Katrina: Two tough years later

• Published in: Afro-American (Baltimore, Md. : 1915) Vol. 116; no. 3
• Main Author: Mackie, Calvin
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore, Md Afro - American Company of Baltimore City 01.09.2007
• Edition: 5 Star edition
• Subjects: Anniversaries; Community development; Disaster recovery; Hurricanes; Memorial services; New Orleans Louisiana

This unparalleled challenge from hurricanes [Katrina] and [Rita] impacted a Gulf Coast area of about 90,000 square miles, roughly the size of Great Britain. The area flooded in New Orleans, when the federal levees failed, was about 140 square miles-an area equivalent to 7.5 times the size of Manhattan, N. Y. Louisiana bore the brunt of the destruction, losing over 1,500 lives with about 1.3 million people initially displaced, the greatest diaspora since the Dust Bowl. More than 200,000 homes were destroyed; 835 schools and more than 18,000 businesses impacted and about 179,000 jobs lost. Louisiana additionally sustained more than $100 billion in estimated property losses. Presently, there are still Louisiana residents, mostly from New Orleans, displaced in 5,500 cities in America. Still, an arduous task lies before us. President Bush made the pledge in Jackson Square two years ago, and we're asking him to see the job through. It's two years later and we're still making the case for aggressive action to rebuild South Louisiana and New Orleans. Beyond Louisiana's cultural uniqueness, its coast produces riches that power and feed the nation. Louisiana is the nation's Energy Coast, first in total crude oil production and second in total natural gas production. Louisiana fishers also help feed the nation, ranking first in harvest for blue crab, crawfish, oysters, shrimp and menhaden. Speaker, professor, author, and inventor: Calvin Mackie is a former associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, specializing in heat transfer and fluid dynamics. President Bush honored him with the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco appointed Mackie to the 33-member Louisiana Recovery Authority, leading the state's rebuilding efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He is the author of "A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business. " He was featured in Spike Lee's HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts" and on the "News Hour with Jim Lehrer" as a panelist discussing the one-year anniversary of Katrina.