I am native New Orleanian and proud to still call New Orleans home!  Our rebuild is a marathon, not a sprint.  These pictures were taken in the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans on August 25, 2009. It was flooded with over 10 feet of water by the Federal levee breech of the 17th Street and London Avenue Canals.

Lakeview is an area that is quicker to come back b/c it is a larger middle class to upper middle class neighborhood that has the means to rebuild.  Property in this area is being scooped up quickly and being developed. It is a very exciting time for the people of Lakeview.

The first few pictures are homes that are re-built right on the 17th Street Canal. You can see the levee wall in the background.  The picture with the concrete slab of the house was directly in front of the federal levee failure.  These homeowners have not rebuilt.

BTW the last picture is of a street in Lakeview.  The tremendous weight of the water made the streets cave in.  You drive through Lakeview at your own risk and at around 5 mph or risk your car going in the shop.  FEMA was supposed to pay for the streets to be repaired, but the repairs are held up b/c of bureaucratic red tape.

I write a Katrina Anniversary letter every year to my customers to update them on them on the status of the city.  If you would like to read it, follow this link http://blog.hedesigns.com/4th-anniversary-of-hurricane-katrina/

Much Love to all who want to see NOLA prosper