Tuesday, 07 April 2009 05:32
Darryl Smith
Nine months after Hurricane Katrina, the president of Jefferson Parish, La. , is looking toward the next hurricane.
“I'm focusing on the upcoming hurricane season,” said Aaron Broussard. “There was a lot of destruction to Jefferson Parish.”
Hurricane Katrina caused nearly 1,600 deaths when it struck in August 2005. And while the death toll in Jefferson Parish was lower than expected with 33, Broussard said he is updating the parish's evacuation plan to find ways to minimize the damage if there is another hurricane.
“Compared to St. Bernard and Orleans Parish we were very fortunate that we weren't decimated as bad as our neighbors,” Broussard said. “Based on the way the hurricane was tracked, I was expecting extreme destruction.”
The parish faced Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005 , and sustained wind damage and flooding from breached levees.
Broussard is currently making modifications to his existing evacuation plan to better prepare his parish, which stretches from the south end of Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico at Grand Isle, La., for the upcoming hurricane season.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this year's hurricane season could be very active with 4 to 6 major hurricanes. It is not, however, expected to surpass 2005, which reports state was the busiest and deadliest season on record.
“Hurricane Ivan revealed the flaws in the program,” Broussard said. “The evacuation plan for the region got tremendous amount of population out.” He added that more than 80 percent of the population was evacuated for Katrina.
“We're revamping every aspect of our emergency preparedness plan,” said Broussard. “We're leaving no stone unturned.”
Several aspects of the evacuation plan have been worked on by Broussard's administration.
Among the changes: * Broussard has set up safe houses for pump stations, which allows the pump operators to stay in the area during a hurricane. Broussard made the change after he was criticized for evacuating the pump operators during Hurricane Katrina, which was part of the Emergency Management Plan before he was in office.
* Broussard's administration is working on establishing shelter for people now in FEMA trailers. * Setting up an evacuation plan for indigent citizens. “We will be using public transportation to bring them to predetermined sites,” Broussard said.
The official Jefferson Parish Web site, jeffparish.net, offers explanations for the modifications to the parish's emergency preparedness plan. On the Web site, Broussard invites all residents to review the latest revisions.
Broussard may best be remembered by citizens when he criticized the federal government on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sept. 4, 2005 . Broussard was asked general questions about the situation in Louisiana and accused the federal government of abandoning the victims, sparking widespread criticism about his composure as a leader.
“We have been abandoned by our own country,” he told the television audience. “Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history.”
A visibly upset Broussard later added, “Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.”
Broussard broke down in tears, and was not shown again in the telecast. Broussard, however, has no apologies for his reaction.
“You don't prepare how you're going to respond to questions on national television,” Broussard said. “You were looking at an official that had frayed nerves. The tragedy created a great deal of stress.”
While Broussard encountered many emotions in the aftermath of Katrina, he said two things kept him going: faith and adrenaline.
“I depend on faith to jumpstart me and keep me strong,” he said. “That adrenaline allows you to stay up for long hours and push you.”
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 05:32
Darryl Smith
METAIRIE - Both the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans Saints have found themselves in a rebuilding phase, and one native son believes he can beat the odds and reconstruct both.
“When I first got the call, I was kind of shocked,” Saints' quarterback Bruce Eugene said. “They told me they wanted me to help rebuild the city.”
As a product of Orleans ' Tenth Ward community, rebuilding the city is what Eugene wants. He and his family are some of the thousands who had their homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
“He has been anxious to get in here,” Saints' Head Coach Sean Payton said. “He has a strong arm, and he is a guy that when we had him in our local workout, he was impressive.”
After a stellar collegiate career, Eugene, who participated in the NFL combine in Indianapolis, was not drafted. He signed with the Saints as a free agent.
“I was upset because I believe he should've gotten drafted,” Bruce's mother, Zina Eugene said.
Although he is not guaranteed a spot on the roster, Eugene said he is not fazed by the possibility of not making the team. If he does make the team, Eugene said he will buy a new house.
“When I came to rookie camp, I just wanted to learn as much as I could,” Eugene said.
Bruce's mother resides in Ruston , La., approximately 340 miles away. She and two of her children are currently enrolled at Grambling State University .
However, the distance will not stop Bruce's mother from attending her son's games, especially when the Saints host the Dallas Cowboys Aug. 21 in Shreveport , La.
