Two years later, some areas of New Orleans see little progress
8:46 p.m. Wednesday, August 29, 2007
In what the White House points out is his fifteenth visit to the Gulf region, President Bush told residents in New Orleans that he sees improvements that more families have returned and more homes have been rebuilt.
"New Orleans, better days are ahead. It's sometimes hard for people to see progress when you live in a community all the time," President Bush said.
Alan Zimmer says the President has it wrong
His shop is in the middle of what looks like a ghost town of broken down homes and empty lots. He says President Bush should get out of the tourist district and come look around the rest of the city.
"When you look out and you still see a lot of areas that aren't being developed. Nobody's doing anything. Two years is a long time," Zimmer said.
Across Louisiana today, the events seemed to suggest that so much of the regions troubles were in the past as bells rung for the 1600 people who died
A choir sang at Chalmette High School, in St. Bernard's Parish, the first high school here to re-open after the storm.
But the issues that stand in the way of recovery are serious and large.
Four hospitals remain closed, and only one out of seven is operating a pre-Katrina levels.
A large number of doctors, nurses, lawyers and other professionals haven't returned or are leaving town. And New Orleans is in desperate need of law and order. More than 160 people have been murdered in the city this year. The police are overwhelmed.
"Here it is, two years after the storm and police officers are still working out of trailers," said Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission. "They have to bring their own supplies to work. They have put in a pool of money to have cleaning come in and clean out their, their trailers."
Despite the government's shortcomings, the Schuermans are one of the many families here who have hope on this anniversary. They're spending their life savings rebuilding their home, eight feet higher than it sat before.
"We're trying to do our little part to get our neighborhood back," Joe Scheuerman said.
"It's exciting to be part of the rebuilding, you know, to say you gave it a shot," Shelly Scheuerman said.
But they still get nervous, when it rains.
65-percent of the city's public schools will reopen this fall.
Plus, jobs are returning to the area. 85-percent of employers before the storm are back in business.
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