Still a few days off. We could see it out there. We knew katrina was a big one, but we had no idea what it would do to this city and this region. Back then when the storm hit, it covered an area of 90,000 square miles, 80 of this great historic city was underwater. 1. 5 Million People were affected in that storms aftermath and, worst of all, of course, more than 1,800 deaths at the hands of katrina. Things these days here are getting much better, in part thanks to a fortune, a potential pool of 16. 7 billion in federal funds includes almost 2 billion for schools here. And 90 of the new orleans neighborhoods and there are over 70 different neighborhoods in this city are back, meaning they have at least half the population having returned. We begin with how things have changed, new people, new places, some old problems and some new ones. [ cheers and applause ] here in the very place that came to symbolize the failure of the katrina response, the citys beloved saints brought it home this year. We played for our city. We played for the entire gulf coast region. Reporter that same weekend, twothirds of the city with the majority of black support voted in then Lieutenant GovernorMitch Landrieu as the new mayor ushering in what many hope will be lasting change. Landrieu has taken on a lot. New orleans remains the murder capital of the u. S. Its police force, so riddled with corruption the new mayor asked the federal Justice Department to step in. There is no trust in the city for the Police Department. Reporter is the danziger bridge going to go down as the low point . Yes. It just manifested the dysfunction. Reporter still, most of the citys residents came back after katrina. It is believed about 75 of its close to half million former residents have returned. But the struggle to rebuild has been monumental and, for some, coming home was never an option. Lower ninth feels so much the same today, five years later, as it did a month later, a year later. The debris has mostly gone, but it is not a place where you feel a vibrant sense of hureturn. Every visit i make here im always stunned to see water marks still and roofs missing. That must drive you crazy. It does. Those of us that have been here know that it is a very, very long process to rebuild a very intricate network and fabric of our lives. Reporter dr. Redlander of Columbia University have been following a thousand families affected by katrina. We are seeing for the most Vulnerable Children down there, many are still not living in stable communities, in safe communities, in appropriate homes with appropriate access to health care. So i think the report card is not good. Reporter one of the postkatrina bright spots is education. In a way the storm allowed the city to rebuild a bad system. Charter schools are taking over a lot of failed Public Schools and test scores are going up. I have never been more optimistic and hopeful about the future of the city than i am today. Reporter twothirds of students are now enrolled in Charter Schools here. Thats the highest rate in the country. I have no doubt. If it werent for katrina we would not be seeing the progress we are today. Reporter tourists came back to the city as well. Susan spicer, chef of the renowned French Quarter restaurant bayona stuck it out in new orleans and was rewarded for it. When her business went up, she even opened a new place in lakeview. Just decided the time was right. It felt right. Reporter then on april 20th came the explosion of the deepwater horizon. I felt like five years after katrina we were really on a roll. And then the oil spill has really its been kind of a smackdown. Reporter what do you want to see from bp . This is what would help me trust bp . For bp to say, listen, we did something wrong, we were negligent. We shouldnt have done it. We admit what our mistake was, and begin to move to resurrection and redemption. Reporter through the highs and lows of the last five years, the lingering, the looming question for this city remains what if, what if another katrina comes along . Ivor van hearden warned the city that the levees were faulty long before katrina and is warning them again now. This wall could easily be over top. Reporter after Hurricane Katrina, congress authorized the army corps of engineers to redesign and rebuild the levee system to be able to with stand another 100year storm, the rough equivalent of a category three hurricane. All things are possible, given the mission and the financial backing to do it. Reporter that 14 billion hurricane and storm damage Risk Reduction system is on track to be completed by next june. No one would blame ne new orleanians. It may be why they live for today. Of course Hurricane Katrina hit the entire gulf coast. It clobbered mississippi. Then rita came along. There, like here, things are better in some ways, not as good as others. We all made many trips there to cover the damage. Our own ron mott spent time there. Hes with us tonight. Ron, good evening. Reporter brian, good evening to you. As you mentioned, mississippi got clobbered by Hurricane Katrina, especially here in waveland. They were quick to pick up the pieces, but five years later the coast is far