Nyawlins September 10, 2005 5) The Plan For right now, there's an unbelievable amount of work to be done. There are close to a million people displaced by the hurricane who need a place to live and something to do. The levees around New Orleans must be replaced and upgraded, and a long-term plan must be put in place to restore the barrier islands and coastal wetlands that cushion the effects of these storms. It'll take a long time to get all the water pumped out of New Orleans. It shouldn't be too hard to reestablish some rail and shipping service to the city. Some of the most beloved areas are still intact, and it would be a great morale boost to get those areas functional again. Once a little core of functionality is established, the citizens of New Orleans need to sit down and figure out where to go from there. One thing's for sure: New Orleans will not die. For one thing, it sits at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It's where the international shipping traffic meets the national railroad network and the river barges going back and forth to Pittsburg, Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and hundreds of other ports along the way. This location makes New Orleans a major crossroads and a world port, so there will always be a city somewhere near where New Orleans stands today. But more importantly, there is a spirit to that city that too many people want to nurture in that location... Simply put, New Orleans will never die because there are too many people who would rather die themselves than let that happen. New Orleans must be rebuilt, and each neighborhood must be rebuilt by the residents of that neighborhood. This is no place for carpetbaggers, profiteers, and the corporate looters who are already appearing on the scene like the vultures that they are. As I speak, Fluor Corporation, Bechtel Corporation, Haliburton, the thugs and mercenaries of Blackwater Security, and a lot of other unsavory characters are all over the Gulf Coast cutting up the pie. The People of New Orleans are being scattered to the winds, but these people need to be given every chance to reconnect with their families, their extended families, their friends and their neighbors; and then come back to New Orleans as a community with the tools and the resources they need to rebuild and resettle their own neighborhoods. Previous page: 4) The Hope 3) The Outrage 2) The Hurricane 1) The Place Next page: 6) Impeachment

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