As a significant as it was during katrina . Holy cross, it came and went. Here it stayed and stayed for weeks and weeks. Was this middleclass . High net worth. You can see theres a little mentioning even in a house leak that, actually a house like that was 250,000 which is a lot, and you know, considering. These nights maybe these newer ones and closer to the lake, the more expensive. But yeah, these are 350, 400,000 houses. And some of you know, the two story ones, the pool. Not like a neighborhood no this neighborhood is very challenged because again, severely, severely damaged, however, they have a very strong neighborhood association, and they have done a lot. Weve been working with them. Weve been working with them quite a bit. And south lake view, in fact, is a Historic District that is coming back. Lakeview will be back. It is going to take a while because of the amount of damage. But most of the people over here, they had insurance, they have more means. And this land always going to be valuable because of where it is. Again, thats, you know, when people say just give us category 5 levees, well do the rest. It is, and had is where the wealthiest people lived. I havent gone anywhere, and a almost afraid to go and visit other family members and other cities or go out of town. Because i dont to know, feel normal again. Until were normal here. Because i dont to ga to normal life and, you know, everything to be perfect. Because i guess i dont to be influence that i might not want to come back. But im staying, and if i was to car compare this time six months ago, nine, leive months go we have come a long way. I couldnt believe what i was seeing even when i came back a month after. Look at it, we got cars on the road. This was a road where people were sleeping and dying. We got rush hour. Never thought i would be happy to say it. But weve got traffic. Weve got stuff open. So when youre happy when you think about the future of the city . Im very optimistic. I wouldnt live here if i wasnt. I do have family in other cities i could live in and perfectly good cities. Like atlanta. But very optimistic that the city will come back and be strong and attract business. And prosper economically, the thing that i personally worry about is will we preserve that culture and, you know, our architecture, our culture, our food. Can we preserve that . Because the city is not insular little city anymore. Weve got people coming in from everywhere. And this city will change. I just, you know, we just want it to change in the right direction. We want to preserve all of the great things about this city an fix things that should be picked and i think we can be a best practice for urban planning. This has never been attempted before. No one has ever had this, you know tragedy of opportunity like we have in new orleans. Which is you never really havent since the civil war in modern times wiped the slate clean and start off with how should the city be planned and how should the city function . So this is an opportunity very unique in the United States. I dont to see in which you wouldnt recognize ever was a historic city. Or frankfurt i think that we can see you know, that that looks like new york, and in a small way. So i dont the fabric and character of the city to change. Thats what i loved about it, why i came here. Sue thank you very much. Well coming up in about 15 minutes or so love coverage on the Homeland Security hosted by the American Bar Association it is about 25 minutes. That discussion will focus on National Security and antiterrorism. More Hurricane Katrina anniversary coverage live tomorrow as former president bill clinton, new orleans mayor lisp landrieu members of congress and residents will all take part in a commemorative event. Live coverage is on cspan starting at 6 p. M. Eastern. And now until 3 30 or so a force of the todays washington journal of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Nowl joining us is former mayor of new orleans, and National UrbanLeague President mark moriel good morning youre quoted this morning in the Washington Post as saying with regard to new orleans of the rebuilding were at halftime. What do you mean by that . What i mean by that is thatt the city hasnt been fully populated all neighborhoods have fully come back. Pendinghb reimbursement claims that the city had with fema, rebuilding the renaissance, resurgence of the city has still quite a distance to go, and we at the urban league applaud progress that has been made. But weve also pointed out bye. Way of report release by the urban league of greater new a orleans this week about the continuinggr challenging of poverty, jobs, income and education that still plague this city and confront this region. So in understanding where we are, ten years later, it isre important that people not spike the ball, not pop the cork on the champagne bottle but really applaud the work thats been done but commit to this continuation. It took San Francisco 25 years to come back after a the devastating earthquake in the early a part of the 1900s in this rebuilding of new orleans i still believe is going to another 10 to 15 years to be full and to be complete. Where is some of the successes in your view and where is some of the not so successful areas in so i think that successes have been that lots of Public Interest has been rebuilt. Theres a new levee system. That levee system is considerably better than the levee system of ten years ago n with new engineering floodgate and storm gates. Secondly there are 38 brand new Public Schools that have been built. Because the old schools were destroyed. Thirdly, many people through a combination of government conformro says, private insuranu their own savings, their own sweat equity, have built their home. Theyve rebuilt their businesses. And its visible in many parts of the city. So i really think the real underscore should be that the perseverance, the commitment of people because of the culture an history of new orleans has been theec driver of all that weveor seen up until this point. 