tonight. tomorrow, we will be joined by michael bender. the democratic candidates running for also, we will take a look, a roundtable taking a look at the issue of climate change. the president is heading to alaska. zer of the heritage foundation and daniel weiss of the league of conscious voters will join us. program starts tomorrow at 7:00. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> here on c-span this morning, we will give you another chance to see this morning's "washington journal," on the 10th anniversary of hurricane katrina. we have a series of programs on katrina, including the 2005 house hearing with hurricane evacuees, followed by an event from this week posted by the atlantic magazine. that leads up to our live coverage at 6:00 of a commemoration event in new orleans with former president bill clinton. ♪ host: it was 10 years ago today that hurricane katrina hit the states of louisiana and mississippi.

the storm, in addition to the collapse of the levy system, flooded the states and resulted in billions of dollars of damage. we want to hear from you, specifically if you were in mississippi or louisiana during the storm, or you were displaced by it, we want to get your remembrance of it, and if you think those parts have recovered. here are the numbers to call. for louisiana residents, (202) 748-8000. if you are a mississippi resident, (202) 748-8001. for those who were displaced by katrina, you had to move to other states, perhaps you moved back, (202) 745-8002. all others, (202) 748-8003. you can post your thoughts on twitter at @cspanwj. on facebook, facebook.com/cspan. if you want to send us an e-mail, journal@c-span.org.

a lead editorial takes a look at the 10 year anniversary, entitled, "our submerged city reach higher."s host: again, that is from the editorial this morning. the editors go on to say, broad statistics do not capture the reality for everyone. new orleans is suffering from a high crime rate and 27% of

residents live in poverty. there are great economic opportunities for some, but many others are being left out. african-american men in the city have a staggering jobles rate 52% are not working, and , despite post-katrina gains, there are too few a and b rate schools in new orleans, and finding the right one for your child can be a frustrating process. again, that is out of new orleans today. it is the 10 year anniversary of the flooding of that city, also mississippi as well. for the three-hour program we have today, we want to hear directly from you. we have no guests. we want to hear your thoughts, your remembrances. if you have been in those states, moved out, moved back we , want to get your perspective, not only on the event 10 years ago, but where you stand today. again, the number is (202) 748-8000 for louisiana residents. (202) 748-8001 for those who live in mississippi. (202) 745-8002, if you were displaced by katrina, perhaps

you had to move out of the state and live in one of the surrounding states or other parts of the country, we want to talk about your experiences. and for all others, (202) 748-8003. the papers this morning take a look at several aspects of what has happened 10 years later. most recently, george bush visiting a school in louisiana, talking about his remembrances of what happened 10 years ago. he talked about the elected officials of mississippi and the lives lost in the state of louisiana. [video clip] and marciaush: haley , fantastic leaders, the faces of recovery. that in majorer

catastrophes, it is important to have strong leadership at the state level to help the citizens of their respective states. haley barbour provided that leadership. for that, the people of mississippi are grateful to you, haley. [applause] i am thrilled to be on stage with two fine united states senators. senator at wasn't a the time. that was trent lawton. did the u.s. a service to ensure that billions can down here to help recover. i kind of got tired of their phone calls. every time, we need a little more money. the money was well spent. this part of the world is coming back stronger than it was before. we are grateful to be in your presence. [applause] i want to thank mary hughes for

welcoming me and laura, the first lady of this important city. last time i was here, it did not look quite this pretty. this place was totally devastated. and then, to see the boats and the cranes is a testimony to the recovery of the gulf coast. when i think about katrina, i think about the lives lost, 238 here in mississippi. i know you will join me in praying for the loved ones who still mourn the lives lost. it is important to not stay stuck in the past. it is important to realize how positive the future can be. host: again, that was president bush in mississippi, talking about hurricane katrina, as part of events taking place in new orleans and in mississippi

because of hurricane katrina. again, your thoughts as far as what the experiences wherefore -- were for hurricane katrina and the 10 year anniversary. if you are a louisiana resident, (202) 748-8000. if you are mississippi resident, (202) 748-8001. if you were displaced by hurricane katrina, (202) 745-8002. all others, (202) 748-8003. the president being in mississippi, fema itself has put out a fact sheet looking at the response to hurricane katrina in this 10 year anniversary. 233,000 households were displaced, compared with in louisiana, 738,000 households displaced. assistance to those states, $5.2 billion went to louisiana. $1.3 billion went to mississippi. when it comes to hazard mitigation services, in louisiana, $1.3 billion spent, as compared to $300 million and mississippi.

