Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

It’s been one year since Katrina hit and New Orleans subsequently flooded. It’s been one year since America watched CNN and saw the horrifying footage of entire city neighborhoods completely underwater, people being plucked from rooftops by the Coast Guard and the situation at the SuperDome and Convention Center spiralling out of control. We all acknowledged this city needed help back then, and a lot of it. That’s why it’s incredibly embarrassing that a year after this disaster, so much of the funds and resources that were promised to New Orleans are still tangled up in bureaucratic red tape.

One bright spot in this mess is the people of New Orleans… they are a resilient bunch. Like many Southerners, they’re bound to the land where they grew up, and can’t really fathom living anywhere else. My friend Eric returned to his house Uptown one month after the storm, and lived there without hot water for months – but at least he & Brenda were home. And fellow blogger Tim is now living in a FEMA trailer with his wife, daughter and their cats while they build a new house on the lot where their old house used to stand. Again, not ideal, but it’s progress. Fortunately, there are lots of Erics and Tims in New Orleans… people who feel strongly about rebuilding and are just trying to do what they can get their lives and their city back on track.

Katrina coverage is saturating the media this week, but what happens next week? Next month? It’s wrong to wait til Aug. 29, 2007 to think about New Orleans again. Please pray for the leaders – Nagin, Blanco, Bush, Congress and the heads of the government agencies – may they swiftly make intelligent decisions that will enable New Orleans to get the help it needs and deserves in order to rebuild. You can also visit New Orleans. I went in July. The city is totally ready for visitors and definitely needs tourism dollars.