22 is area code 8,000 if you livear in new orleans you want o talk to former mayor mark morial about the current condition of the city. En mr. Mayor, did you face any large hurricanes when you were mayor and what was your reaction . I faced several hurricanes perhaps most serious of them was hurricane georgias in 1998 which required us to call for a voluntary evacuation of the city, and required us to use the dome in the Convention Center as shelter of last resort. Hurricane georgias which was bearing down on the city and could have been katrina diverted as many hurricane its do at thed an hit the gulf coast of mississippi. That hurricane i think was the most serious threat on the city in quite a bitur of time. And new orleans is also had flooding incidents, occasioned by heavy rainfall. And we had one or two memorable flooding incidents as a result of rainfall. Nothing of the scale of katrina. Because it is important to emphasize and reemple that the fail ad flood wall, the drainage canal, and the failed flood wall along the Industrial Canal were large contributes factors to flooding that really took place after Hurricane Katrina had passed by the city. So we face that. It was indeed a challenge. I made it my business during the years that i was mayor from 94 to 2002 to be briefed extensionively on hurricane preparedness each and every mayi because i wanted to make sure that the city was indeed fully prepared. There waspa nothing of the scale of katrina an i would emphasize that in a major disaster, federal state and local cooperation is essential, and it isnt that, quote, one branch of government or the other branch of government is fully responsible because the assets you need. The response required, with requires a tremendous evacuation if theres the response needed to people who may be stuck, i thine now the Lesson Learned theres got to be a Transportation Plan to help those who may not have automobiles, those who may not have private transportation to evacuate when theres a threat of a big hurricane. The black population in new orleans decreased 118,000 sense katrina. Whats the significance of that . This significance is that it is important to recognize that the city still remains this cultural gumbo, this mix of people, and that still approximately 60 of the population remains africanamerican with remainedder being white, asian american, vietnamese and latino. I think what it reflects is for those that were renters those that did not own their own homes coming back was very difficult because many rental units were not quickly or even to this date not fully restored. Secondly, many of the black middleclass was displaced. There was a layoff of some 7,500 teachers. And areas of the city like park and new orleans east has been to some extent they got a very slow start primarily because there was i think, an effort by some a suggestion by some and a plan be some that those neighborhoods should tin deed not be rebuilt. So they are playing if you will, catchup in the rebuilding process. So its been difficult now you have a large if you will new orleans in place like baton rouge. Houston, atlanta. Some of the river plants, many people who evacuated, remained if youn will in the region to such an extent that butten rouge is largest city in the state of louisiana. Lets take some calls for you. I want to show you facts from the New York Times before we do that. Property taxes have doubled in new orleans since katrina. Flood insurance rates have tripled. Tr watersu bills will more than 2020. By and home prices in some historically black neighborhoods have doubled as well. Marc morial is our guest. Larry is with boeing green, kentucky. Good morning. Ky challenge the chief and ths is what i have to say. Why is that accomplish arrogant donald trump take you bars to his wallet and do good down in new orleans. Thank you cspan. Mr. Mayor do you have any comments of that . All ill say it is interesting donald trump actually proposed a highrise Apartment Building if i recall in new orleans right after the hurricane. But it didnt get built. He has a hotel down there, though, doesnt he . I think hes got one down in the cbd okay. Im not sure of that. But interesting, but im going to stay away since hes the president ial candidate and stay away from commenting on president ial politics this morning. If youre in new orleans yowpghts to talk to former mayor, for you to call steven in st. Louis, steven youre on with marc morial. Good morning, gentlemen, federal employee up in st. Louis here, i have watched all of the town Hall Meetings all through the week. 2 in the morning, 11 00 wherever theyve been on, and i remember very vividly. I tried to actually go down there and do volunteer work, and i didnt get selected but i have two very quick comments. Ive been seeing and i remember this back in 2005, there was a lot of comments about people,ab poor people couldnt get trade, fema was slow there were bodies all overrule the place that we lost all of these people. I needed some understanding this was a catastrophic just looking at some of the pictures this morning, i cant even imagine what those poor people went through. I dont to use the blame game thing. But what was some of the problems back then. I know that people were utterly frustrated and heart goeser outo them. Thats the first o thing. Second thing is the job issue. We need to get these young peopled to work, i mean, ill e quite honest with you. I didnt have a job, no way to get i a job, i might be selling drugs myself or doing something illegal. Im going to be quite honest about that. Theseal young people, this is or livelihood. This is our future. Th and i put down the politicianings. You get elected it to office, oe of your main goalses is to be a salesman. To get companies, to come into your area. Thats a difficult thing ive never been in sales so maybe im dish shouldnt be saying that. But i look at our politicians, theyve got to hit that road get therecompanies in somehow. So that we can get these