The Katrina reconstruction project is estimated to cost $200 billion – or more. Adding salt to the wound, Hurricane Rita caused another $5 billion in damage. Insured damage ranges widely from $35 billion to $60 billion. More than 2000 dead. Tens of thousands of homes await reconstruction in low-lying New Orleans.
- no clear political framework
- no decision makers
- nobody driving the process
“Everybody knows what they want to do, but they are busy trying to figure out who is in charge.”, Phil Bernstein, vice president of AutoDesk.
Memo to a nation’s heart:
Can you believe that our social framework, our community, our essential structure as a people, fails such an obvious and defined task? Do you then trust that we correctly respond to other needs? We must look each other in the eye.