“Wild horses wouldn't be able to hold me back,” she said. “(The Saints) are playing my favorite team. Somewhere, I will have a little blue on me. I'm a Saints fan, but you can't make me change my favorite team.”
While he attended Cohen Walter L. Senior High School , Eugene played both football and basketball. He said that he wasn't very interested in the former. But after much coaxing from his mother, he decided to go with football.
“I really didn't think about football,” Eugene said. “I told her, ‘You crazy; basketball is my calling,'”
Basketball may be in his past, but the sport did help Eugene with his speed and endurance.
“During his junior year, he started to excel,” Zina said. “His football coach was promoting him and getting people to come see him.”
Colleges visited, but many schools did not want him due to his weight. Eugene chose GSU, where he rewrote the record books as quarterback.
He went 30-8 as a starter, threw for 13,530 yards and holds a Division I-AA record of 140 passing touchdowns. Combined with a 53 percent completion rate, Eugene was labeled as one of the most talented passers in the draft with a record of 30-8 as a starter.
Although the transition from the Tigers to the Saints means a new team and coaches, Eugene will still wear his collegiate colors; black and gold.
“It's just kind of ironic. I can't get black and gold off my back,” he said.
But with his dreams of playing football on a national level finally coming true, his career may be in jeopardy. After adding on some pounds, he may get sidelined.
“I put myself in a bad predicament by gaining weight,” said Eugene, who is listed at 268 pounds.
Nevertheless, Bruce and his mom are overjoyed that he got a chance to play for the NFL, the two are even happier because he was fortunate enough to return to his hometown to play.
“It's a feeling that you cannot describe,” Zina said. “For him to come back (to New Orleans ), that's a whirlwind ride.”
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Tuesday, 07 April 2009 05:31
Darryl Smith
His bucket of dollars isn't as full as it used to be, but banjo player Lee “Plink” Floyd is enjoying his return to New Orleans , happy to be delighting tourists that stop to listen to his music.
“This is my first time playing in the courtyard since the hurricane,” Floyd said.
On this day, he was one of a handful of entertainers – musicians, artists, tarot card readers, and the like – in Jackson Square performing for hundreds of tourists, as opposed to the thousands who might have been watching before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
And even though the city doesn't keep records of street performers, it is clear that the number of those has dropped, too. Nevertheless, they are trying to regain their footing and keep entertaining tourists, in hope for a dollar or two for their efforts.
“I love my job,” said Uncle Louie, a street performer of 14 years whose act consists of posing in the same position for hours. “The future is a forward direction.”
It has never been an easy life for street performers, but it has gotten harder. No one would talk about how much they used to make, but some said they have since turned to other avenues in order to stay afloat financially.
“I'm making about half as much,” Floyd said. “I work a job four nights a week and that's not enough income.”
“For everybody who makes their living on the streets, it's a huge financial blow,” said Michela Harrison, a singer with the band Mother Tongue, which tried to return early. “Nobody was in town for the first few weeks.”
Some tried to perform in the cities they evacuated to, like Houston , which aren't exactly pedestrian-friendly.
“I had to come back because there is no money at Daytona Beach ,” said a balloon maker who identified himself as Windy. “It's too cold to make any money there.”
So the performers made their way to New Orleans , with its squares and walking tourists. Helping matters was the city's decision to hold Mardi gras, despite criticism that it was too early for celebration amid the ruins.
“Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest really exceeded expectations,” said Mike Fulton, a trumpet player of 26 years. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, held in April and May, brought an all-star lineup of musicians of all genres to the city. “It's much better than most expected.”
Harrison, who returned in February, agreed. “Things have picked up since Mardi gras and since the French Quarters opened,” he said.
But construction around the city's Central Business District and the French Quarters has meant fewer choice spots for the performers to play. “There is more competition as there are less places to play,” Harrison said.
And like the more revered jazz artists, street musicians have to keep their careers going amid the chaos. “We all left together,” said Tanya Huang, a violinist with Mother Tongue. “We knew we were going to come back; we just didn't know if we were going to stay here.”
Floyd was part of three bands before Katrina. Since then, he has been on the move. “The band got dispersed all over the place,” said Floyd as he lightly strummed his banjo. He and his band were eventually reunited in Portland , Ore. From there, the state of Louisiana sent them to perform in the countries that had given aid to Katrina victims.
