Twelve-year-old Jermaine Gibson is ready for school. "The summer was boring. I'm glad to go back," he said last week as he arrived for his first day at William J. Fischer Charter Elementary School, in New Orleans, Louisiana. For many kids in New Orleans, books, backpacks and homework are a reassuring sign that some things are finally getting back to normal.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. One year later, its impact is still being felt, especially in Louisiana and Mississippi. The storm destroyed 353,000 homes. People across the region were left homeless. More than 113,000 families are still living in temporary trailers.
The road to recovery has been long and slow, and Gulf Coast residents are nowhere near its end. After the storm, the difficult task of clearing the wreckage and rebuilding began. The government's handling of the disaster and its aftermath has made many people angry. Promises of help have been hard to keep. Though the government committed $110 billion to Katrina relief, many of those who need the money most have not received their share. Charges of waste and mismanagement have left people disappointed. Still, paid workers and volunteers are laboring side by side to rebuild.
Slow Progress
Of the 300,000 residents who fled New Orleans, an estimated 40% have
returned. Others may never move back. Those who have are making new
lives in a changed city.
Parts of the coastal city remain deserted. Damaged houses still have not been demolished. "There are cars flipped over. There are huge trees still on top of houses," Lauren Peckler, a high school student from Pomona, New York, told TFK after spending a month volunteering in the Gulf region. "Almost a year later, it looks as if these areas haven't been touched."
Only half of New Orleans's hospitals have reopened, and 17% of buses and streetcars are running. Flood walls called levees are supposed to protect the low-lying city. When powerful Katrina broke four sections of the levees, 80% of the city flooded. Fixing the broken sections was tough and costly. The U.S. government has promised $6 billion for work on the levees. So far, they have been repaired, but not improved. The existing levees may not withstand another giant storm.
Back to School
Two-thirds of New Orleans's 128 public schools were flooded in the
storm. Before Katrina, the school system was considered one of the worst
in the nation. Officials hope to improve the schools, not only with
fresh coats of paint and brand-new books, but with new rules and
strategies for success.
Last week, some schools welcomed students into temporary trailers and cramped classrooms. By the end of September, a total of 56 schools are expected to be back in business. At full capacity, those schools could serve up to 34,000 students, approximately half of the total number that were enrolled before Katrina.
The schools, like so much in New Orleans, are far from perfect. But the idea that they could one day be better than before gives the city hope. In New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities, people need every bit of hope that they can grasp after this very difficult year.