I have been reading Jim Louis’ blog for a couple years. I never would have guessed we would both be in the city now, in this condition. He is the only resident in the area called the Iberville Corridor, or downtown Mid-City. It’s a couple blocks south of Broad, just off Canal. Jim has been working hard, his house is all fixed up and it looks kinda freaky surrounded by some pretty serious blight, which existed prior to the storm. Now it looks kinda bombed in the surrounding blocks. Jim’s claimed the area as his own. It’s Faubourg Louisville. Tell Blake Ponchartrain about this little known post-Katrina development. Someone will surely be asking about the history of this neighborhood thirty years from now.
Faubourg Louisville is a great place to keep up on, here’s the link: http://www.digitalmediatree.com/nola/

Jim deserves his own hood. He been there since we were all given the green-light to come home. He’s been there for years. His home, like most in the city, has no electricity and no gas. No hot water, folks. His block is the only block with no street lights for some reason. Overall, Jim deals with this camping lifestyle rather matter of factly. I know he must be getting sick of it. If I didn’t have my own houseguest, I would offer my own place for a while. I suppose he doesn’t really want to get too comfortable and then have to go back to the dark and cold.

I have been out doing the rapid population estimate for the city again and I always hope that people like Jim, these pioneer inhabitants of the new urban-rural areas, are counted. Some have their own trailers, like this guy on Robert St. in Broadmoor. I can’t get into the larger political wrangling too much, I prefer to dwell on the resourcefulness of these individuals. They inspire me the way the people of New Orleans have always inspired me. I know some people are feeling a lot of despair but hey, it could be worse. Really. Honestly. It could.

It’s almost impossible for people in the rest of the country to understand the state of the city right now, or compare it their peace corps years, it’s just different. I encourage those people who go to other cities for Christmas to travel in pairs so you can describe it to the people back in the states. Have someone who can back you up. We can do this….we are doing it.