“I had so much fun over there,” said Floyd, who traveled to such countries as Thailand , Korea and Japan as a member of Doreen Kitchen's jazz band.
But while Floyd toured the world, Fulton was working on reestablishing himself with the city he had been forced to leave. “I lost my network,” Fulton said. “I really had to regroup. I'm making up for it by doing other things.”
Fulton now works “six and a half days a week” and has gigs during his off days to keep him busy, including an upcoming one in Barcelona , Spain . But he said he would never abandon New Orleans . “I came back in a heartbeat,” he said.
But a tarot card reader named Ms. Susan had an ominous prediction about New Orleans .
“People who are from New Orleans will not be able to live here,” Ms. Susan said from her spot in the square, adding that the cost of living will rise. Not surprisingly, she too has experienced a drop in business.
“The hurricane has affected all of us, not just street performers,” she said. “My business fell 75 percent.”
But Uncle Louie was more optimistic about the city and its street performers. “People come just to see entertainment,” he said. “You can't just walk around other cities and see entertainers like you see them here.”
He turned to greet a lady and said with a smile, “Nice legs.” She continued to walk, but she was also smiling. He resumed his frozen position, which people stopped to enjoy – and for a minute or two, a sense of normalcy returned to a city that is anything but.
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 05:31
Darryl Smith
Last year, the Superdome served as a refuge for New Orleans residents trapped by Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints were forced from their home to play in San Antonio.
Now, instead evacuees, the Superdome will be filled almost to capacity with fans for the Saints' upcoming football season.
With a franchise record of 54,969 season tickets sold as of May 17, the Saints are on the verge of selling out their stadium. This spike in sales has its team owner Tom Benson ecstatic.
“You cannot imagine the excitement,” Benson said in a news conference. “I think you can see it. This is going to be one hell of a year.”
The Saints made major moves in the off-season to spur the increase in ticket sales. In January, the team hired Sean Payton, former Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach.
Then in March, the team acquired free agent quarterback Drew Brees from the San Diego Chargers.
However, the clinching move for the franchise was when The Saints selected Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush as the second pick of the NFL Draft in April. The electric running back from the University of Southern California was passed over by the Houston Texans in favor of defensive end Mario Williams.
“The draft helped,” Benson said. “It wasn't just Reggie Bush; (the fans) were excited with whoever we would have taken at that time. They were excited about the fact about what's going on with the Saints and the excitement was shown by the number of tickets they were buying and that was great.
“You got to remember, never before has this happened,” Benson added. “This is just a tremendous day and I'm so happy to be here.”
In the aftermath of the Katrina, many observers wondered if the city could maintain the franchise because of the population decrease. However, Benson said that sales reflected no drop-off from its core fan base.
“These tickets weren't sold to somebody in New York or someplace else,” he said. “They were sold to the metropolitan area and the Gulf South. We knew the fans were there, but we didn't know whether they would be able to be involved with buying tickets or not.”
With the Superdome's capacity being approximately 65,000, there are only about 10,000 season tickets left. The surprising increase in ticket sales can be contributed to the restructured season ticket package executed by the Saints.
Saints fans can now get season tickets as low as $124, down $26 from 2004, the last season played in the Superdome. The highest season tickets are the Club Sideline which is listed as $1,400, which is up $200. Despite the record ticket sales, Benson knows more assistance is needed.
“No National Football League team can just live on tickets alone and that's where we are right now,” Benson said.
The business community has been virtually nonexistent in New Orleans since Katrina. Mainly, only small businesses have helped the Saints reach their record-setting ticket sales.
In the past, major businesses were counted on to purchase the remaining tickets and sell out the 137 suites in the arena to prevent an NFL blackout. So far the team has sold 81 suites.
“There's still a great deal of work to be done,” said Rita LeBlanc, the team's executive vice president of administration. “Our staff is working closely with the New Orleans and Gulf South business communities to make sure that corporate support matches fan enthusiasm.”
Saints fan Coi Baloney is already excited about one Saints game, the first in the Superdome on September 25.
“The ( Atlanta ) Falcons will be our toughest challenge,” the Garyville, La. resident said. “Reggie Bush shifts the focus of the game. We will have the running and passing game.”
Benson said the fans should expect a huge homecoming that will culminate with a Saints' victory.
“We expect to have a full capacity crowd and I'm sure our coach, Sean (Payton), won't mind me saying that we are going to kick their pom-poms,” he said.
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