At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1928. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 Billion in damage making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
Although more than 80% of residents evacuated, the rest remained. The Louisiana Superdome, used as a designated "refuge of last resort" for those who remained in the city, also sustained significant damage, including two sections of the roof that were compromised, and the dome's waterproof membrane had essentially been peeled off. As the city flooded, many who remained in their homes had to swim for their lives, wade through deep water, or remain trapped in their attics or on their rooftops.
More about this can be seen at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_Hurricane_Katrina_on_New_Orleans
"Most people have no idea how bad things still are down here. Vast swaths of this city remain uninhabited. Only 5% of the homes damaged by Katrina have been rebuilt. Local residents are getting really discouraged. To make matters worse, volunteers have dramatically dropped off for most churches and non-profits. So, another nation-wide push for volunteers will be a huge blessing to the city." - Pete Kelly, Campus Crusade New Orleans Team Leader
Housing
The number of residential properties for sale continues to inch upward from 13,385 in February to 13,609 in March, primarily in the most flooded parts of the metro area. There has been a notable slowing in the number of Army Corps building demolitions with only 151 demolitions this month. Residential building permits in Orleans Parish have gradually slowed since the anniversary of Katrina—down to only 1,000 building permits in the month of February. New residential housing permits reached a new record of 725 for the metro area in January—notably higher than the 500 per month average pre-Katrina. The Road Home contractor has still only closed on a small fraction (2.5 percent) of the 115,000 applications they have received. Despite a slight acceleration in the number of closings completed, the number of new applications received each week continues to exceed the number of closings completed in that same week.
Population
Enrollment at all reporting universities has fallen since the spring semester following Katrina, as school officials struggle to convince parents to send their freshmen to New Orleans for college.
Infrastructure
The number of operational buses and open public transportation routes has remained virtually stagnant for a year. Only one additional public school was opened last month in Orleans Parish. Despite pressing demand, 76 school facilities remain closed. No additional hospitals have opened in Orleans, St. Bernard, or Jefferson in the last four months despite pressing
need. Although four child care centers opened in Orleans Parish, and two opened in St. Tammany Parish, two child care centers closed in Jefferson Parish this past month. This may be the first signal that child care centers that charge low fees are financially unsustainable given demand for higher wages among child care workers due to increased housing costs.
Economy
The New Orleans metropolitan area gained more than 50,000 workers from November to January. Simultaneously the unemployment rate dropped from 5 percent to 4.5 percent and remained just below the national average of 4.6 percent.
Finding certified staff proves vexing
Friday, January 26, 2007
By Steve Ritea
Despite their initial goal to hire only certified teachers, just 67 percent of those teaching in 18 Recovery District schools have earned state certification, a statistic district officials concede speaks to a larger crisis in securing enough qualified teachers. At some schools, fewer than half of teachers are certified.
"Students are coming back, and they're not bringing teachers with them," said Leslie Jacobs of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. "We have to grow a whole new teaching core, and I'm not sure we can grow it fast enough to keep up with the rate of returning students."
The Recovery School District faces unparalleled challenges with anywhere from 15 to 75 new students registering each day, many the children of returning evacuees. Unlike charters or schools run by the Orleans Parish School Board, the state-run Recovery District cannot cap enrollment and must find a place for every child who shows up to enroll.
A shortage of classroom space and staff has forced the Recovery District to "wait-list" nearly 300 students until renovations are completed and teachers are hired for at least two more school buildings set to open next month, McDonogh No. 42 Elementary and Cohen High. The Recovery District's 18 schools educate 8,562 students. About 28,000 students attend all 54 public schools open in the city today.
With federal officials planning to open hundreds more units in the city's public housing complexes in the next few months, likely bringing hundreds more needy students into the system, Jacobs said she's fearful that the city will run out of teachers.
"You have a labor shortage that is going to be a whole lot worse," she said. "If we end up with 40,000 students next year, we will not have enough teachers."
According to the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington research group, many large urban cities report teacher certification rates just under 90 percent.
The Recovery District's 67 percent is "pretty low," said Henry Duvall, a spokesman for the Council of the Great City Schools, a nonprofit coalition of the nation's largest urban school systems. While certification cannot be considered in a vacuum, he added: "Research suggests that teachers with certification are more effective than those who are not in terms of student achievement outcomes."
The shortage is particularly acute at some campuses. Fewer than half of all teachers are certified at four of the Recovery District's schools: John McDonogh High, Rabouin High, Reed Elementary and Schwartz Alternative school.
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