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Fri Feb 10 2012

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National Issues

Bring back New Orleans: the politics of disaster
by David Lewis, Photos by Aaron Geiser
September 20, 2005

NEW ORLEANS -- At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans announced that the reentry initiated this morning would be suspended and the city was going to be re-evacuated by Wednesday.

Nagin cites approaching Hurricane Rita as the reason for the evacuation; Rita is expected to reach at least Category 4 status by the time it makes landfall Thursday afternoon, with gale force winds whipping the Delta as early as Wednesday night.

Mayor Nagin stated that it would take only a mere nine inches of precipitation to compromise the levees, flooding New Orleans again for the second time in three weeks. When asked whether the temporary repairs made to the levees were expected to hold, he said that he “did not have that expectation”; adding that the pumps were “not yet operating at full capacity.”

“I am urging and encouraging you to call anyone you know in the city, both in Algiers and the East Bank, and tell them to leave.” Mayor Nagin seemed reluctant to identify how much force would be used by police and National Guardsmen and private security to facilitate this evacuation, stating that the level of force needed would be assessed over the next few days.

Nagin has been accused of not reacting with enough force to remove the many residents who chose to defy the “mandatory” evacuation two weeks ago and remained in the city throughout the storm. When pressed about evacuation holdouts such as shop owner Bob Rue, who weathered much of the storm in his Oriental rug store, the Sarouk Shop, Nagin replied “We are all adults here, and if some peoplee who have already seen what this kind of storm can do want to stay through another, well, God bless them.”

Rue, who gained notoriety for the humorous graffitti messages he painted on the plywood protecting his storefront, didn’t lose phone service at any point during the storm, and has been conducting business as usual. to the extent that he has been able. When questioned about the government’s response to the disaster he had this to say:

“Blanco I’m not happy with. Nagin was dealt a bad hand; the storm just overwhelmed everything. Blanco was paralyzed for the first week. We saw the tears but nothing happened; she was just paralyzed. She’s known for never making decisions about anything, but she’s always ready to call another meeting.”

Unfortunately for Nagin, 49, the questionable amount of force administered during the Katrina evacuation is not the only critcism he is currently facing. Coast guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen, the newly appointed director of FEMA, has publicly voiced opposition to several of the mayor’s decisions, including his reentry plan, indicating that it was premature. When asked for his reaction to Allen’s remarks, Nagin replied, “I don’t worry about it much these days. [Admiral Allen] is a good man, but when he starts talking directly to the citizens of New Orleans he is out of line. There’s only one mayor, and it’s me.” Nagin also denied referring to Allen as having been “crowned Federal Mayor of New Orleans” in a press conference over the weekend in Galveston, Texas.

Nagin waved off questions regarding the political ramifications of ordering a second evacuation, especially so soon after opening the city for reentry, stating that “with another hurricane approaching, I would rather err on the side of conservatism.”

That same sentiment is what has incensed so many of Nagin’s critics; his moderate politics were hard to buy for many of New Orlean’s more liberal parishoners. Nagin voiced reluctance to back Sen. John Kerry in the presidential race in 2004; he again came under strong scrutiny after supporting Republican candidate Robert Jindal over the Democratic prospect Kathleen Babineaaux Blanco. Ironically, both Blanco and Nagin are now catching heat from the locals, who have hung bold signs on what few telephone poles remain scattered throughout the city declaring simply, “BLANCO AND NAGIN MUST GO.”

Meanwhile, back on St. Charles Avenue, Rue’s shop is still without power, and he has no way of telling when it will be back on. The small stone building smells of stagnant water and mold, as does much of the city. Now he sits in the shop with several other durably-built denizens of Lousiana’s Atlantis; waterlogged ghosts forlornly loitering around their old haunts, preparing for another storm to strike his beloved city, and trying to find some comfort in the routine; waiting to see Mayor Nagin live up to the hopeful title of his recovery plan, “Bring Back New Orleans!”