One-Year Review of Key Indicators of Recovery in Post-Storm New Orleans

New Report from the Brookings Institution:

A One-Year Review of Key Indicators of Recovery in Post-Storm New Orleans
by Amy Liu, Matt Fellowes, and Mia Mabanta

A review of dozens of key social and economic indicators on the progress of recovery in the New Orleans region since the impact of Hurricane Katrina finds that:

--Housing rehabilitation, and demolition, are well underway while the housing market tightens, raising rent and home prices.

--Across the city, public services and infrastructure remain thin and slow to rebound. Approximately half of all bus and streetcar routes are back up and running, while only 17 percent of buses are in use, a level of service that has not changed since January. Gas and electricity service is reaching only 41 and 60 percent of the pre-Katrina customer base, respectively.

--The labor force in the New Orleans region is 30 percent smaller today than one year ago and has grown slowly over the last six months; meanwhile, the unemployment rate remains higher than pre-Katrina... The unemployment rate is now 7.2 percent, higher than last August.

--Since last August, over $100 billion in federal aid has been dedicated to serving families and communities impacted by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. In the meantime, the number of displaced and unemployed workers remains high.