Les Jones

I've spent Thanksgiving here in New Orleans (I'm originally from about an hour south of Knoxville). My father-in-law is currently working for the SBA doing damage estimates. It's unbelievable how you can drive two blocks, and suddenly you're out of the heavily flood-damaged 'poor' section and into the nearly damage-free well-to-do area.

I like to think that I'm a practical person - I'm pretty good at figuring most things out. But as I drive some of the roads out here, it's hard to believe how many of the nicer, bigger houses have been spared damage while the smaller houses are doing good to remain standing. It doesn't *look* like there's a four-to-five foot altitude difference in two or three blocks, but judging by the damage, there HAS to be.

I read the NPR article to my father-in-law and it didn't surprise him at all. During Hurricane Betsy, the levee surrounding the 9th Ward was destroyed with dynamite to spare the rest of the city. It's notable that the 9th ward was the poorest district in town. Given the history of corruption in this city (and it's really, really bad here even to this day) I wouldn't be surprised if the 'spare the city' attitude still existed, and was perhaps acted upon by more devious means.