Three Years After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Still Reeling. Now There’s Gustav

Residents of the Crescent City could be forced to evacuate again as Tropical Storm Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast. Weather forecasters say Gustav could enter the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane this weekend or early next week. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) has declared a state of emergency and said an evacuation could begin as early as Friday—three years to the day after Katrina devastated New Orleans. 

A deluge from Gustav would just compound the tragedy of Katrina because, three years later, the city is still not rebuilt and levees, which were not built to withstand a stronger storm, are suspect. Despite big promises from President Bush, his administration has all but ignored the plight of the thousands of poor and working people who lost everything they had. Instead, union and community leaders say the Bush administration is using the rebuilding effort to promote its conservative agenda and to push poor people out of New Orleans.

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