there are 427 mitigation services in louisiana, 530 projects in mississippi. the federal share of those works projects, $11.7 billion in louisiana, $3.1 billion in mississippi. let's hear from patrick and then -- in pennsylvania. again, we are dedicating all three hours to katrina. patrick from pennsylvania, you're up first. caller: when the people of holland recognized that they are having major issues related to global climate change, and aspects of water intrusion, they took really bold initiatives, like having floating communities, and articulating technologies that they knew would be utilized well into the future. what happened in louisiana is the complete opposite.

it is an absurd miss utilization of over $100 billion of the american people's money. rather than turning marshes into floating communities, where residents could be housed in dynamic environments that we would know would not be encountering this again, which i'm guaranteeing you right now, on the show, this will happen again, and the entire area will be flooded again. this is what the american people have now. they have the worst possible government, and the worst possible implementation of our tax dollars. host: from illinois, a former mississippi resident, this is terry. good morning. you are on, go ahead. caller: my whole thing, and i'm glad you showed that sheet showing how much louisiana got

and how much mississippi got. most of that went to new orleans, not slidell, or other communities in mississippi. fourths of mississippi got hit by hurricane katrina. all you heard about was new orleans. the weather channel talked about the landmass between new orleans and alabama. they got nothing. we are still pretty bitter about new orleans today. host: when you say bitter, is it because of the attention it got and the money it got, or are there other things? caller: it was the fact that the people in new orleans, that's all we heard, new orleans got hit by katrina.

no one even recognized the fact that mississippi got hit by katrina. three fourths of mississippi got hit. it hit tennessee, part of georgia it actually hit the , carolinas and virginia. slidell gotear that hit which is about 45 miles from , new orleans. you didn't hear about hammond, or any of these other places. all you heard was new orleans. that is where all the attention went to. the poor people in new orleans. like it didn't hit anywhere else. host: were you in mississippi during hurricane katrina? caller: we left and went to florida. host: when it was coming, you went to florida? caller: you have to understand, at 5:00 in the morning, katrina was category three, no one was leaving.

by 8:00, it was almost category five, and that is when everyone left. that is why nobody left because when they all went to bed, he -- it was still category three. host: when you went back to mississippi, was anything damaged of yours? caller: housing, yeah. host: to what extent? was it your personal house? was it your neighborhood? caller: everything. yeah. the house. we had to wait for adjustments. i stayed at my daughter's in florida. host: you said you live in illinois now. did you leave mississippi because of katrina? caller: no. i got married. host: got you. terry a former mississippi , resident. we have set aside a line for those in mississippi, (202) 748-8001. if you live in louisiana, (202) 748-8000. for those displaced by hurricane katrina, (202) 745-8002. for all others, (202) 748-8003.

silver spring, maryland is next, this is eileen. caller: good morning. i just want to tell you that i am very distressed. right before "washington journal," laura bush was on air discussing libraries and books. pedro, people are suffering, and it is heartbreaking. i have friends from down in that area, where katrina hit, and their parents are under stress, in distress still because they cannot find work, do not have jobs, and cannot even eat on a regular basis. the last thing on their mind is books.

children don't retain if they are hungry. it is distressing to me that there's obviously a class difference, still, 10 years later, when it comes to what those residents suffer. the last thing i wanted to wake following your coverage which has been quite , great in my opinion, is to hear about library books. people are trying to sustain themselves. host: the friends that you had displaced, did they come up with you, did they go to other parts of the country, tell us a little bit about that. caller: no, they stayed in that general area. they could not afford to move very far. they are still in that general area. i believe some went to mississippi. no, they did not come up, they could not afford it, and i could

not afford to bring them with me, unfortunately. they have small children, and the last thing on people's minds, when it tried to rebuild -- when they are trying to rebuild their lives are library books, and libraries. host: that is eileen in maryland. let's hear from regina in louisiana. caller: good morning. host: where is castor in relation to new orleans? caller: it is about 60 miles from shreveport going southeast. host: on this 10 year anniversary, what do you think about the recovery of new orleans and louisiana as a whole? caller: i think they are doing pretty good. it could be worse. i mean, it could be worse.

