June 23 – Monday (Very hot and humid feels like 100)
We awoke around 7:00am. Today Camp Collide is bringing us on a tour of the lower 9th ward (the hardest hit area and poorest district) to see what it looks like 3 years later. There is sentiment among locals and politicians that collide. The government gave this land to the freed slaves in the 1930’s to build their homes and families, but there were no deeds filed. For years families of the poorest grew up here and passed their homes on to the next generation(s). It did become a place of drugs and crime and was viewed by many to be an area better left alone. When it was consumed by the Mississippi River because of the breaks in the levy’s, the homes were ruined and everyone fled for safty. When they returned to rebuild, the insurance companies needed proof of ownership and no one could provide it and the government was not cooperating. This is why most of the homes are exactly like they were 3 years ago after Katrina. In the picture below, you can see what I mean. You will also see an “X” on many homes. They locals hate these and it’s the first thing to go. In the X you will notice 4 markings, They stand for the number dead, the number of pets dead, the organization that checked and the check date. It is not uncommon to se these all over New Orleans, mainly on the homes where people are not coming back.
Here is a picture of the new section of the levy that is rebuilt. As I stated earlier, No one knows how it broke but there are several stories depending on who you talk to. One thing everyone is clear on is the flooding that happened on te east side of New Orleans.
At this point, except for the dirt and debris, this area of NO has been mostly untouched. The goal og the government would be to not help the natives to this area because they believe it would be flooded again and they do not want to spend money here. We completed our tour looking at home after home that was vacant and most likely would never be lived in again.
