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Subscribe to RSSAs Isaac lingered outside her door, Connie Uddo was busy Wednesday calling elderly friends in her neighborhood to make sure they were holding up. She, like the majority of New Orleans residents, had no power.
Kate Snow / NBC News
Connie Uddo on Thursday, Aug. 30, stands at the non-profit center she started after Katrina.
“It’s just a tedious, long, arduous storm,” she said.
Storms are a big part of life in New Orleans. They always have been. There are records of hurricanes hitting the Crescent City as far back as the 1700s.
But things changed when Hurricane Katrina struck seven years ago — especially for Uddo.
“Our neighborhood, it was condemned, uninhabitable and unsafe. You had to have a pass to get in,” she said.
That is something she never wants to live through again — she doesn’t think she could handle it. As Isaac was bearing down, she felt a familiar mixture of dread and anxiety.
“The wind had me a little freaked out at points last night because our house was shaking a lot and the windows were rattling,” she said.
Related: Isaac loses steam, but brings flooding, power outages
Related: 'They were screaming away': Louisiana man recounts rescue
Uddo and her kids had evacuated just before Katrina hit. In October of 2005, when she returned to her 90-year-old wood and plaster home, she found a mold-infested mess. The first floor, which they had renovated as rental units, had been under eight feet of water, which took a month to drain out.
A downgraded Isaac floods coastal communities and forces new evacuations, but levees still hold.
“It was horrific. It was shocking. It was something that I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime ... everything was gray.," she said. "It literally looked like a nuclear disaster. There were no birds, insects, squirrels. The silence was just deafening.”
Uddo thought about leaving for good. She cried — a lot.
“It wasn’t just the physical loss,” she said. “It was the emotional loss of your community, your social network, your children’s friends.”
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu spoke with NBC's Kate Snow at the city's emergency center about improvements in communication since Hurricane Katrina.
But Uddo decided to move back and rebuild. In January 2006, her family was the first of 10 families in her neighborhood to have electricity.
Lakeview, she said, was a “green dot” on a city planning map — a place that some planners thought would become nothing but green space with no residential homes.
She wouldn't hear of it. "We’re a hundred-year-old neighborhood. You don’t tell a hundred-year-old neighborhood that."
So she rebuilt, and she convinced others to do the same. Uddo would walk around the neighborhood asking plumbers, roofers, builders and other tradespeople for their phone numbers. Since phone books no longer worked, she compiled a list. She counseled her neighbors at her dining room table. She recruited teen-aged volunteers to come to the neighborhood and clean up the front yards so that returning residents wouldn't be as shocked as she had been when she first drove in.
Eventually, Uddo opened St. Paul’s Homecoming Center, which still operates and helps residents who fled Katrina. The center has coordinated more than 50,000 volunteers.
As soon as Isaac lets up enough, probably on Thursday, Uddo plans to go back to the Center and start the cleanup. So far, she hasn’t seen any major flooding in her neighborhood. On a walk earlier Wednesday she checked on the trees she recently planted. They’re tattered, but still standing. The elderly neighbors she called are doing all right too. And for that, she’s thankful.
“Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be back in action,” she said.
Wednesday was spent napping, having tea, catching up on laundry and house chores.
“I really feel blessed. I don’t want to jinx it. It’s not over. But it could’ve been worse. So many things could’ve happened.”
The storm has tested the city's post-Katrina flood defenses, leaving many roads impassable and creating a storm surge from Louisiana to Alabama. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
Uddo thinks a storm like Isaac solidifies her community.
“Once again we’re a stronger, more unified community because of it. And that’s the silver lining. You come out stronger."
One of the biggest lessons of Katrina, Uddo said, is that neighbors have to look out for each other. Before Katrina, they never would have coordinated before a storm. On Tuesday night, before the power went out, Uddo and her husband went up the block for a neighborhood gathering. They made plans together about what they would do if the water rose on their streets.
“At the end of the day, all we have is each other,” she said.
