I am a Hurricane Katrina evacuee with an invisible fleur-de-lis indelibly etched on my heart. I was born and raised there, so I know New Orleans like the back of my hand. We have all celebrated or rather mourned the one year anniversary of the most devastating natural disaster in recorded American history.  Since that unforgettable time I have been repeatedly presented with the same question, "Why would you want to go back!?"

The undertone of the speaker is usually the tone of a confused person trying to wrap their understanding around why any sane and educated person would choose to move back to a place amid so much devastation. Up until now my response has always been a simple, "If you were from there you would understand." But lately I have found that even that reply doesn't stand to pacify the outcry of chorused, "you're crazy,” and “it’s only going to happen again." Let me take this time to clarify my beliefs behind the subject and shed a bit of light on why New Orleans is unlike any other place on earth, and is worth living in and fighting for.

New Orleans is on average approximately 6 feet below sea level and it is surrounded on all sides by a major waterway. On one side there is the Mississippi River, on the other there is Lake Ponchatrain, also there is the Industrial Canal and many other estuaries that connect New Orleans to either Lake Ponchatrain or the Mississippi River. Essentially, it paints a picture of an empty bowl surrounded by water.

Now, put those pieces of information along with the fact that New Orleans is essentially sitting in the Gulf of Mexico. Due to erosion, the wetlands of Louisiana provide little to no defense against a powerful storm. New Orleans is 80% surrounded by a levee system that to this day is still not complete and would not have been complete today regardless of Katrina. As everyone knows by now the levees were not built to be effective against category 3 or higher hurricanes.                                                          

The widespread flooding that would take place in the city due to levee failure would render the city’s pumping system completely ineffectual. All of these facts make it seem as though only a crazy person would chose to move back to New Orleans. Frankly, many of you are wondering why anyone would ever live there to begin with.

Let me now address some of the proposed responses that I have received in regard to places I should relocate to:

Response 1: "You should move to the east coast!"  Truthfully I do love the east coast but the east coast is not immune from hurricanes; in fact Georgia, the Carolinas and most states along the eastern seaboard have all seen a hurricane hit them within the last 10 years. It is true that all of these places are not below sea level but they have all sustained heavy flooding and wind damage and suffered human casualties all the same.

Add to that the fact that these states have very cold winters which presents an entirely new problem for me being an African -American from the south. It is common knowledge that black people are tropical people and we do not like cold weather! But that’s just me stating my opinion.

True, it did snow in New Orleans on Christmas in 2004, but that was the first snow in over 15 years and even that was not a heavy snow. They have blizzards on the east coast and you have to drudge through snow just to get down the block. Let’s not forget the constant shoveling of your driveway, defrosting of your car and sometimes you might even have put chains on your tires. You may even possibly die from frostbite if you do not properly insulate yourself. That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

Response 2: "You should move to the Midwest!"  Hello! Aren’t tornadoes a problem there. I would be going from having days of warning to having minutes of warning prior to a major natural disaster, can some one please tell me how that is more beneficial!?!

Response 3: “You should move out west!" Right! So the ground can move which is caused by earthquakes and plus you get even less warning than with tornados and both tornados and earthquakes have the ability to do just as much damage as a hurricane. Let's not forget about the droughts when residents are not able to use any excess water. In New Orleans I can water my lawn and wash my car whenever I want. The western United States has more fun to offer other than earthquakes, let’s not forget about those uncontrollable wildfires and those devouring mudslides. Sure the west is warm and sunny but so far, I am definitely not sold.

I am not saying these things because I feel like bashing the rest of the country, I am merely stating why no place is immune from any natural disaster. On top of that none of these places has any of the culture that New Orleans boasts to me. New Orleans is regarded in many history books as being the 1st major city in the United States. No other city has such strong French, Spanish, African-American, and Native American influences. No other city has Tony Chachere’s and Lowry’s Seasoning sprinkled into just about everything you eat. No other city has Mardi Gras, Easter Sunday’s on the “Lake,” and Bayou Classic done the way it should be.

No other place has the French Quarter, the flea market, and the garden district. No other residents ask, “How’s your momma and ‘nem?” No other cooks know that pickled tips and neck bones put the real flavor in everything. The clubs don’t close at 2 AM and you can drink in the street anytime you want. There are cotillions, Mardi Gras balls, second Lines and Splashes.  It is the quintessential little-big city.  Here everyone knows everyone else, and they all know the meaning of true Southern Hospitality. Why should we fight to move back to New Orleans? Simple, because we have to! Seriously, what other choice is there? 

You can Contact Bri at BAllen-Trufant@b-now.com