As residents are allowed back in to their flood-damaged neighborhoods, the world is beginning to learn the extent of the devastation in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward.
"The condition of the houses and roads was shocking. I have NEVER seen such devastation. Every house had severe damage: roofs collapsed, rotting wood, rooms broken off, water lines now over the roof. Trees were down, debris was all over the small roads along with 2-3 inches of dried brown sediment...The homes on larger roads had truckloads of debris bulldozed on the lawns to clear the street. Bicycles were in trees. Coolers were on roofs. It took me a minute to realize that people were living on the roofs, and the coolers were dragged up there to store food. Each house was marked with a spray painted X and coded with number of people and animals found and/or dead. Electrical wires were down, phone poles snapped. Cars were all over, encrusted with mud. Many cars squashed in carports or by trees and roofs. The huge piles of debris looked like mounds of snow after a blizzard. One church was completely squashed. It was about 4 feet high with only the steeple left."
FULL STORY: Report from the Devastated Front Lines of the Lower Ninth Ward - New Orleans

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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