Category Archives: NOLA

Around Town

I’ve now been down in New Orleans for roughly two months. Some interesting things:

Visits: Yes, I love to see a familiar face or two. Rick made the trek all the way from CT, to attend an important conference on health care with Dianne. Who’d of thought? We had a temporary setback when the restaurant that had been recommended was inexplicably closed, but managed to find some okay grub (with a great view) on Burbon St. Rick, if you are reading this, next time I’m taking you to the Upperline (more on that below.) Later that night we visited the Polo Club, a fittingly named establishment, for some upscale entertainment and cocktails. It was a lovely night that I hope to repeat. // Kate and Nate also have come by casa lui Barison. While in town visiting Nate’s brother, who is working hard with Habitat, they all found some time to enjoy the culinary delights of the city. We visited Upperline restaurant, which I had been salivating over since visiting their website and perusing the menu. It wasn’t cheap, but it was all New Orleans. During the course of our meal we were greeted by the owner and the chef. Dishes included: turtle soup, gumbo, fried green tomatoes, lamb shank, seared tuna, etc… We topped off our evening of culinary delight with Blue Bell brand “Butter Pecan” ice cream, a sumptuous and fatty indulgence.

Parties: Tulane is a bit of a party school, and since law school is often equated with high school, there is lots to be done. I’ve been to a few birthday parties, quite a few happy hours, bar reviews, religious themed parties, pool parties, some seriously odd bars and one desert competition. As a poor student I’ve discovered two things: 1) if you look hard enough, you will find a drink special on whatever night of the week you may be craving libation, and 2) when one holds a party in one’s own house, all leftover goods become the property of said householder. Should you require any further details, feel free to contact me…

Trips: Not including my trip to Athens during the hurricane, I’ve gotten around a bit. A bike trip with the Environmental Law Society brought me and a handful of schoolmates to Lake Pontchartrain. The trip was leisurely and the only disappointment was the the amount of litter strewn about the lake-shore and the rather unpleasant condition of the water itself – there’s work to be done yet! Next week I may be going on a canoe trip, and there is a chance that I will soon visit the state’s notorious prison.

Improvement: I always feel the need to improve wherever it is I am. This tendency is currently being manifest in our house’s backyard. It seems as if the previous tenants decided to go with the “total neglect” theme, thus resulting in a wild lawn, trees overrun by vines and a pathetic remnant of a garden. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve taken great satisfaction cleaning up this area. My great goal is to restore an old brick grill that is built into the ground out back. If I get that baby going, I’ll be sure to post some pictures of the resulting feast.

Cool Peeps: I won’t go into too much detail, for fear of not mentioning someone, but suffice to say that I have some pretty cool classmates – and by cool of course I mean interesting, articulate, funny and with lots of perspective from which I can learn. It’s re-assuring to know that not all future lawyers spent the majority of their college days in frat-house basements conceiving ways to torture one another… it’ll be a fight, but there may be some justice ahead. And to my former cool peeps, a blanket apology if I have not been great about being in touch. You see, while all this great stuff is going down, I still have to go shopping, pay the bills and, oh yeah, study. Best way to get my attention is to buy a plane ticket down here, you won’t regret it 😉

What the Fuck!

While human error is always a factor to be considered, this tragedy might also be viewed from the perspective of outdated and inadequate infrastructure. Commuter and freight trains should not run on the same track, double tracking should exist, and signaling must be modernized.

I’m starting to feel really depressed about the state of this country. Not only are we in debt to the world, but we are no longer a shining example as concerns… well, about anything. Our infrastructure is outdated (rail, road, public works, etc..) our cities are ghost towns and many indicia point to declining standards of living for the vast majority of our population. In New Orleans, where I’ve now lived for about a month, this is especially noticeable.

The majority of the roads in the city are seriously damaged, some traffic signals are non-functioning, and others are downright misleading. Public school buildings are extremely outdated, public transportation is a joke, and access to public health programs is extremely limited. Having lived in two developing nations, I feel almost right at home; this saddens me.

A law school buddy of mine said late last night that New Orleans may just be the first great lost city in the United States. Look at the damage to Galveston and Houston TX caused by hurricane Ike. If that storm had hit us, this city would surely have been flooded again as it was in Katrina; were this to happen once again, I fear that the exodus of residents, especially from lesser privileged areas, would render this city even more of a ghost town than it already at times appears.

And it saddens me to see the familiar petty concerns of human relations consume us while the real threat slowly laps against our battered bulwarks.

Brief Update

I have been spending the past few days in Athens, GA with my friend Josh. I left town on Saturday, at which points the roads were still clear. Those who left on Sunday, however, ended up sitting in gridlock for hours. It’s been a bit disconcerting having to do this the 2nd week of classes, but considering how bad things could have been, we were all very lucky this time around. Tulane did not sustain any major damage and classes are slated to resume next Monday. I find this a bit strange to say, but I am actually looking forward to getting back to school! Law school is a strange beast, and finding some sort of rhythm regarding work/study habits is key. So, let’s hope for no more drama, at least for a while!

The Whole World (ok maybe Country) is Watching

The President has declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Gustav beginning on August 27, 2008, and continuing.

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all parishes within the State.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

R. David Paulison, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael J. Hall as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

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Here is my understanding of Title V of the Stafford Act:

Sec 501 – Declaration of Emergency
a) Governor must make request. Can make request when scope of disaster exceeds the resources of state and local concerns. Request must be specific and clearly state assets available. “Based on such a request, President may declare that a state of emergency exists.”

b) President may also declare such a state of emergency (minus the governor’s ask,) should he feel that responsibility for a response lies with the Federal government…

Sec 502 – Provision of assistance

President may:

a) order all Federal agencies to utilize all available resources (including labor) to support state/local efforts.

b) coordinate all efforts

c) provide assistance (this one is worth expanding… references another section of act – see footnote)

d) remove debris (I wonder if this is an oldie here)

e) provide aid

Sec 503 – Let’s talk $$$

“Federal share – The Federal share for assistance provided under this title shall be equal to not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs. 5 Million dollar limit which may be exceeded if President sees fit and reports to Congress

** That pesky but important footnote on what kind of aid to individuals may be provided

President may provide assistance to those unable to help themselves. May not discriminate against person / household with a loan out from the Small Business Administration or any other federal administration.

Housing Assistance:

financial – temporary housing stipends can be paid based on fair market value. Will also pay for utilities (except telephone service ?)

direct – President may buy or lease housing units and provide them to displaced individuals / 18 month limit excepting extraordinary circumstances / after 18 months, fair marked value can be charged for temporary housing units/relocation

owner occupied private residences eligible for repair and hazard mitigation services.

“may not waive any provision of Federal law requiring the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of the receipt of Federal disaster assistance”

Medical Assistance:

provide dental / medical / funeral assistance to affected individuals

Costs:

IMPT: Federal share here 100%

approx max $25,000 per person / household

at the very end, a bit about verification of use of funds (fraud avoidance.)