331/365: New and improved 17th Street Canal

After Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers finally installed a floodgate system at the 17th St canal. Before, none of this machinery was there—you could see straight from here to Lake Ponchartrain. This picture was taken while on a tour sponsored by the Army Corps of Engineers of a few of the canals and the 9th Ward. While we were driven through the 9th Ward, we weren't really allowed to get off the bus to see any of it close up. I was able to take a few pictures from the bus, but the photos don't capture the creepiness of the area. We were told that before the storm, the blocks of streets in the 9th Ward were packed with houses—one right next to the other with little space in between. Now, after many houses were demolished and the debris was removed, it looks like a series of desolate empty lots. I would never presume to know what they should do with that area, but given how sparsely populated it is now, it seems like turning it into wetlands wouldn't be such a bad idea.