host: were you particularly affected by hurricane katrina? i know you were probably outside of it, but did you have friends or family in the new orleans area that were particularly affected by it? caller: yes, sir. my sister lived down there, and when it hit, it center up your. -- sent her up here. host: for how long? caller: she is still here. host: what has that been like? caller: for the first year that she was displaced, bless her heart, it took her forever to get things in order. it destroyed everything she had. host: why didn't she go back? caller: there wasn't nothing to go back to. host: that is regina in louisiana, talking about the experiences of her sister. again, you can share your

thoughts. this program dedicated to you, your stories and remembrances of hurricane katrina on this 10 year anniversary. for louisiana residents, (202) 748-8000. for mississippi residents, (202) 748-8001. if you were displaced by katrina, (202) 745-8002. all others, (202) 748-8003. james is up next from grand forks, north dakota. hello. james, you are on the phone, go ahead. caller: who, me? i got through, i can't believe it. i just wanted to say that i know i wasn't there, i have been through some things in my life. i have been through a couple of tornadoes when i lived down south. i know they had a massive flood here in grand forks, before i ever got here.

i never even heard about that in the national news. i think the whole city was under water because of flooding. i saw a sign in one of the parks to that effect. the only thing i wanted to comment on is that our generation, what bothers me is that we seem to have our leaders, and not just obama, this may be started with bush -- the only way we seem to unite is our anniversaries are always negative. like, we have ceremonies of tragedies or mass killings in schools, or terrorist attacks, and we rally around these negative things. you know, through the mourning process. we never have remembrances, as a nation, of accomplishments. no one seems to rally or remember the parade when we were victorious over this enemy, or this battle, or the anniversary

of the creation of the hoover dam, or the grand coulee dam. we don't seem to have anything positive that unites us. we unite around death and tragedy. i think it is a sign of a declining nation. that's all i think. just a thought i had. host: from mississippi, here is tina. caller: hi. i just wanted to call in and say that i am 50 miles from new orleans and 50 miles from the gulf coast. we were hit very hard here. my husband and i stayed in our house during the storm. we had three trees on our house. we were lucky enough to still be able to live in our house. i also want to say that a lot of the problems with the hurricane,

that i see is the same problems , we have in the government today. there were people who helped themselves, were self-sufficient, and were prepared for the hurricane. if you live in this area, you know what it is like and what you have to do. then, there were people who did nothing, sat back, depended on the government to take care of them. those are the people that suffered. the area now is beautiful. the mississippi gulf coast is beautiful. it has been restored. there are a lot of homes that were not built back yet, but they are slowly coming back. the lady who called and said that new orleans got most of the coverage is right. it didn't get way more than the mississippi gulf coast.

the mississippi gulf coast is actually where the storm hit. new orleans has come back. it has beautiful areas in it now. there was a lot of fraud of government money during that time. it was the inefficiency of the government that didn't take care of passing out the money, for lack of a better phrase. the area now, especially the mississippi gulf coast is absolutely beautiful. anyone who wants to come down, , it is a great time. host: how are home sales. is there a market there? was it largely unaffected -- affected?

has it rebounded? caller: i would say it has rebounded. hello? host: you are on, go ahead. home sells are slow going, but i would say the economy has come back. r people who are self sufficient, they try. it is the same. if you live in this area, you have to prepare for hurricanes. i grew up in this area. i went through camille, i was 15 years old. it destroyed this town then, and we came back. it is because people are self-sufficient. you should be, if you live in this area. host: that is tina in mississippi. we will go to the pages of "the washington post," this morning. it has pictures of the lower ninth ward, showing what the neighborhood looked like before, and afterward. if you go back to 2004, you will see pictures of hundreds of homes.

if you move forward to hurricane katrina and the aftermath of 2005, many of those homes underwater, or destroyed, particularly in one block, highlighted in orange. if you go to 2008, you see the start of rebuilding, some homes being built. it is the same situation in 2000 10. if you take it up to the present day, this picture being taken on january 31, 2015, several homes being built, and on one block in particular, eight or nine structures. that just gives you the idea of one neighborhood affected and the rebuilding going on. those stories could be told all across new orleans, i suspect. if you watched earlier on c-span, the atlantic magazine with experts on hurricane katrina.

one of those people was the mayor of new orleans, mitch landrieu, talking about the recovery efforts. talking about how things have come back. here are some of his thoughts. [video clip] >> the lower ninth, for instance, why is that so slow to come back? mayor landrieu: we -- the federal government, the state government, the local government -- have money coming in. we have 73 neighborhoods in the city. you won't be surprised, african-americans, who don't live in the ninth ward, or wealthy people uptown, or in new orleans east, are saying, go give the ninth ward everything, and give us ours later. everybody is saying, give us ours now. it is not a racial argument. argument.an equity it is that they want stuff in the neighborhood tomorrow, mayor. from neighborhood to neighborhood, the one universal is get down blight fast.