To contact Uddo's organization, St. Paul's Homecoming Center, please visit their website, or call: 504-644-4125.
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Leave a Comment:
At least this time, the city has a mayor with some sense. He declared a curfew and it's being enforced.
heard from some friends in New Orleans, the new protection levees and gates, worked as designed, the city was buttoned up, the new pumps worked even better than expected; total cost 14 billion in new protection, well spent; outlying areas did get some flooding, but the city, almost zero damage, looks as if the corps of engineers got it right this time, take a look at the massive gates, really impressive.
hopefully the confiscation of legal firearms from citizens trying to survive during the aftermath of the storm and fend off looters does not happen AGAIN.
It's a shame nobody exercised their god given second amendment right on the NOPD when 'liberty's teeth' were forcibly taken from them citizens in New Orleans.
Gun ownership was granted by man, not God and no one had a single legal weapon taken from them.
American tax payers should not spend a dime on these people if you are dumb enough to build your life there then you pay for it.
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
― Albert Einstein
There is no place on earth that is safe from the threat of some natural disater. The midwest has tornadoes, the east coast has ice storms, the west coast has earthquakes, and the list goes on. Your comment has no merit. At least with hurricanes you have some notice and can prepare.
BS when you live UNDER sea level, at the sea... it is VERY different than a random act of mother nature!!!!
Spoken like someone without a clue. Plaquemines Parish, where the flooding is taking place, is not below sea level. It is above sea level. Most of New Orleans is above sea level, too. But you might have to crack open a book or even just read a whole article to find that out. Please don't vote. Or have kids.
RUSSELL REALLY.... 'Hurricane Katrina in 2005 destroyed about two-thirds of the homes in Plaquemines Parish, which sits about 15 feet below sea level. Only three residents were killed in that storm.'
15 FEET GENIUS, AND 65% WATER!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a wildlife refuge, full of wildlife....
Those of us who live in the northeast where it snows (a lot)... don't have to deal with destructive tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and wild fires. I would rather shovel snow than put my family at risk at mother nature's hand. I can't imagine what these folks must be going through. Moving to higher ground or staying put and rebuilding is a choice. Smart people make smart choices...
Been to New Orleans a few times before Katrina. Loved the French Quarter. The rest of it... ehhhh.
So you risk talk other people into losing their homes or lives so you can stay in a 100yr old neigborhood and the kids can keep their friends.. LOL ok.
I'm not screaming about tax dollars being wasted, I'm just in shock that people can be so stupid as to fight to live in these areas.
As far as all of us being at danger of natural disasters, I have to agree with 32maniac. My house is almost 200yrs old and we picked it for a reason. I live in the snow belt on top of a hill at 2300ft. Houses don't blow off hilltops around here, they don't get flooded, no forest fires, no earthquakes, we actually like a good blizzard, and the last twister within 70 miles was in the next state 38 years ago. Can something happen, sure it can, but why the hell put your family and home at such a high risk.
7 years to the day is the freaky part of all this.
"If you rebuild it the ignorant will come".
Yes Albert Einstein, why the holy roller would these people stay in a place that is on the coast, BELOW SEA LEVEL, and tries to hold back the ocean with stone walls? And the people who actually stayed and had to have their sorry asses rescued are absolutely beyond any sort of reason, and probably should've been left to deal with what they set themselves up for, especially since this storm has been tracked since oh I don't know, it STARTED. What did they THINK was going to happen? Probably prayed and thought their "God" was going to spare them. HA. When will people learn that there is no 'being' in the heavens watching our for their precious safety? How about stop praying for stuff to happen and actually get out there and MAKE it happen considering we are the ones living on this planet and we have complete control over what we do to it, on it, and to each other. Maybe start with something simple like NOT livng in a city that is below the sea and is prone to major hurricanes. Hmmmmm.....
See above. Stop posting pointless misinformation.
