New Orleans is not in the front page of the newspapers anymore.  It is not talked about by the news programs either.  It is not newsworthy anymore.  It's a major shame that the city has not been fully rebuilt.  Many people will never come back to the city that was such an important part of their lives.  The deep social inequalities that plagued New Orleans before the storm are still there.  This situation to me is very sad and also deeply personal because my Dad's family is from Louisiana, and New Orleans is my Dad's favorite city.  As many in the media said when they used to cover New Orleans, the city is now like Atlantis, a forgotten city.

When the media used to cover New Orleans, most of the time its story was about the people, the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city and in peoples' lives.  But I just realized that not much of the coverage, if any at all, was about the environment.  In the end, the reason why New Orleans flooded was not just because the levies broke, but also because the city lost its natural levies, the wetlands. "Wetlands act as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surf water over time." Gulf Coast Restoration Network, www.healthygulf.org .  When talking about New Orleans and how to fix it, one of the pieces that must be in the puzzle to complete it is the restoration of the wetlands. "Wetlands can decrease flooding, remove pollutants from water, recharge groundwater, protect shorelines, provide habitat for wildlife, and serve an important recreational and cultural function." www.healthygulf.org . But regretfully the Gulf of Mexico has lost 50% of its historic wetlands according to the Gulf Coast Restoration Network.  New Orleans is an example of the catastrophe that can be provoked when humans totally disregard nature in their projects, but it can be an example of what can be accomplished when we put together our best efforts, learn from our mistakes and determine that we must succeed because we do not want to lose a beloved part of our culture and our heritage.