10 Years After Hurricane Katrina: Keep New Orleans Moving Forward

At the tenth anniversary of the failure of the federal levee system which flooded New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many would like to put a bow on the city and tell the world we're back, and better than before.

While much has improved since Hurricane Katrina, our city is far from where we need to be.

To pretend New Orleans is safe, sustained and headed in the right direction would be a disservice to those who love New Orleans, and want the city and all her residents to achieve their full potential.

I was the military leader of the nation's response to the storm - I know we've got a lot to celebrate. Please join me in ensuring that Louisiana Governor Jindal and President Obama don't ignore or overlook the remaining needs of the region:

Our coastal lines of defense: Louisiana's storm-buffering wetlands continue to disappear at the rate of a football field an hour, due in large part to sacrifices made to support the nation's oil and gas and shipping industries. An ambitious plan to restore the coast is $80 billion short of its $100 billion price tag. Unless this plan is enacted, metro New Orleans will continue to be vulnerable to another Katrina.

Our communities are poor, undereducated and underemployed: Despite the huge increase in charter schools, and the thriving entrepreneur economy and business start ups - NOLA continues to face poverty and inequity. At least 38% of all children in the city live in poverty. 37% of renters are forced to pay more than half their income for housing. There have been no gains since the storm in rates of African American men achieving 4 year degrees or the equivalent. Currently, 47% of African American men in metro New Orleans are out of work, looking for jobs. 

Our Gulf is suffering: This year's Dead Zone, the area of the Gulf with dangerously low-oxygen water, is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Despite decades of state and federal agency meetings, action has been minimal and outcomes even more sparse. The Mississippi River remains an overwhelming source of nutrient pollution, challenging the ability of the Gulf to sustain life. Ocean vessel dumping continues to fly under the radar, while pollution from the shipping industry fouls our waters.

Help me greet these leaders in New Orleans with an appeal to help make the city great. Solutions to all these problems exist, we just need to prioritize and address them. Together we can ensure our environment is restored, our citizens are protected and our community is made stronger through increased productivity from all our members.

As the leaders of this great city, state and nation, you are all spending time in New Orleans, celebrating our recovery - And we've got a lot to celebrate, but don't ignore or overlook the critical needs:

Our coastal lines of defense: Louisiana's storm-buffering wetlands continue to disappear at the rate of a football field an hour, due in large part to sacrifices made for the nation's oil and gas and shipping industries. An ambitious plan to restore the coast is $80 billion short of its $100 billion price tag. Unless this plan is enacted, metro New Orleans will continue to be vulnerable to another Katrina.

Our communities are undereducated and underemployed: Despite the huge increase in charter schools, and the thriving entrepreneur economy and start up businesses - NOLA continues to face poverty and inequity. At least 38% of all children in the city live in poverty. 37% of renters are forced to pay more than half their income for housing. There have been no gains since the storm in rates of African American men achieving 4 year degrees or the equivalent. Currently, 47% of African American men in metro New Orleans are out of work, looking for jobs. 

Our Gulf is suffering: This year's Dead Zone, the area of the Gulf with dangerously low-oxygen waters is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Despite decades of state and federal agency meetings, action has been minimal and outcomes even more sparse. The Mississippi River remains an overwhelming source of nutrient pollution, challenging the ability of the Gulf to sustain life. Ocean vessel dumping continues to fly under the radar, while pollution from the shipping industry fouls our waters.


Solutions to all these problems exist, we just need to prioritize and address them. Working together at the local, state and federal levels we can ensure our environment is restored, our citizens are protected and our community is made stronger through increased productivity from all our members.


Please meet with Lt. Gen. Honoré as soon as your schedules allow to begin prioritizing these critical needs.

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.