because i don't like a nasty thing sitting next to the house. we have taken down more blight quicker. tip o'neill, all politics is local, it doesn't matter if we are taking it down faster, is the one next to the house is it -- isn't down, you haven't done anything. we have tried to manage the allocation of these resources by neighborhood and by need. when it gets hot, the poor get hotter, when it's cold, the poor get colder. the lower nine got hurt more. we have spent $500 million in the lower ninth ward, when you up.it all the lower ninth ward will say, you did not give us as much as everybody else. that is not true per capita. the damage is so significant, it will take a lot more money to do it. i will remind you though, because i feel like i am on the side of begging and demanding more, we had about $50 billion

-- $150 billion of damages in the city of new orleans. we got about $71 billion in reimbursement. when you have that gap, not everybody gets everything all the time, and you can do -- can't do everything all at once. i'm completely committed to the lower ninth ward but i'm , committed to every neighborhood in the city too. host: that is mitch landrieu, the mayor of new orleans. to give you an idea of the cost of living, legislators put together that property taxes have doubled, water bills now will double by 2020. home prices in some historically black neighborhoods have doubled, and louisiana, has no minimum wage. let's hear from lane, her mother was displaced. go ahead with your story. caller: first of foremost, i appreciate c-span.

i am a longtime watcher, i never called, but this is very personal to me because of what happened to my mother, and being in atlanta, and seeing all the people from the new orleans area. my mother, like so many people from mississippi, was also displaced. the types of things that were done, by families to help other family members can never be calculated in dollars and cents. the gentleman who said that we rally around tragedy, the fact is that some of the things we do, like with my mother, she was a senior citizen. i don't think the story has been

told of the number of senior citizens who may have thought that insurance would cover the hurricane damage that came, and it didn't. that is what my mother was a victim of. she had moved out of house, which was approximately 150 miles from the gulf coast. if we just took the senior citizens, who lived within the radius of the airpath area, and looked at what they thought the value of their home was and what , the insurance covered, and did not cover, and think about, i am still paying a second mortgage off on the property that my mother left, and she has passed. i don't know how many senior

citizens, whose children and family members are still paying for the impact of trying to keep property that was impacted by that loss. host: that was lane, telling us his story from atlanta, georgia. we will hear next from sandy, in lake charles, louisiana. you are on. caller: thank you for c-span. i want to comment on the previous callers with the housing conditions. no one, i have not heard no one mention the conditions for the people who were renting apartments, but have lived there for up to 50 years. that was my case. i lived there for over 50 years.

i still long for new orleans, and wish i could be back there, but it is impossible because the rents, the landlords have taken advantage of the people, and especially senior citizens. there is no way that the senior citizens can afford the rent that they charge there, it even in the surrounding areas. most of the landlords put the people out, and slapped a coat of paint on the walls, and re-rented the apartment for much higher. they called the painting, remodeling.

host: do you recall what you were paying in rent before and , what rent would have been like if you went back to new orleans? caller: yes. i was paying a little over $600 per month before. they had started this renovation, and promised me that they would leave my apartment to be the last one to get done, and i could move my stuff out for one month while they were redoing whatever they were going to redo in the apartment, and then i could move back in. well, they did not keep that promise. the rent had gone up. it was going to be something between $800-$900 per month. it was sufficient, as far as

space and everything, and had a nice layout, but it was not anything fancy. as a matter of fact, if you went along the buildings outside, and i have been told by people that i know there are still there, the same conditions still exist to where the subsidence of the soil has made huge gaps under the slab of the building. now, they have rats running in and out of those holes and everything. it was not a new property. it was not anything that would call for the rate of a fancy apartment. it was not fancy. it was acceptable, but not fancy. host: got you.

if you lived in louisiana at the time, (202) 748-8000. mississippi residents, (202) 748-8001. if you were displaced by hurricane katrina, (202) 745-8002. for all others, (202) 748-8003. on this ten-year anniversary, a public commemoration and anniversary ceremony set to take place in new orleans this evening. you can watch it on c-span, listen to it on c-span radio. it will be live today at 6:00. go to our website at c-span.org for more information on the service and new orleans. -- in new orleans. let's hear from mary in louisiana. caller: i had to call about your previous caller. coincidentally, my house note went from $800 per month to $1200 after katrina.

