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Mayor Nagin's State of New Orleans Address: Gimme
 Mayor Ray Nagin, in his first State of the City address since Hurricane Katrina, said New Orleans is on the road to recovery but called on the administrations of both the president and governor to help the city rebuild and bring back its residents. Nagin, in prepared remarks Wednesday evening, said President Bush promised "to do whatever it takes to heal New Orleans. Because the funding has not reached the affected areas and the people, that promise is unfulfilled."Nagin called on Bush to forgive millions of dollars in disaster loans the city took out after Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, 2005, to help it continue to operate. He also called on Gov. Kathleen Blanco to tap into the state's surplus to help the city and other parts of the state still struggling to recover from Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which struck a month later. "Use the $3 billion surplus to ensure a strong future for our state," Nagin urged state lawmakers. "As New Orleans recovers, so does Louisiana." The speech comes just two days before the start of a new hurricane season, and against the backdrop of a city still fighting to recover from a storm 21 months ago. While more than half the city's pre-Katrina population is back, according to one recent estimate, swaths of some neighborhoods remain in shambles, with houses empty and many small businesses ailing or shuttered. Violent crime, including a rash of recent killings that has brought the city's murder total for the year to at least 78, is a worry. And progress so far has been largely driven by private efforts, as local, state and federal officials have traded blame over the slow pace of rebuilding. As of mid-month, the city said it had received just $163 million in federal rebuilding aid, a fraction of the $1 billion or more it says it will need just to restore what Katrina damaged and with little earmarked for permanent infrastructure work. Nagin named a recovery director in December, and the director, Ed Blakely, unveiled a targeted $1.1 billion rebuilding plan in March. But funding for that plan is tenuous, with at least one-third of the money in doubt as the state considers using it to help bail out a homeowner aid program. Posted by: Pappy 2007-05-31 |
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