll there, I realize the staggering misconceptions people still (want to) have about New Orleans and address them, in the simplest possible terms, in order of receipt.

1. Whino Forever: We are tax-paying Americans who produce a quarter of the nation’s domestic oil supply and a fifth of its natural gas – we’ve earned the right to whine. Therefore, I repeat this one last time to your sensibility-lacking, almost-49-star-flag-waving, supposedly-patriotic self:

The New Orleans Katrina experience is a different one altogether. It was an unnatural disaster (levee breaks) and resulting flood that almost destroyed a large portion of the city, while a natural disaster and winds badly thrashed towns like Biloxi and the rest of the MS-AL Gulf Coast. Even residents of those coastal towns admit that our city has it worse than theirs. The story here is that of a broken social contract (and the lack of any accountability); yonder, it is one of rebuilding when and how. Simply put, we have a much more complicated mess here than the other areas you mention.

2. No Money, Mo’ Problems: We broke, and can’t “quietly rebuild” because our city is bankrupt and needs a cold, hard infusion of cash.

3. Show Me The Money: The entire Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina and her wake, not just New Orleans, has been allocated $110 billion, of which we have been doled out $44 billion.  But wait … you will see from this post by our City Accountant, Da Po Blog, how the 44 breaks down.  Follow closely because there will be a pop quiz later:

• $110 billion is out the door, but only $44 billion [has reached us].
• “… out of the $44 billion that has gone into someone“s hands, 75% or $33 billion has gone into the hands of the states and cities affected by the hurricanes.”
• “$16 billion [goes to] flood insurance claims, which the federal government has been known to do when reporting how much money they are sending down here.”

One year later, that leaves the entire Gulf Coast with $17 billion, which has been spent on immediate help, rentals, trailers, debris removal and health.  Independent observers state that Katrina Aid Is Far From Flowing.

4. What’s The Plan, Stan?  Federal funds for rebuilding will not be released to us sans a blessed plan. We had a plan, as Mark Folse reminds us: “It was called the Baker Plan, and it would have done the difficult things we are asked to do: clean up not just individual homes but entire neighborhoods; tell some of our friends and neighbors that their areas might not come back. The only real problem with the plan was that you scuttled it and said, no, we won’t do that. You said, go back to the drawing board and try again and try to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t put the federal government on the hook for all the damage it caused.”

Now, we’re in the process of creating the Grand Unified Plan. (Private to locals: There was another NOCSF meeting this morning, BTW, for which we were sent fancy emails a whole two days ago.)  Today’s Times-Picayune headline blares N.O. Planning Process Puts Residents On Edge

… as with the mayor’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission, the process could collapse under the weight of an intricate web of interests that must collaborate to produce action, some critics fear. Currently, the lines of authority and accountability remain murky at best. When it comes to crafting the endlessly discussed, all-encompassing “plan” to rebuild New Orleans, it’s unclear where the buck will stop.

… The Nagin administration didn’t respond to questions about the neighborhood planning process this week.

… [It has only now become widely apparent that] neighborhoods can immediately use their plans in seeking government or private grants not controlled by the state agency.

To get an idea of all the baffles, barriers, hurdles and hoops to contend with in this process, read every sentence of Becky Houtman’s last post on the topic of City Planning.

… the [state-level] LRA Fund Committee is holding the purse-strings

A plan is required to release federal relief funding, but little or no funding is given to the creation of a detailed and comprehensive plan.

Also note that rebuilding plans here take place under the specter of the ol’ Catch-22: Whom are we rebuilding for?  Said differently, if we rebuild, how many will come back?  And, what do they come back to if we don’t rebuild?  Open dialogues, especially important ones, don’t happen quietly.

5. Mean Ol’ Levees: All of the above is background chatter without federal levees that don’t break.  The mouse in my pocket and I would “quietly rebuild” with glee if we had the wherewithal, and our entire region isn’t at the mercy of the Army Corps of Engineers for this tremendous engineering task.  Even today, Officials Disagree On Readiness Of New Orleans Levees For Storms.

6. The Gettin’ Ain’t So Good: Many New Orleanians, whether here or displaced, are yet to rebuild a life to get on with.  If you were to live in a trailer or with family and friends, are un(der)employed, fight insurance companies and try to make life as normal as possible for your family and yourself everyday, I wouldn’t consider it “going on.”  That’s simple survival.

Anything else?  It’s a pity that, in this age of technology, global business and rapid monetary exchange, Louisiana has to justify itself to the rest of the nation.  Yet, we abide.