Apparently they have rebuilt the canal area since I used to know about it. But it is still not going to be an easy fix.
From AP: Superdome Refugees Get Some Fresh Air
NEW ORLEANS - Desperate for fresh air, dozens of refugees from Hurricane Katrina slept on the walkway surrounding the Louisiana Superdome as conditions inside worsened and frustrations grew.
National Guardsmen let some of the 10,000 people sheltering inside the arena take their bedding out onto the concourse, where it was cooler and the breeze was welcome. The soldiers made sure they didn't leave, though.
"Oh God, fresh air, it's so wonderful. It's the first time I've wanted to breathe all day," said Robin Smith, 33. "When you think what we could've gone through, it's not too bad in there. But it's certainly not as wonderful as this."
For the refugees — many of them poor and frail — the Superdome was a welcome shelter from Katrina, but has been getting steadily more miserable as the hours march on.
The bathrooms are filthy and barrels overflow with trash. With the air conditioning off since power went out Monday morning, the bricks are slick with humidity.
"I don't care how bad my house is. It's got to be better than this," said Ruby Jackson, 56, of New Orleans. "At least I could take a shower and sleep in my own bed."
A groan rose from a group listing to a newscast when the devastation was detailed and officials in suburban Jefferson Parish said residents wouldn't be allowed to return until Monday. One woman cried.
"We're doing everything we can to keep these people comfortable," Gen. Ralph Lupin, commander of the National Guard troops at the Superdome, said Tuesday morning. "We're doing our best. It's not getting any better but we're trying not to let it get any worse."
"I know people want to leave, but they can't leave," he said. "There's 3 feet of water around the Superdome."
The situation was especially difficult for those in wheelchairs, who were lined up in rows five deep along a wall. One patient's IV bag was attached to a stadium seating sign.
Officials were considering moving the patients to areas with better accommodations.
"This is just too hot, too primitive, too uncomfortable for the patients and too hard to work in for the medical people," said Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., head of the medical shelter in the Superdome.
Two people have died, according to Doug Thornton, a regional vice president for the company that manages the Superdome. He provided no other details.
The refugees spent Monday sitting in the seats of the 77,000-seat stadium — home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints — or sprawled out on blankets and towels on the floor. They played cards and read books and magazines in areas where the emergency lights worked. Refugees were given two military-style meals in a pouch a day.
Katrina ripped two holes in the curved roof when the storm barreled through the city, letting in rain. Water also was leaking in through many other areas, including elevators and stairwells.
Superdome and government emergency officials stressed that they did not expect the huge roof to fail because of the relatively small breaches caused by Katrina's winds.
"I was OK until that roof fell off," said 82-year-old Anice Sexton. "I was terrified then. Otherwise it hasn't been too bad. People are so nice and the people staying here have really been cooperative. But the washrooms are terrible."
Dr. Thuong Vo was on his honeymoon in New Orleans with his pregnant wife when they were taken to the Superdome. Vo has been treating people during the day and sleeping on the concrete floor at night with his wife.
"It's certainly been an eventful honeymoon," he said.