young kids to give them some hope. Thats my comment. Steven in st. Louis. Ill take his question. I agree fully with steven, with the idea that there is no more important issue in America Today than trying to provide Employment Opportunities which lead to positive quality of life for young people. And what the country has to do is step away from the traditional, political conversation which says, well, is it a government responsibility . Is it a private sector responsibility . Va is it all about education . Its about all of the above. It is a private sector responsibility, and in my work at the urban league, we encourage the private sector to invest in understand the greatou hope and possibilities of americas urban communities which is seen tremendous disinvestment over the years but i think it is also a government responsibility. If we can spend a trillion in iraq and if in afghanistan, if welcome spend significantsp front money to public dollar and foreign aid to assist othero countries, if we can provide tax incentives, some of which encouragenc investment abroad, then we can, if you will spend and invest in providing Job Opportunities for the young people of america. Youve got to do better with schools yeah weer have to do th. But some of them is also a by young adults. And young adults who do want to work, do have the capability of working. And there isnt enough opportunity for them. I give everyone a number. Between 16 and 24. One out of every 5 young peoe is neither working nor in school. One of 5. Thats approximately 7 million pipe. So we at the urban league have an initiative, jobs rebuild america where weve increased the work we do to help provide job training for young people. Weve got programs in new orleans, and in several communities, many, many communities around the nation. And we do this work, however, we have long lines of people whoon want to be part of our programs, and so were fighting every day. For more if you will, investment to fund more job training slots in Community Across the country. Next call from marc morial comes from stephany in wiltonn pa. Me oh, my. Stephanie were listening to you turn down the volume on your tv. Ph go ahead and start talking, okay . Im just im just you know what stephanie im go ahead and move on tog all of the callers once you get on, turn down the volume on your tv you can hear everything through your trch and if you leave your tv up then we get the feedback, and it slows the g program down a little bit. Jeanie is in new orleans, jeanie youre on the air. Hit, my husband and i returnedch to new orleans in 206 i wrote a neighborhood column which i was asked to do because i started kind of a blog after the aftermath. But one was things that reallyof bothers me here is that the insurance that people are paying for their properties is justpr horrendous, and nothig has been done to help get that under control. This is caused so many people to lose their homes, and yes there are new people who have come in here and are building and were grateful to have them. But a lot of the people who were here before katrina and came back and tried to rebuild, havee been not only unsuccessful. But have lost their homes. People who were in their 60s and were tired and, you know, their house was almost paid for and suddenly they have an enormous mortgage because of the failure of both the governmentrt and the banks. For not helping people to be able lnk to get back on their ft without causing them suchbo distress were talking abouts middleclass people. Can you give us an idea of what the insurance cost changes have been, and what neighborhood do you live in, in new orleans . I lived in lake view, and i can tell you our insurance just for basic and i mean basic and not great insurance but basic insurance cost over 6,000 a year now. And with property taxes, the way they have gone up, its about 10,000 a year just on those two items. Which are ridiculous. I mean, its just has really hurt the people who came back early on in this. And we saw many of our friends who have lost their homes because of this. They couldnt afford to live here anymore. Thank you maam lets hear from former mayor im glad jeanie raised this issue i think all of the numbers show that the cost of living whether youre paying a mortgage, or rent, plus insurance, housing costs have dramatically increased in thisdr community. But what i would say to jeanie is that Insurance Companies in the state of louisiana are regulated by the statesat commissioner of insurance. And i would encourage him to ben invited to come on this show and talk specifically about increases in Homeowners Insurance that really is making it difficult for people who have returned to stay in the city and for many, many other it is to come back. This is why i have called this a continuation. Because the city, the region, neighborhoods continue, continue to face challenges. Lakeview is one of those great communities of homeowners, tightly nit, many of whom camef back, some who tore down old homes and rebuilt new homes, and these issues of the increase in cost of insurance certainly need indeed to be addressed and ive said to people look, Southeastern Louisiana is always going to be at risk of a severer weather event. Er but so is coastal mississippi. Coastal alabama, coastal florida, all of the way around south carolina, north carolina. Over to texas the beauty of the coast is that it gives us beauty, it gives us abundance, fisheries, it gives Us Offshore Oil and gas, but also the gulf of mexico in the summer time because of the warmth of the waters is really, really a feeder that strengthens hurricanes, it is a community that is going to be just this insurance issue needs to be idressed. Certainly by those first line whoos are responsible and i thik thats the state, the commission of insurance, and i think members of the legislature have to raise this as a higher priority issue. Gh clifton is calling in from rochelle, georgia, hi clifton. C good morning. The best i remember there was some 2 billion and credit