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| Ted Jackson / The Times-Picayune |
Coverage of this year's anniversary events might well have been overshadowed by Hurricane Irene, but in many ways it sharpened memories of what happened in 2005 - especially since commentators were quick to highlight the ways that lessons learned from Katrina informed preparations for this hurricane. And some New Orleanians were undoubtedly glad of the distraction: as this blogger highlights, "we don’t want to talk about it. I certainly don’t. None of my friends talk about it. My family doesn’t. In fact, the only time it comes up in conversation is when I’m out of town." But there were plenty of people who did want to talk about the ongoing meaning of Katrina for New Orleans:
- An editorial for the Times-Picayune highlights how far the city has come in the last six years, but also argues that "several crucial items are still pending in our recovery agenda, including unfulfilled commitments to provide substantial funding for coastal restoration and to make progress toward a stronger flood protection system to deal with the fiercest storms."
- The Brookings Institution, responsible for annual reports on New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, has just published an edited volume entitled Resilience and Opportunity: Lessons from the U.S. Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita. One of its authors, Amy Liu, highlights three lessons learned from Katrina.
- Not that all the coverage has been optimistic: the Associated Press visited the "bleak" Lower 9th Ward.
- For the Huffington Post, Harry Shearer, director of The Big Uneasy, highlights "design defects" with the city's flood protection.
- Also for the Huffington Post, Pierce O'Donnell asks, "Why Has President Obama Forgotten Katrina Victims?"
- In turn, here's the President's official statement on the anniversary.
- And finally: for Gambit's Blog of New Orleans, Wendy Rodrigue recalls her own experiences six years ago.
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