Rebuilding the Ninth Ward, New Orleans

When the canal levee broke during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Ninth Ward was flooded to the rooftops. The levee is about 150 Yards behind the Live Oak tree in this photo. Over one thousand people died in that category 5 hurricane. All of the old friends we have visited with since our arrival were traumatized by that hurricane, and Nikki with whom we had lunch today was no exception. She drove us out to the Ninth Ward to see the new houses. "Make It Right," founded by Brad Pitt in 2007, builds homes, buildings, and communities for people in need, and 100 unusual looking homes have been constructed in that particularly devastated area. The new homes are unusual looking because they are built high off the ground and each has an escape hatch on the roof, in the event of another levee breach. There are many, many abandoned lots still covered with piles of concrete debris. In this photo you can see the concrete blocks which at one time were a foundation for a home that was washed away in the flood. http://makeitright.org/about/faq/

From there Nikki drove us to the Upper Ninth Ward to see "Musicians Village," the brain child of Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. In an effort to encourage and assist New Orleans musicians to return to their devastated city, in 2006 Habitat for Humanity, with the help of 70,000 volunteers, donors, sponsors, and low income families constructed 72 single family dwellings, as well as dwellings for the elderly and disabled. In the center of this 8 acre area is the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. https://www.ellismarsaliscenter.org/musicians-village