The "Big Easy."

The first thought in leaving our Island camp of yesterday was to go north to I-10 and skip The Big Easy,New Orleans, the ever turbulent-traffic city, but......we'd also be missing the chance at comparing our ride through the town in post Katrina hurricane reconstruction of two years ago.  So off along highway 90, not quite a blue road but a site better than the interstate.

It's a strange site for a Michigander seeing a house built on stilts but this is how it's done along the whole of Gulf Coast, not just the New Orleans area.  When/if another big-blow does come, it's the intense wind gusts and tidal surge of high water that will whisk the homes from their foundations, not the wind alone.  Solution, build your house above the water surge.  So what if it looks a little strange, at least the house will still be there after the storm.

The clean-up from Katrina's August 2005, category 3 big blow is about 90% complete, but some debris and damaged buildings remain in testament.

This huge "puller" is poised to yank another of the old levee interlocking leaves that proved inadequate during Katrina's surge.  Notice the worker standing just behind the jaws of this monster.  The crane that was supporting the operation was at least 15 stories high and cables as big around as your wrist.

Right behind the pulling operation comes the newly constructed/strengthened levee.  This section is along the southwest bank of New Orleans. 

Michigan's more docile approach to "No Dumping" is, "$100 dollar fine or a slap on the wrist."  In New Orleans, they take littering a bit more serious.  Huey Long (The Kingfish) 40th Govenor of Lousiana, assasinated in office, 1935, would be proud to see this citizen saving his state unnecessary sign erection costs.