from whole. In many ways, mississippi took the knockout punch from katrina. A devastating onetwo combination of wind and storm surge that essentially levelled the coastline. I was scared. Were you . I was. Reporter louis and jane shared their towns loss and hope with us in 05. But if there is no here here what do you do . We can rebuild. Reporter they have turned their house back into a home, but it hasnt been easy. It was difficult times. We hung in there and the family got stronger. Our friends got stronger. The communitys getting stronger. And this is home. Reporter in all, 238 people died in mississippi. More than 28,000 homes were damaged or destroyed here, leaving some 5,000 families still without permanent housing even today. Despite spending roughly 4 billion in federal funds, many empty lots and challenges remain so the governor praises the effort. The spirit and character of the people of mississippi is what carried us through. They werent whining or moping. Mississippians did what they had to do. Reporter take the Police Department of Pass Christian whose officers had to shoot the glass out of Library Doors when flood waters threatened to trap them inside. How much do you think of that day . Not much. Just riding around town and seeing whats not here now, it gets depressing. Reporter yet every day it seems there is something new to celebrate. For the police like many others, homecoming is finally reality. Reporter a reality five long years in the making. From ruin to recovery, a resounding, if not exhausting, test of faith and meddle taken one day at a time. Where do you go when its gone . Getting through the crisis is just trying to do one thing each day and then take a bolook backt the end of the week. That worked. Reporter in addition to the property losses here, they lost a lot of jobs. A recent study shows they have yet to recover on that front either. Brian . Ron, thanks. Our best to our friends in that town. Now, while big storms and avoiding them is always top of mind here along the gulf coast, we have been tracking first one, then two. Now three storm systems out in the atlantic. Really stretching all the way to the african coast. Who better to ask about all of this than Weather Channel specialist jim cantore here with us in new orleans. You have to deliver good news. I have some so far. We are beyond the trom call season here. We are seeing storms named so far east its almost unavoidable. Katrina wasnt named until it got to the bahamas. You can see them lined up. Danielle will be probably our first major hurricane. Its 110 Miles Per Hour now. Earl and fiona off the african coast now. Well watch the storms continue to pull to the west. As long as they are named this far to the east it is almost unavoidable they will come to the north. As danielle moves by bermuda, we think it will past to the east. It will push waves to the eastern seaboard. Well see them over the weekend. A beautiful weekend at that from florida up to the outer banks of north carolina. Eventually into new england. Five to ten feet. They will increase the rip current risk as well. Earl, we cant say it wont impact bermuda, but it looks like danielle will misbermuda. Jim cantore here with us in new orleans. We got some news tonight on the economy beginning with the topic of jobs, the number of people filing firsttime unemployment claims came in at 473,000, down 31,000 from last weeks shockingly high number. On the mortgage front, delinquencies ticked down but they are still high. 14. 4 of those with a mortgage have missed a payment or are in foreclosure now. On wall street, the dow finished down more than 74 points. Closing below the 10,000 mark for the First Time Since early in the month of july. Rough landing today for a jetblue flight in sacramento, california, left four passengers with minor injuries. The aircraft, an airbus a320 from long beach had trouble with the brakes and blew its tires. All 86 passengers had to exit the plane by the emergency slides and were taken to the terminal in buses. Well have much more of the days news and much more from here along the gulf coast when our broadcast continues, including the latest on the ongoing crisis the people here have had to deal with on the bp oil disaster. And later, the places here in new orleans that are beyond surviving. They are now thriving. When you have osteoporosis, like me, it helps to eat calciumrich foods like yogurt, spinach, and cheese. But calcium, vitamin d and exercise may not be enough to keep your bones strong. So ask your doctor about oncemonthly boniva. Boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. Studies show, after one year on boniva thats exactly what it did for nine out of ten women. And thats what it did for me. announcer dont take boniva if you problems with your esophagus, low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or cant sit or stand for at least one hour. Follow dosing instructions carefully. Stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. If jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. Ive got this one body and this one life, so im glad boniva helped me stop losing and start reversing. Ask your doctor about boniva