new orleans the inevitable city on an impossible site

New Orleans

The Inevitable City

on an

Impossible Site

New Orleans – A City Unlike No Other

• Rich French tradition

• Abnormal slave/black laws

• Culture blending

• Food

• Impossible site

• Catholic influence

Food

• French, Spanish, Italian, Creole, African, Native American, and Cuban food mixture

• Authentic “Louisiana” flavor

Andouille

• Mildly spiced Acadian sausage often used to flavor red beans and rice

• Pronounced “an-du-EE”

Beignet

• Rectangular puff of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, most famously served at Café du Monde in New Orleans

Boudin

• Spicy Cajun sausage containing rice and meat or seafood

Chitlins

• Short for “chitterlings.” Dish made from small intestines of hogs, cooked in butter and often served in vinegar, hot red pepper sauce, and minced red onions on the side.

Gumbo

• Any kind of thick soup with meat/seafood flavored with okra

Jambalaya

• Rice cooked with a mix of diced meat/fish in tomato sauce and other seasonings. One of Hank Williams Sr.’s most popular songs, 1952

Mint Julep

• South’s most famous and elegant cocktail. Served in a tall glass filled with crushed ice, bourbon, water, sugar, mint, and nutmeg

Po’ Boy

• Huge sandwich of French bread and any number of fillings such as ham, shrimp, roast beef, and meatballs; dressed with lettuce, tomato, etc.

Mardi Gras

• French phrase for Fat Tuesday

• Describes parades/partying that occurs on last day before Lent

“Wed to River and Ocean”

• Almost natural dock for the transshipment of goods

• Pierce Lewis: “inevitable city on an impossible site.“

• Miss. River Drainage

Flow of the Mississippi

• Brings silt, sand, clay, and organic matter from United States--Dumped at mouth of river

• Islands form when big enough, river splits

• Bedrock in NO is 70 feet beneath surface

Difficulties

• Continued dumping of silt has made river higher than New Orleans – 15-20 feet

• Swampy, wet and sinking ground

• Hot, humid and miserable weather

• Hurricane threats

Claims by the French

• LaSalle claimed Louisiana for France

• Colony needed on Mississippi for trade, control of continent

• Indians advice: “Go upriver”

The Problem

• Mouth of river was unclear– 3 rough, undefined mouths– Shallow sandbars– Mud banks

Burning Question for the French: Where to build a port city?

Birth of a City

• 150 miles upriver from Gulf of Mexico

• Quickly became bustling port city

• “Isle d’Orleans”

• Oasis of civilization in hostile swamp

Birth of a City

• 1721 – First streets are laid

• Streets named after Catholic saints/French monarchy

• Bourbon Street named after Royal House Bourbon

Thomas Jefferson on NO

• "There is one spot on the globe, the possessor of which is our natural and habitual enemy. It is New Orleans."

Transfer to Spanish Rule

• After France lost French-Indian War in 1763, NO given to France

• Two devastating fires prompt rebuilding– Many buildings today are Spanish, not French

Purchase by America

• 1803 – With Louisiana Purchase, Americans invade

• Were not welcomed; many streets had been built to keep them out

Blacks and the City

• Many “free people of color” allowed

• Slaves markets flourished

• For slaves, city becomes sort of a haven/refuge

Hurricane Katrinain New Orleans - What Went Wrong?

New Orleans Overview

• Many citizens live in extreme poverty

• Much of NO is below sea level

• Warned for years of devastating effects of hurricane

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Before the Storm

• Mandatory Evacuation: Residents ordered to leave

• Many stay behind…

• …Claiming to be too poor and unable to leave

Katrina – August 29, 2005

• Hurricane strikes at 6 AM

• 140 MPH winds, 24 ft. storm surges

• Trees uprooted, roofs blown off, power lines broken

• At 6 PM, it’s over

Points of View on Katrina

• “Keep your head up from stuff flying around! It’s white-capping in the parking lot! Look at the debris! Look at that! The entire thing is coming apart! I feel real scared!”

- CNN crew member

during Katrina

Points of View, cont.

• Mr. President, we need your help. We need everything you’ve got.”

– Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco in a phone call to the President

People Out of Control

• Looters smash windows of businesses, steal

• Women/children robbed at gunpoint

• Rapes and murders common

Quote

• “We went from the Space Age to the Stone Age in about three hours.”

– Aaron Broussard, Jefferson Parish president

FEMA

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

• Responsible for help/assistance with disasters

Save Haven in Superdome?

