The tragedy of lost lives and
displaced citizens of New Orleans will continue to be paramount
in these horrific weeks, months, perhaps, years ahead of us.
But New Orleans will come back
and will once again be a wonderful community to live in, work
in and visit. Cities and towns throughout history have survived
severe flooding, ravishing fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes
and have been rebuilt. We will, too. New Orleanians are irrepressibly
in love with our city and won't rest until it is restored and
rebuilt.
Our organization, the Preservation
Resource Center, has worked hand in hand with neighborhood groups
since 1974 to revitalize and restore New Orleans. After Katrina,
our charge is even stronger.
We can report that many of the
oldest areas of New Orleans closest to the river -- from Bywater
downriver of the French Quarter to St. Charles Avenue in Uptown
and Carrollton --are intact. Some historic areas north of the
French Quarter are also on higher ground and have not incurred
the severe and tragic flooding. Nonetheless, areas closer to
the lake and downriver of the Industrial Canal, including Preservation
Resource Center's target area in the historic Lower Ninth Ward
neighborhood of Holy Cross, have not fared well in this disaster.
As the water recedes, much will
be salvageable. Where buildings have been damaged, we will repair
them. Where we have lost buildings, we will rebuild with structures
that reflect the New Orleans that is known and loved around
the world. This is a time to learn from the buildings that have
survived natural disasters. Over the Preservation Resource Center's
history, we have renovated houses that have been deemed teardowns
by everyone else. We have brought back neighborhoods where lenders
were afraid to go. We are ready.
There are solutions. We are communicating
with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation
Action, the Historic Charleston Foundation and our state and
local governments on ideas to provide incentives for restoring
homes and neighborhoods. These in turn will attract additional
private investment and stimulate the ripple effect that we depend
upon to bring the neighborhoods back. Our staff and board are
developing plans to work with neighborhoods to assist their
restoration and rebuilding efforts.
Much remains of our city. Much
can and must be done to utilize the wealth of human, material
and cultural resources of our city to generate recovery and
economic activity as soon as possible. It has already begun.
