Page 31 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New Orleans

THE HIST OR Y OF NE W ORLEANS  29

The New Orleans Saints
With their hometown devastated and
their stadium, the Superdome, in ruins, the
New Orleans Saints football team ended
the 2005 season with one of the National
Football League’s worst records. However,
the team came roaring back the following
year. The restored Superdome reopened in
September 2006, just in time for the Saints’
first home game since Katrina. The team
won that game and went on to end the
season with a trip to the conference
championship. Along the way, the Saints’
success provided an uplifting cause for
New Orleanians, who embraced the team
The grand reopening of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as a symbol of their city’s recovery.

business, and volunteers from programs have also grown to
Picking Up the Pieces around the world flocked to the encourage environmentally
Neighborhoods built on high area to help with the recovery sensitive designs in rebuilding
ground, such as the French effort. Though the tourism and the city.
Quarter and the Garden District, convention industries were
did not flood and were open for severely reduced, and staffing
re-entry just weeks after Katrina. shortages were rampant, A New New Orleans
For other areas, a slow planning New Orleans managed to Today, it is possible to visit New
process for rebuilding began as host its traditional Mardi Gras Orleans without seeing a trace
the government debated how celebration in February 2006. of the disaster, though outside
to fund the immense recovery the historic areas, signs of the
effort. Residents slowly trickled devastation still linger. Recovery
back and were provided with Rebuilding Better continues on a block-by-block
thousands of trailers for As residents continued to return basis, even as large-scale
temporary lodging. to the city, the Army Corps of reconstruction projects begin
Engineers began building a to take shape.
stronger, more advanced flood- The city’s population is still
control system. This project will significantly smaller than before
take years to complete, but it has Katrina. However, many of the
already increased the city’s level residents who have returned,
of protection, as the river’s levees and newcomers drawn to New
held in 2011. The federal govern- Orleans since the disaster, have
ment eventually approved embraced the city’s cultural
billions of dollars in aid to repair heritage and are reinvigorating
local infra structure and help its many unique traditions.
resi dents rebuild their homes The population has also taken
Debris amassed in front of a house in the and businesses. After several a renewed interest in politics
aftermath of Katrina central planning processes fell and wide-ranging political
apart, frustrated neighborhood reforms have been created to
groups began crafting their own hold officials more accountable,
Open for Business
redevelop ment plans. Private and improve civic institutions.
Despite the devastation and
lack of urban infrastructure, the
recovery of New Orleans began
to spread from the rela tively
intact historic core to the
surrounding neighborhoods.
Restaurants and businesses
slowly reopened, sometimes in
makeshift conditions, and the
first schools resumed lessons
before the end of 2005. The
New Orleans port, the city’s
long-standing economic
powerhouse, also got back to Homes being built in the New Orleans Musicians’ Village

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