today. announcer to get one month free, plus more tips and recipes, visit boniva. Com or call 18004boniva. Picnic empty handed. Cant show up at a labor day but here at the final days of the ford model year end sales event, these folks are taking it up a notch. Those guys are bringing some outstanding technology. Over here, amazing fuel efficiency. Behind me, that guys bringing quality that cant be beat by honda or toyota. Me, im bringing cole slaw. Hurry in to the final days of the ford model year end sales event and get a focus with 0 financing for 60 months. So many stories, so little time. You really should drive one. Back from new orleans tonight. Think about these twin tragedies the folks of this region have been asked to endure. First, Hurricane Katrina, then lesser storms like rita. Then along comes the bp oil spill, the explosion which dumped millions of gallons of oil into the gulf of mexico. Our chief environmental correspondent Anne Thompson has been here covering the story for months, from the very beginning. Shes with us again, about 60 miles from where we are in venice, louisiana, down in plaquemines parish. Looks like on the bow of captain james fishing boat. Reporter good evening, brian. The resilient people of the gulf know how to prepare for a hurricane. Four months later they are still struggling with this oil spill. Through the prism of the oil spill, so much along the gulf coast remains uncertain. In louisianas bay jimmy, there is still oil to clean up. Workers use giant vacuum cleaners to get it out of the marsh and pull in boom soiled with crude and algae. This boat is filled with oil boom instead of oysters, up to 1,000 bags a day. Hes filled with apprehension. I dont think the waters clean enough for us to get the oysters out of here. Reporter boom is being removed from mobile bay, alabama, a sign of progress. But that progress could also mean the end of paychecks for brian swindle from bps vessels of opportunity program. He still doesnt know when he can resume making his living off the gulf. Thats the big question. Whats going to happen next year, next season . Am i going to be able to fish or not. Reporter at its height there were 45,000 people. Today there are 30,000 and no end in sight. Youre running a marathon, but you dont know if its 26 miles, 52 or where the finish point is in this. A lot of them just collect data. Reporter sam walker is the lead scientist looking for oil beneath the surface. Teams tested the water at 28,000 different spots in the gulf, collecting nearly 150,000 samples. Nobody has a full and complete answer right now. We are continuing to work very, very hard to establish whether or not there is any remaining oil and what its fate was. Reporter walker reminds us that good science takes time and each study, each piece of information that comes along is like a clue. To solve the mystery of where all the oil is. Brian . Anne thompson to our south in ve vis harbor. Anne, thanks. Up next from here, some of the other news including Important News for those who have had rhip replacements. And well have more on what back to normal looks like in the city of new orleans. [ male announcer ] giving up cigarettes can take more than willpower alone. But todays a new day. Talk to your doctor about prescription Treatment Options and support. And this time, make it your time. Toi switched to a complete0, multivitamin with more. About prescription Treatment Options and support. Only one a day womens 50 advantage has gingko for memory and concentration plus support for bone and breast health. A great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day womens. To bring art to the people. Without my health i wouldnt be able to do anything. [ male announcer ] to keep doing what you love, keep your heart healthy. Cheerios can help. The whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. Its simple; love your heart so you can do what you love. Weve been best friends since we were two. Weve always been alike. [ lindy ] we even both have osteoporosis. But were active. Especially when we vacation, so when i heard about reclast, the only onceayear iv osteoporosis treatment, i called joni. My doctor said reclast helps restrengthen our bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve whole months. [ lindy ] and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if youre on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. Or youre pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. Take calcium and vitamin d daily. Tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. The most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. Nothing strengthens you like an old friendship. But when it comes to our bones, we both look to reclast. Youve gotta ask your doctor onceayear reclast. Yearlong protection for onthego women. Im the puppy that ate your backseat. Im a random windstorm. [ grunts ] im a hot babe out jogging. Call me mayhem. [ tires screech ] im every reason to have the right insurance. [ tires screech ] but a lot of you are cutting your coverage and leaving yourselves unprotected. So get allstate. You could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] mayhem is everywhere. Protect