[StBernard] Post-Katrina rebuilding in New Orleans and St. Bernard nears 80 percent

[Westley Annis]

Post-Katrina rebuilding in New Orleans and St. Bernard nears 80 percent

The post-Katrina recovery continues as 79 percent of the homes damaged by
the storm within the flood zone of Orleans and St. Bernard parishes have
been rebuilt or are in the process of being renovated, according to a new
study by the University of New Orleans. The business community is also
seeing an upward trend in recovery as 68 percent of commercial enterprises
are now open compared to 64 percent in 2010.

The survey, which was started in 2006, was conducted between October 2012
and April 2013. It tracks the progress of more than 2,000 Katrina-flooded
single and double family residences in a set of 39 U.S. Census tracts.

Here is the breakdown of the residential survey:

--79 percent of homes have begun or completed rebuilding or renovating. This
number is up slightly from the 77 percent reported by the 2010 survey.

--14 percent are demolished (now empty lots)

--8 percent are gutted or derelict compared to 11 percent in 2010 and 17
percent in 2009.

The UNO Department of Geography also conducted a survey of the rebuilding
status of more than 2,400 businesses on 21 major commercial arteries in the
Katrina-flooded areas of Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. Here are some
highlights of the commercial survey:

--68 percent of commercial enterprises are open for business, up from 64
percent in 2010. The increase is accompanied by a decrease in the number of
structures in the process of renovation, which fell from 5 percent to 2
percent.

--The percentage of derelict and demolished (empty lot) businesses changed
little from 2010, dropping only from 21 percent to 20 percent.

--10 percent of businesses appear to have been renovated, but are not open
for business.

--Lake Forest Boulevard has the fewest open businesses (34 percent), and the
most derelict ones (43 percent). St. Claude Avenue is the only other
business corridor with fewer than half of its pre-Katrina properties open
for business (46 percent).