On top of the levees - Rana

We toured around New Orleans today, starting with the Upper and Lower ninth wards and ending in the French Quarter. The french quarter doesn't seemed to have changed much, but the changes in the lower ninth ward are amazing. I was in the minivan today with primarily people who were chaperones returning for a second visit and all of us were so surprised. Where we once saw slabs of concrete foundation, today we saw houses. We also had a chance to climb on top of the levee and look out only to get a better look at the depressing landscape. Things are far from good, there are still abandoned buildings we saw last year down the street from camp still being rebuilt. As we were driving, we passed a house I worked on last year that looked finished and remembered they were victims of contractor fraud. I'm excited to start working tomorrow and learn someone else's story. What happened to them, where they've been, what they've done, and what they see for their future.