Post Katrina Trip, Part 2

The other thing that I forgot to mention were the businesses. Many fast food places and resaturants are not yet open, and if they are, they have limited hours. Some only have their drive throughs open. The city had over a million people in it, and now has appx. under 200,000. Nearly every chain store (wal mart, mcdonalds, home depot, blockbuster) is way short and trying to hire like crazy. The problem is that the majority of the people who left these poisitions can work at the same place wherever it is they now live. The fast food places are paying up to $11 an hour, with a monthly bonus of up to $500. Unbelievable.

Comments

[Nick]

Hey Benji! Wow.....I am totally speechless-you're right when you say that words can't describe...it's unbelievable that something like this could happen...and I had no idea that it was still like that. Thanks for sharing, it put a much better perspective in my mind.

[joe kennedy]

Benjy, the greater New Orleans area had close to a million people. Of that, 400,000 give or take a few thousand lived in the city of New Orleans. Metairie, Kenner, and the West Bank are now virtually rebuilt and have easily 300K. As for New Orleans, I hear it's close to half its original population. Just to be clear about it.

(I'm a student at New Orleans Seminary, and a member of Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans, although I am living in Mobile, Alabama until August when I can move back. I do still have a few friends living in the area who keep me up to date.)

Glad you went.