New Orleans Population Recovery

A new study by the RAND Corporation suggests that the population of New Orleans will recover to only 58% of its pre-Katrina level by September 2008. They concluded that this is primarily attributable to the inability to rebuild areas like Lakeview and the Lower 9th. As we have previously reported, rebuilding in these areas has not started. Indeed, much of the clean-up has yet to begin.

Furthermore, reconstruction cannot start for the majoriy until our friends at FEMA release the new flood maps. This is isn't expected until later this summer. How can we expect people to put their lives on hold this long? With federal aid capped at $150,000 many will not even be able to afford it. People will hesitate further as they try determine whether their neighborhood is even viable. The longer people have to stay in Baton Rouge, Atlanta, or Houston the more settled they will become. We can't delay any longer in helping these people to restart their lives; this is what our government is for.

The other observation in the report is that many poorer New Orleanians may not be able to afford a ticket back to town. Shouldn't government be providing this too? After all the hoopla about how these people should be forcibly evacuated (and didn't because they couldn't afford a ticket out of town) shouldn't they at least be given money for a ticket back to town. Of course these people no longer have homes to return to. Many were renters and of course rental units are in short supply too.

To a large degree these people are the economic engine that drives the New Orleans economy. Without them, the economy cannot rebound. So we are in a housing chicken and egg situation. The city's economy cannot return until the people return. The people cannot return until the money is in place for them to rebuild. This does not a pretty picture for New Orleans. Without fixing this fundamental problem, New Orleans will become a city for the wealthy and white.