Many African-Americans in New Orleans are said to be worried that their neighborhoods, which were most affected by Hurricane Katrina, may remain ignored and turned into wetlands by urban developers, according to the Associated Press. Four years after the hurricane that nearly wiped out most of the city, the Lower Ninth Ward still has areas that have yet to see the return of schools, parks and government services. However, a recent poll by Tulane University found that the majority of New Orleans’ White voters prefer not to rebuild these vulnerable areas while 74 percent of Blacks polled disagreed.
Maggie Merill, policy director for Mayor Ray Nagin, begs to differ, saying that the city is committed to a recovery plan that is fair to everyone. She said the problem is that the damage in the most severely flooded areas was the most serious and as a result is taking the longest to repair. —WLW