Well, there certainly is a lot of gorgeous wrought iron work there, probably many fleurs-de-lays give its ties to French royalty. New Orleans is pretty special in the US context! My three visits there were all pre-Katrina.
They’re so absolutely everywhere, including on the city’s flag and the Saints’ helmets, that I still automatically check if it’s got something to do with the city when I see one. I lived there briefly (most of my LA time was elsewhere in the state), and left just ahead of Katrina. What’s become of the city AK breaks my heart.
Yeah, well from my recollection,away from the tourist areas ,the place was pretty marginal and it sounds like, as usual in catastrophes the marginalised suffer the most. The city is one marginal place altogether given its mostly at or below water level location, but is ineffably cool despite the troubles its endured over the years.
There were problems no one knew about that hurt those communities even beyond that obvious impact — all the pockets the levee-maintenance money went into is the obvious one, but the false-alarm storm that came through not long before Katrina was in some ways even more of a disaster, because it caused Katrina to be a bigger one than it might have been. It wiped out the running money of pretty much everyone who did have it in the hardest-hit areas. It also wiped out people’s faith in “Here comes the storm of a lifetime!” That’s why so many people who did have the resources to get out stayed. I nearly did. I’d been through three major hurricanes and a bunch of other big storms already, as well as the one that fizzled. It took a friend who threatened to drive 6 hours from Houston and literally drag me out by my hair to make me realize I wasn’t playing smart. Of course, that meant I was in Houston for Rita, but that’s a whole other kettle.
New Orleans is still hurting so much. Much of the Lower 9th and St. Bernard Parish are still nearly empty because insurance companies never paid up (and of course never will). Crime has skyrocketed again in the past few years, more of it of the most violent type, rather than clipping drunk tourists’ wallets in the Quarter. And so many people just never went back, because there was nothing there for them to go back to. The death of the non-physical part of neighborhoods and districts that loss caused has done damage that’s harder to measure, but easy to feel.
I’m glad, too. 🙂 I think about it sometimes and realize that the chances were pretty good of my not surviving, the aftermath more than the storm itself. Comedy-but-not bonus: I can’t swim.
Ebb Then Flood 
I’m having a New Orleans moment. 🙂
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Well, there certainly is a lot of gorgeous wrought iron work there, probably many fleurs-de-lays give its ties to French royalty. New Orleans is pretty special in the US context! My three visits there were all pre-Katrina.
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They’re so absolutely everywhere, including on the city’s flag and the Saints’ helmets, that I still automatically check if it’s got something to do with the city when I see one. I lived there briefly (most of my LA time was elsewhere in the state), and left just ahead of Katrina. What’s become of the city AK breaks my heart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, well from my recollection,away from the tourist areas ,the place was pretty marginal and it sounds like, as usual in catastrophes the marginalised suffer the most. The city is one marginal place altogether given its mostly at or below water level location, but is ineffably cool despite the troubles its endured over the years.
LikeLike
There were problems no one knew about that hurt those communities even beyond that obvious impact — all the pockets the levee-maintenance money went into is the obvious one, but the false-alarm storm that came through not long before Katrina was in some ways even more of a disaster, because it caused Katrina to be a bigger one than it might have been. It wiped out the running money of pretty much everyone who did have it in the hardest-hit areas. It also wiped out people’s faith in “Here comes the storm of a lifetime!” That’s why so many people who did have the resources to get out stayed. I nearly did. I’d been through three major hurricanes and a bunch of other big storms already, as well as the one that fizzled. It took a friend who threatened to drive 6 hours from Houston and literally drag me out by my hair to make me realize I wasn’t playing smart. Of course, that meant I was in Houston for Rita, but that’s a whole other kettle.
New Orleans is still hurting so much. Much of the Lower 9th and St. Bernard Parish are still nearly empty because insurance companies never paid up (and of course never will). Crime has skyrocketed again in the past few years, more of it of the most violent type, rather than clipping drunk tourists’ wallets in the Quarter. And so many people just never went back, because there was nothing there for them to go back to. The death of the non-physical part of neighborhoods and districts that loss caused has done damage that’s harder to measure, but easy to feel.
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Wow, massive insights, so glad you got your butt out of there before Katrina hit. As you say, tragic on so many levels.
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I’m glad, too. 🙂 I think about it sometimes and realize that the chances were pretty good of my not surviving, the aftermath more than the storm itself. Comedy-but-not bonus: I can’t swim.
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Actually Beadberry all that has given me some ideas for a follow up post…
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Does that mean I get to be a muse? Or at least drape myself over a divan like one? 🙂
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Haha!.Promise not to take liberties.Do muses actually do that?
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