Hurricane Rita: If Rita indeed moves southward, hence lowering the price of crude oil, why is southern Louisiana on for a mandatory evacuation? Is this paranoia, only somewhat justified, or would even a bit of rain place tremendous strain on our recovering levee system? Waiting until Friday to return is frustrating, but not a problem in the large scheme of time. However, federal and local officials had better not use this stay-away order to delay our re-entry. This is another great reminder of the transience of Great Human Plans, yet a monkey wrench / scapegoat / what have you in the path of rebuilding.
Mayor Ray Nagin suspended plans to let Uptowners return later this week and asked Algiers residents, who were allowed to come back to their homes Monday, to evacuate. And St. Bernard halted re-entry plans altogether and imposed a mandatory evacuation beginning today at 4 a.m.
Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, whose district includes Algiers and the French Quarter, urged residents to stay where they are until Rita’s path becomes clearer. She estimated that about a third of Algiers’ 60,000 residents returned Monday, the first day that Nagin opened up the city for re-entry.
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Small Business In New Orleans: Posted on the nola.com Uptown forums, a way for our city’s small businesses to work over the internet with existing websites? If you’re a small business owner, please check it out and report back.
Small business is the heart and soul of New Orleans. The city can’t survive without the countless number of small business operators who bring the flavor and diversity to the shops of the city. We have established a displaced business directory (free) where NOLA and NOLA metro businesses can list their current address and operating status at allneworleans.com – this information will assist employees, customers, clients, vendors in re: where to contact a displaced business. If you have a website, your link is posted so you can do business over the Internet until store fronts are restored. Submit your information here.
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Soul Food: A reported 25% of restaurants, especially mom-and-pop places, will not return to the New Orleans area following rebuilding. This is not surprising; in fact, I think it’s quite a conservative estimate, given the number of small food businesses that operated out of MidCity, Gentilly and New Orleans East, the most flood-affected parts of New Orleans.
Maitri, please keep us updated on your well-being as well. Take care! I hope Rita doesn’t do anything to the levees.
Guh. I realize that hurricane predictions are just that – predictions, and therefore wildly subject to change – but DANG people that thing isn’t getting anywhere near eastern Lousiana as it stands right now. Horrible though any more moisture may be to NO, BTR and areas northwest of here actually needs some rain.
I just want to grumble about hoping this doesn’t mess up our Friday morning flight out either. This upcoming weekend in WI is the biggest carrot at the end of a stick I have ever seen.