yourself. Are you in good hands . Do you hear that sound . If you own a hybrid, you know they dont make much noise. In fact, the engine pretty much shuts off at red lights and while parked. That sound is what toyota is experimenting with in japan. Adding some sort of artificial engine noise, not just for those who like a car that makes a sound when it goes. It is also a safety issue to let passing pedestrians know that a nearby car is, in fact, running. Another item from toyota tonight, another recall. More than one million corolla and matrix hatchbacks. A problem can cause the engine to stall. Faulty engine control module will be replaced on all affected vehicles, they say, at no charge. We have a health alert of interest to millions of americans who have had hip replacements that allow them, of course, to go on living healthier and active lives. Tonight there is word of a recall in this area by johnson johnson. This one affects 93,000 people around the world. While most patients wont require another new hip or to go through that ordeal, they say it is best to check with your doctor. There is more information on our website about this. Nightly. Msnbc. Com. We have an update tonight on those miners. 33 of them in that 2,000footdeep mine in chile. They are all alive and mostly well after 17 days. While its true they may not be rescued until christmas and while its all about keeping them healthy and scene untane. We learned they cannot get out if they are bigger around than a 35inch waistline. Sadly, it shouldnt be a problem as already of them have already lost a lot of pounds. We were reminded today the average american waistline is almost 40 inches for men, 37 inches for american women. No two people will ever totally agree on music or the best songs of all time. And when its beatles songs, fights break out. Rolling stone magazine has entered the fray with what they say is the definitive list of the best beatles songs of all time. Their top five, in my life, yesterday, Strawberry Fields forever, i wanna hold your hand and number one, a day in the life about a guy who read the news today. Why not some British Music to play us into the break in new orleans where well return with a look at whats come back here even better . Even better . The fiber and whole grain. E than double making him a great contender in this bout. Against midmorning hunger. Honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. Youve got more whole grain in your Little Finger lets get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast ding, cheering, ringing keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain. In every tasty bite frrrrrrosted miniwheeeeats didnt know i had in me. Frrrrrrosted miniwheeeeats no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but its just the beginning of our work. Im iris cross. Bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. My job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. That means working with communities. We have 19 centers in 4 states. Weve made over 120,000 claims payments, more than 375 million. Weve committed 20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. Well keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. I was born in new orleans. My family still lives here. Bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal. Until we make this right. [ slap ] were back with a final note from the famous French Quarter tonight. If you have lived here, if you have just been here, then you know the place runs on food. Some liquids in moderate amounts, but food is key. They are proud here to point to a big statistic. More restaurants in new orleans today than there were before katrina. We went out to two of them today a bit of research including the parkway bakery tovr tavern. After all, whats a bakery without a tavern . They got it pretty bad from katrina. You would never know it from the size of the po boys they were serving to a waiting crowd. Same with mandinas. Its been a mixture since the 1930s. Katrina knocked them down hard but they got back up, mostly on the raw strength of the onion rings and the fried eggplant sticks and the sheer power of food to keep this city up and running. As we head out for much more research in that area, a reminder. Well be broadcasting from here in new orleans tomorrow evening as well. Our special friday making a difference segment will feature the work being done here by the actor brad pitt. Then tomorrow night, our documentary on msnbc on what we saw those first awful days of the storm and the aftermath. On sunday i will host meet the press from new orleans and on sunday nights news, our exclusive interview with president obama. Well have much more including all of our stories from our coverage this past five years. We have put it on our website. Nightly. Msnbc. Com. Reporter so, for us, for now, that is our broadcast for this thursday night. Thank you, as always, for being here with us. Im Brian Williams reporting tonight from the French Quarter in new orleans. We hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. We hope to see you back here tomorrow evening. Good night. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com