On the other hand, a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers claims that "New Orleans is subsiding (sinking)":[48]
“
Large portions of Orleans, St. Bernard, and Jefferson parishes are currently below sea level—and continue to sink. New Orleans is built on thousands of feet of soft sand, silt, and clay. Subsidence, or settling of the ground surface, occurs naturally due to the consolidation and oxidation of organic soils (called "marsh" in New Orleans) and local groundwater pumping. In the past, flooding and deposition of sediments from the Mississippi River counterbalanced the natural subsidence, leaving southeast Louisiana at or above sea level. However, due to major flood control structures being built upstream on the Mississippi River and levees being built around New Orleans, fresh layers of sediment are not replenishing the ground lost by subsidence.[48]
”
Vertical cross-section of New Orleans, showing maximum levee height of 23 feet (7.0 m)
A recent study by Tulane and Xavier University notes that 51% of New Orleans is at or above sea level, with the more densely populated areas generally on higher ground. The average elevation of the city is currently between one and two feet (0.5 m) below sea level, with some portions of the city as high as 20 feet (6 m) at the base of the river levee in Uptown and others as low as 7 feet (2 m) below sea level in the farthest reaches of Eastern New Orleans.[49]
When the French built that village in the past I don't think they meant to turn it into metropolis aquatica. Who's responsible for zoning down there?
It was a great gateway to the interior of the country when the only way to travel was by boat. The first settlers built on the best high ground available - what is now the French Quarter. From there, the city just kept growing but moved out into the less desirable lowlands. Of course back in the day, who cared about zoning? Its a beautiful city (well, parts of it anyway) and with better infrastructure it will survive most storms. The Dutch have been protecting their below sea level country for centuries by improving their flood control systems.
Yes but the Dutch don't have to deal with tropical strenght hurricanes, 10 ft waves, 170MPH winds et all. A little pumping with windmills used to do the trick for the Dutch.
They have to deal with storms coming off the North Sea and tidal flows that New Orleans doesn't. Have you ever seen the huge sea gates and levee system that they have constructed? Windmills are for the tourists, the infrastructure the Dutch have invested in is amazing in its size and scope.
Yep I have. I was born 2 hours away from the polders. Still, I know the North Sea and it is not tropical strenght. The storms are stong and consequential, I've been through a few of them and yes windmill wouldn't do the job anymore for the increased land over the sea. But again, not tropical, not 170 MPH winds.
I was thinking more of the giant gates of the Maeslant Barrier. Louisiana had their version of natural polders in the offshore barrier islands that used to help break up storms as they approached New Orleans. The trouble is they were dredged for shipping channels, drained by development and killed by pollution. Now storms barrel full speed into the city. I used to live in Louisiana for years, great people living in a precarious place. Thanks for the debate!
they better get used to it, bc its going to happen every single year -to the day doesnt surprise me 1 bit , id be surprised if it doesnt happen every yr on the same day and then some ,and by the way crazy is also thinking theres a god -einstein was an athiest
You people chose to live there. I don't want to hear your cries or excuses, you deserve no sympathy. And keep FEMA and any other taxpayer-funded organizations out of there. I'd rather see tax dollars go to save people who aren't complete morons.
Anyone who believes in Christ. And thinks Einstein, was an atheist. Should type this, in their search bar. It could change your mind about, what he believed
Einstein's Writings on Science and Religion
Hey, morons. Next time a hurricane comes through, it gon' flood!!! Move, morons!
She should have left. Rebuilding was a foolish expenditure for both the individuals and the taxpayers. This will only happen again and again. Part of the reason that these areas were re-built is that it was done with other people's money, the U.S. taxpayer with deep pockets.
Time for some rational thinking about New Orleans.
I'll bet a lot of New Orleans folks who live there thought it would never happen again. OF COURSE... they are going to blame the Corps of Engineers for not solving their flood problems. When some people make dumb choices they want to blame someone else. Its the American way...
We can't let people suffer when tragedy strikes. But enough of our government being the parent having to bail out New Orleans with massive financial assistance and rebuilding infrastructure.