• 25,000+ transferred to Superdome after storm

• Promised supplies from FEMA never arrive

• Frustration grows

President Bush Visits

• Tours NO and Gulfport, MS

• “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” - Bush to Michael Brown, director of FEMA

• Calls for better communication

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Communication Problems

• FEMA, Louisiana government, other federal agencies clash

• Red tape involved with approval to help, responsibilities, etc.

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Oil Prices Surge

• Many refineries knocked out in Gulf Coast

• Gas prices skyrocket to $3.39/gal. nationwide

Frustration with FEMA

• NO residents claim they were abandoned

• Delay in supplies, broken promises

• Racism claimed

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Aftermath

• Brown resigns from FEMA

• Many of 500,000 residents move to TX, OK, IL

• Many will never return

• NO struggles to

build again

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Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaThe 5 Ws and NowThe 5 Ws and Now

Satellite picture by NOAA

Who…Who…

The people of…The people of…• Florida, Alabama, Florida, Alabama,

Mississippi, & Mississippi, & LouisianaLouisiana

• 1.2 million evacuated1.2 million evacuated• 1,833 deaths1,833 deaths• 1.7 million without 1.7 million without

powerpowerNew Orleans, La. August 30, 2005New Orleans, La. August 30, 2005

Photo: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

What…What…

• Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina

-Category 3-Category 3

-140 mph winds-140 mph winds

-rain - 1inch/hour-rain - 1inch/hour

-20 ft storm -20 ft storm surgesurge

• 80% of New Orleans 80% of New Orleans under flood watersunder flood waters

Photo: NASA

When…When…• Hit land in Florida on Hit land in Florida on

August 24, 2005August 24, 2005

• Hit New Orleans on Hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005August 29, 2005

• Storm Surge on August Storm Surge on August 29-30, 200529-30, 2005

-Lake Ponchartrain and -Lake Ponchartrain and Mississippi RiverMississippi River

August 30, 2005

Photo by Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

Where…Where…

• Mississippi and Mississippi and LouisianaLouisiana

• New OrleansNew Orleans

-metro area-metro area

-Lakeview-Lakeview

-St. Bernard Parish-St. Bernard Parish

-9th ward-9th ward

Map by NASA

Why…Why…• Loss of Coastal LandsLoss of Coastal Lands• Flood Protection FailureFlood Protection Failure• Poverty - lack of Poverty - lack of

opportunity to leave and opportunity to leave and no insuranceno insurance

• Slow government Slow government responseresponse

-LA National Guard in -LA National Guard in IraqIraq New Orleans, LA, August 29, 2005New Orleans, LA, August 29, 2005

17th Street Canal Levee Break

Photo: Marty Bahamonde/FEMA

Loss of Coastal LandsLoss of Coastal Lands

• Upstream dams and Upstream dams and levees – control levees – control flooding and help with flooding and help with shippingshipping

• Created loss of 1,900 Created loss of 1,900 sq miles of coastal sq miles of coastal landslands

• Losing one football Losing one football field of land every 38 field of land every 38 minutesminutes

Photo: Kathryn Smith, USGS

Flood ProtectionFlood Protection

• New Orleans sits New Orleans sits below sea levelbelow sea level

• Has canals, levees, Has canals, levees, flood gates and flood gates and pumping stations to pumping stations to keep it drykeep it dry

• Could not take the Could not take the mighty power of the mighty power of the 20ft storm surge20ft storm surge

• CollapsedCollapsed

New Orleans, LA, August 30, 2005 -- Aerial photograph of the break in New Orleans, LA, August 30, 2005 -- Aerial photograph of the break in the levee in the 9th ward. Neighborhoods throughout the area remain the levee in the 9th ward. Neighborhoods throughout the area remain

flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina. flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Photo: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

PovertyPoverty

Photo: Marty Bahamonde/FEMA

• New Orleans, LA. New Orleans, LA. • August 28, 2005August 28, 2005

• Superdome opened as a Superdome opened as a hurricane shelter.hurricane shelter.

• Most residents evacuated Most residents evacuated the city and those left the city and those left behind did not have behind did not have transportation or have transportation or have special needs.special needs.

Then and NowThen and Now

• Rescue EffortsRescue Efforts

• Markings Still ExistMarkings Still Exist

Photo: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

Then and NowThen and Now

Pre-KatrinaPre-Katrina 20082008

HospitalsHospitals 2323 13 13

Public SchoolsPublic Schools 276276 79 79

Private SchoolsPrivate Schools 93 93 63 63