Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY 28 AUG,2015

U.S. NEWS A5
Friday 28 August 2015

Obama Sees Message of Resilience in New Orleans

President Barack Obama, accompanied by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, center left, walks stands as a symbol of the most in New Orleans. Video
in the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, for the 10th anniversary since extraordinary resilience of of residents seeking refuge
the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Tremé is one of the oldest black neighborhoods in America, this city and its people, of on rooftops, inside the Su-
which borders the French Quarter just north of Downtown. the entire Gulf Coast, in- perdome and at the con-
deed, of the United States vention center dominated
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) of America. You are an ex- news coverage as Katrina
ample of what’s possible came to symbolize govern-
when, in the face of trag- ment failure at every level.
edy and hardship, good In his speech, Obama
people come together to said Katrina helped ex-
lend a hand, and to build a pose inequalities that long
better future.” plagued New Orleans and
Obama was a new U.S. left too many people, es-
senator when Katrina’s pecially minorities, with-
powerful winds and driving out good jobs, affordable
rain bore down on Louisi- health care or decent
ana on Aug. 29, 2005. The housing and too many kids
storm caused major dam- growing up in the midst of
age to the Gulf Coast from violent crime and attend-
Texas to central Florida ing inefficient schools.
while powering a storm The setting of his address
surge that breached the at the community cen-
system of levees meant to ter, where the water once
protect New Orleans from stood 17 feet (5.2 meters)
flooding. deep — spoke to the stark
Nearly 2,000 people died, contrasts that remain. q

D. SUPERVILLE tioned, though, that “just “That’s all you have to do:
N. BENAC because the housing is handle what’s handed to
Associated Press nice doesn’t mean our job you,” Chase said, voicing
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Presi- is done.” what could be a credo for
dent Barack Obama paid Areas of the city still suffer the city.
tribute to New Orleans on from high poverty, he said, Obama was clearly ener-
Thursday as an extraordi- and young people still take gized by his visits, at one
nary example of renewal the wrong path. point breaking into a song
and resilience 10 years af- There is more to be done to from “The Jeffersons” sit-
ter the devastation of Hur- confront “structural inequi- com after meeting a young
ricane Katrina, walking ties that existed long be- woman who calls herself
through the city’s streets, fore the storm happened,” “Wheezy.” He stopped
visiting tidy porch stoops he added. off for lunch with some lo-
and dining at a thriving In his remarks, Obama cal young men at Willie
corner eatery, blended the same themes Mae Scotch House before
“The fact that we can of resilience and renewal heading to a new commu-
make this many strides 10 that he drew from encoun- nity center in the hard-hit
years after a terrible, epic ters with the sturdy residents Lower 9th Ward.
disaster, I think, is an indica- he met along Magic Street “Not long ago, our gath-
tion of the kind of spirit we and at other locations. ering here in the Lower
have in this city,” Obama Leah Chase, 92, was one of 9th might have seemed
declared after walking those to chat with Obama, unlikely,” Obama said in
door to door in the historic and pronounced herself a speech excerpts released
Treme section of a city re- fan of the man, saying he’d in advance. “But today,
born from tragedy. He cau- handled “a rough road.” this new community center

Company:

Settlement reached in Gulf oil leak lawsuit

KEVIN McGILL between Taylor Energy on the company’s spill re-
Associated Press Company and the envi- sponse.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A ronmental groups. Taylor Environmental groups led
New Orleans energy com- said in a news release it has by the New York City-based
pany said Thursday it has agreed under the settle- Waterkeeper Alliance said
reached a settlement ment to make a $300,000 in a joint statement that
agreement with environ- donation to a Louisiana they won’t comment until
mental groups in a lawsuit marine research consor- a final agreement is signed.
stemming from the com- tium and to fund $100,000 “We are very pleased
pany’s failed efforts to stop in research on the ecologi- about the progress of ne-
a decade-old, slow-motion cal effects of small, long gotiations with Taylor, and
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. term leaks in the Gulf. have come to a conceptu-
A federal court filing Thurs- Taylor also said it will host al agreement that has not
day stated that an agree- a public forum and publish yet been finalized. q
ment had been reached a website with information