Not calling the people of New Orleans stupid... but when are they going to get a clue? The rest of us are scratching our heads wondering what the phuck?
I feel for these people but I don't want to pay for this again and again and again. It just seems moronic. Yes natural disasters are all over but they happen randomly different places. New Orleans is constant maintenance and rebuilding and destruction cycle. Its money that could be better used elsewhere, like our ageing bridges all over the country, or take your pick.
As extreme weather events increase, more and more habitable land is going to become uninhabitable, due to long term drought or rising sea levels. Those who don't believe in global warming, man made or natural, will be okay of course.
.
What ever happened to the former mayor's " chocolate city "?
...
If you live in a horrible place, you are going to have horrible experiences. These lead to horrible memories.
Wasn't evacuation mandatory? Did the order come too late for everyone to leave before the storm hit, or did storm "victims" choose to stay, and then climb onto their rooftops and scream for help? I know that rescue workers do what they do because it's their job, but putting them in harms way for nothing should merit some kind of penalty. If a building was on fire with alarms sounding, and people refused to leave, necessitating rescue, I'm sure you'd hear disgust registered by firefighters.
The geography of the delta region is now a man made disaster. It has been so over engineered and manipulated. I would never suggest that the entire region be abandoned, but like the barrier islands, if you live there you pay a huge premium for the flood insurance to protect you and the government pays you more to relocate to safer territory than to rebuild. I know people's entire lives can be tied to these areas, and its terrible to ask them to leave them, but at some point when they can't even survive a cat 1 hurricane in a hurricane rich area, some tough decisions need to be made.
I'm tired of seeing these people "rescued" from their homes. Did they not learn from Katrina? When you're told to evacuate, duh, evacuate. Drive 200 miles away and sleep in your car if you can't afford a hotel. At least you'd be alive.
Every part of the country has something. With the logic, or lack thereof, no one should be permitted to live in California because they KNOW that they will have earthquakes. No one should live in the Midwest because they KNOW that they will have tornadoes. No one should live in the mid Atlantic states or the northeast because they KNOW that they will have blizzards. I happen to be from the Northeast and was there for the lovely snowstorm in October. No power for 9 days, icy roads and ppl needing help to get to heated shelters, worries about flooding etc etc. YEs, ppl chose not to lsiten to teh mandatory evacuation order and I beleive that those ppl should have to pay $$ for the amount it cost to rescue their damn a** . but NOLA is a WONDERFUL place!!!
New Orleans never should have been rebuilt. The foundation is not safe, the fact that it is below sea level is not safe. All around Mississippi delta is not an area that should be built upon. If people wish to continue to do so, the rest of the country should not have to pay when the inevitable crisis happens because people built where they shouldn't have.
In 2009, GE's Jeff Immelt addressed Detroit Econ Club and called for "An American Renewal" which
Jesus spoke of as the renewal of all things a.k.a. when the world is made new. Mr. Immelt shows
tremendous vision and courage. Which wakes us up from the 1960's dream. My prayers are with the
New Orleans residents and hopefully a new beginning for them.
Mr. Immelt must have been channeling Habakkuk; seriously. "Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds; O, lord "renew" them in our day, in our time" etc etc
I am reading a legal thriller "The Final Argument" by Clifford Irving who is on the same page
as Jeff Immelt...........and Habakkuk.............and me!
And, finally, Acts 3:21, A prophecy of a restitution of all things.
Iguess God must be pretty regular hes flushing the toilet again
My suggestion move your dumb azz from the Big Easy ASAP and don't come back!!
Hey, actually the Pacific Northwest has almost zero natural disasters to count. St. Helens was an exception but that happened 31 years ago and probably won't happen again for a few hundred more. We get like 3.5 Richter scale earthquakes once a decade that make windows vibrate a little. Sometimes there's a windstorm at about 80 miles an hour. It's always green due to the water and the winters are mild because the proximity to the ocean buffers the cold a bit. Yeah, actually smart people do choose to live in smart places.