The 9th Ward of New Orleans is a diverse area with historic landmarks and high home ownership rates, but also known for crime and poverty. It was devastated by Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with slow and criticized rebuilding efforts. Recovery remains mixed, with some areas regaining population while others house residents in formaldehyde-filled trailers. The future is uncertain, but returning residents hope for a return to music, partying, and safer neighborhoods.
The 9th Ward of New Orleans is a section of the city bounded by the Mississippi River to the south and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. It is divided into three main sections by the industrial canal and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. Together, Upper and Lower 9th Wards and East New Orleans make up the largest area of the city’s 17 boroughs.
The 9th Ward has a variety of contradictory portrayals. It is commonly portrayed in the media as a hotbed of crime and gang trouble, high homicide rates, and extreme poverty. However, residents argue that the area is much more diverse, with many beautiful historic landmarks and one of the highest home ownership rates in all of New Orleans. The area is responsible for the careers of many famous musicians, poets and sports stars.
In 1965, the area was devastated by the results of Hurricane Betsy, which inundated much of the 9th Ward when many of the levees failed to protect the city. Yet even the experience of this disaster did little to increase safety precautions in the area. In 2005, most of the Lower 9th Ward was destroyed and the Upper 9th and East New Orleans areas were catastrophically damaged by Hurricane Katrina. In the lower area, not only were most of the buildings inundated, but the resulting storm surge displaced homes and shops off their foundations, leaving widespread destruction.
Tremendous criticism has been leveled at the state and federal governments for their handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, perhaps nowhere more so than New Orleans’ 9th District. The momentum for rebuilding the area was slow, perhaps due to the relative poverty levels of the residents. Some officials and press releases have gone so far as to suggest that the area be abandoned rather than rehabilitated. Many city residents were enraged by the apathy of the restoration efforts, but relatively helpless, as the widespread destruction kept many from returning to their neighborhoods.
More than two years after the hurricane, recovery efforts remain a mixed bag. Some areas, like the community of Bywater, have regained much of their pre-Katrina population, but thousands are still waiting for government reimbursement or insurance money to rebuild their homes. The lower 9th, in particular, houses hundreds of temporary trailers provided to residents by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These temporary homes are not without their problems, as tests have shown extremely high levels of formaldehyde in the materials, raising serious health concerns for residents.
The 9th Ward is a land of contradictions and confusions that appear to lead to a tenuous future in the wake of the rebuilding efforts. While the area’s poverty and unemployment levels are high, these numbers are distorted by an extremely high level of retired citizens living on retirement or receiving government benefits. Some critics of the political response to reconstruction efforts also mention that those most in need of their homes and communities are the poor, the elderly and the unemployed. The future is uncertain, but returning residents express confidence that the area will once again return to an era of music, partying and neighborhoods and will hopefully be able to tackle crime more efficiently with proper planning urban.
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