"The City that Care forgot" a New Orleans Travel Page by BarryAir

I grew up just outside New Orleans in a place called Chalmette. The house I grew up in was covered to the roof peak with over 25 feet of water from Katrina. New orleans has now about 75,000 residents, down from 575, 000 before the hurricane hit. I remember looking out of that broken picture window when I was a small boy. I would draw happy face pictures on the glass in wintertime, frosted with humidity from mom cooking in the kitchen. I remember the night the doorbell rang. My dad opened the door and had a heart attack right there, falling on the floor and hitting his head so hard on the floor. Also I rember our christmas tree in that window so many years, and my old bedroom straight back from the front door.

I had to put these guys pic on here. They are related to a friend of mine in Chalmette. They decided to ride out Katrina and almost lost their lifes. They first spotted the water coming like a wall and within minits they were upstairs in water up to their chest. They tryed to break out of the roof but the rafters were too close together so had to jump out of the window in the middle of the storm into a river of water and terrific winds. They found a boat floating but it was still tied to the trailor. The guy on the left jumped into the water to untie the trailor and was badly injured on both upper legs when he hit something under the water. Successful in freeing the boat from the trailor he managed to get the boat running and ended up rescuing over 30 people. While riding down a street in the boat a man came outside and pointed a gun at them. A police officer with them in plain clothes pointed his gun at the man saying " If you dont put the gun down I will call the Guard here to come and kill you" They then tied him up till someone could come get him. There are so many storys to be told.

Well, here is a pic inside of my old house in Chalmette. There are thousands upon thousands that look the same. you just cant imagine it. Chalmette is jsut below New Orleans. And meanwhile, while Everyone watched the people in New Orleans being rescued, no one showed up to help in Chalmette for five days! Over a hundred people rescued to the dock on the river died waiting for help. When someone did show up, they were from Canada! I tried desperitly to fly a plane into a road there to help but was refused permission from everyone I contacted. My town, Lafayette, gathered over a hundred boats and 300 people and convoyed down to help and were turned back by officials with great excuses like not enough life preservers in the boat and stuff like that! meanwhile , people were dieing. I was very frustrated. I grew up knowing this could happen. And now it has.