 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
« Back to the October 2006 Explorer newsletter
FEATURE ARTICLE
Post Katrina: Working in New Orleans One Year After
By Charles Handler, Ph.D., President & Founder of Rocket-Hire
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my friends and colleagues for their sincere interest in my city over the past year. Believe me we need all the positive thoughts we can get these days. It has been a real challenge running a company from amidst the chaos down here. Despite all the challenges we have done record business over the past year and are growing strong. I believe that this is a testament to the rugged individuals who have chosen to stay in New Orleans and make it happen, whatever their business may be.
In my travels over the last twelve months, I have had many discussions with individuals which have led me to believe that there is a definite lack of understanding about what exactly is going on along the Gulf Coast. I wanted to take a second to provide a quick insider’s view on the city at the present time.
Here are my observations on a few important subjects:
Destruction
Much of the city is still uninhabited and without basic services. This is of course where the worst flooding occurred. The areas that most folks have visited i.e., the French Quarter, Uptown, and Magazine St. are in good shape and are bustling with activity. We are slowly reclaiming some areas (mostly where less severe flooding occurred) while the fate of the hardest hit areas, which included much of the lower income sectors of the city, is still up in the air.
Population
The latest numbers I’ve heard reported have New Orleans at about ½ the pre-hurricane population levels in the metro area, or maybe even a bit less. It looks today as if the population will plateau for a few years, in fact other reports estimate it could take at least 10 years until we get back to our pre-storm levels. One of the biggest drivers for this is the lack of affordable housing — with working services — for persons who do wish to return (see above for the reason behind this).
Jobs
There is still a definite shortage of workers in all trades. Skilled laborers and tradespersons are in demand all over the city. There has been a huge influx of migrant workers who seem to be somewhat transient. Where we have taken the worst hit is in the availability of white collar, professional jobs. We never really had many of these in the first place. We really took a hit as many of the few small business owners we had pre-storm discovered they could do better elsewhere and decided to move on. Many small business owners have been unable to reopen because they have not been able to secure a stable staff. However, we have seen some new businesses open which is encouraging.
Progress
Things in the Big Easy have always been a little slow. Now they are even slower. I am confident that in the long run, things will be better. I really do believe that there are enough people who are willing to do whatever it takes to remain here and live normal lives to ensure that progress occurs. Although, progress is currently being measured in inches. Here is my definition of progress since this time last year:
- Mail is delivered to my house again, and sometimes my magazines actually show up.
- A land line is once again installed (which took 6 months) and working.
- The auto parts store and the corner store have re-opened for business.
- The superdome is about to open again.
- I only waste about 2 hours per day (as opposed to about 4) trying to get daily tasks or errands completed.
- Most of the basic services and supplies one needs to get by and run a business are available.
- However, the city still faces significant uncertainty in terms of long-term issues such as education, health care, and the cultivation of local businesses.
Levees
The levee system is no where near ready to handle another storm of the magnitude of Katrina. Another similar storm could easily wreak havoc again. Yes, they are working on the levees around the clock, but it is important to understand that these levees were substandard before the storm and so we are even further behind the 8 ball now. Correcting them even with the best of resources, which we do not yet have, is still a 5-10 year undertaking.
My personal coping strategy for all of the above is optimism. My city is open for business and we aim to please. The French Quarter is looking good and life around the populated areas is quite normal. We need everyone to come down and see for themselves why this unique place is so worthy of the preservation efforts and support of persons from all over the world. We are starting to have conventions again, notably the American Psychological Association, and are looking forward to continued momentum. I believe the worst is over now and we are finally reaching a point where the real progress can begin. Come see for yourself.
* * *