By Kristin Owens
Residents trying to rebuild their lives in New Orleans say that while daily life is still difficult, it is getting better by the day ? for one thing, Burger King has started serving more than just plain hamburgers.
Annette Smith, a middle-aged mother and hospital worker, returned to her home on the west bank of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina only to be forced out again by the threat of Hurricane Rita. Luckily for her family of five, the devastation centered mostly on the east bank of the city, leaving their neighborhood with minimal damage.
While their home is intact, most everything else about life has changed.
?The hardest part is having friends and relatives leaving,? Smith said. ?The jobs aren?t here, they?re away from here. It?s hard, helping people pack ? these are my friends I?m helping to move away. It gets to be tough.?
While Smith was able to return to her job at Columbia Medical Center, which moved locations and condensed departments, her husband, a second-grade teacher, has not been so lucky. As the New Orleans school system is restructured, even teachers and administrators who have worked there as long as he has, 27 years, are forced to re-apply for their jobs.
The loss of jobs has made it difficult for those trying to continue life in New Orleans. Fast-food chains like McDonald?s and Burger King were some of the first businesses to re-open, with limited hours and menus. Smith said many such businesses have posted signs offering incentives for those who to at least a full year of work.
While some residential areas like the Smith?s are beginning to look like normal, others seem almost unsalvageable.
?In areas like the 9th Ward and New Orleans East, the water?s gone, but it sat there for such a long time,? Smith said. ?As a result there?s a lot of toxins, water damage, the ground is cracked up. There?s mold and mildew and chemical spills. I can?t believe you?re trying to get these people to rebuild.?
One of the things that took some getting used to was seeing law enforcement personnel with guns all over the city, Smith said. While there are many people trying to help get the city back on its feet, she said organization could be better.
?I think now there?s too many hands trying to help,? she said. ?The officials who need to be helping seem to be causing more confusion instead of being unified. Different groups are hearing what they might want to hear instead of what they need to hear. The uncertainty makes it hard to plan for the future.'
As most of their extended family and many of their neighbors relocate, the Smiths are considering whether they?ll have to do the same.
?We?ll be trying to stay here?. but the more and more we look it looks like it?ll be harder to stay,? Smith said. ?The levees and stuff are not really there; they?re not going to support hurricanes next season. It makes you wonder, maybe we should take this opportunity to get out and leave like everyone else. Sometimes it looks good and sometimes it looks bleak.?