it is not any mortgage balloon, or anything like that. it is strictly due to the storm. that is her rent this -- horrendous to me. host: is this insurance on the actual mortgage itself? caller: the mortgage. the mortgage people blame it on the insurance people, and the insurance people blame on the mortgage people. it is the same thing as what that woman was saying about the rent. people took advantage of katrina, the landlords and even the mortgage companies. host: did you question the increase? what kind of response did you get? caller: i got, it is the mortgage companies fault, or the insurance, they said it was good -- they said it was the mortgage company and the mortgage company said it was the insurance. no answer. host: on this ten-year anniversary, what do you think of not only the area hardest hit, but louisiana overall, how has it recovered?

where do you think it has to go from here? caller: i think it has done great. i'm still concerned about the crime. you can say what you want about mitch landrieu, but he is not addressing the crime. he is more concerned about these confederate statues, and such. we have a major crime issue in new orleans. i would not go to new orleans for anything. host: when you talk of crime, give us a snapshot. what is going on? caller: the shootings, midday, in the french quarter. you know, they cover things up. host: ramona is next. thank you for waiting, go ahead. caller: i too am a c-span junkie. let me see.

oh, dear. i remember very clearly the -- host: i will tell you what, why don't you get your thoughts together, i will put you on hold and we will come back to you so you can get yourself -- we will come back to you as far as your thoughts. let's go to dr. d in louisiana. he helped with the recovery, what did you do? caller: i came down with church volunteers. there were thousands of church volunteers who helped put up dry board and stuff like that. , they were desperate for teachers. i went home, applied, and was hired by the recovery school district within 24 hours. i went back down, took a test, and was put in the classroom within a day. i taught in the upper ninth ward in one of the recovery school district schools. i learned quickly that the local teachers were all fired en masse after katrina.

you talk about an injustice. perpetually, teachers have been blamed for the faults in the school system, when it has always boiled down to politicians and contractors stealing the money that should go into the classroom. host: what was it like teaching students in those days? caller: in the recovery school district, in the first phase, they had more police that an teachers. yet, there was still fights constantly. four children in that building were murdered by the end of the year. not exactly in the school, but out in the street. they would have an argument at the bus stop, and by the end of the day, someone would be dead. four, one school. there was a band teacher at

another school that was murdered. the problem, at that time, and to this day is that the so-called recovery school districts, and the charters, they are not held accountable for making sure that all children are in school. they are not held accountable for making sure that children are with their parents. about 40% of the kids that we talk, their parents were in another city. there were living in a trailer, on the streets, or going from couch to couch. we did what we could to take care of them. they were so frustrated because katrina was used, not only to fire the teachers en masse, but to extremely segregate the schools. all of the blacks, who were very poor and low achieving, were put into the recovery school district. all the whites were put into the parish or charters.

we were sleeping on the floors of churches because there was no place for us to live, just like the people who live there. local teachers were either taking a bus and from baton rouge, but then, i was able to, with a bunch of teachers, go in tulane and buy a room for a month. it was astonishing. the same contractor was serving , was serving our kids in the upper ninth ward sugar water, and calling it juice. host: as far as the actual teaching, how long did you do that? caller: i went from school to

school, and when i found out there was a local teacher who wanted to come back, i moved on. they would say to the local teachers, that job is filled. i spent the first year in the upper ninth, what was called douglas high. the second year, i spent a short time at lafayette academy, which of all the charter schools, it was the best. they took care of their minority children. i worked on the gulf coast of mississippi. they had public schools, and did it right. host: thank you, i appreciate the comments. we go on to kay in georgia. caller: i have been enjoying the coverage this week. to me it is detailed, unbiased, , and at some point, you have the coverage of the katrina residents who came to washington after the storm, and one of the

allegations that had never been answered is -- again, i'm calling with a unique perspective because 20 years ago, i went through a hurricane, i am from the u.s. virgin islands. my take on this is how is it possible that a hurricane could devastate a territory, and with in eight hours, the military was on the ground with meals ready to eat, water, and supplies, and yet, i moved to georgia about three years after that hurricane, and this happened with katrina. i'm looking at it and saying, as a u.s. resident, i aware that -- i am aware that the federal government can step in with an hours. why 48 hours later, no one is helping these people? my question comes to where these residents testified before congress and said, we knew the levees were blowing up.

did anyone ever investigate the fact that the residents that it was not just the storm, but in fact a deliberate effort to purge the city of blacks by blowing up the levees? i think it is controversial that we never heard back -- yes, it happened, or no, it did not happen. that was something that was brought to light, and frustrated me. you don't just dismiss people who tell you something like this happened. did we ever have any official coverage from the government that there was an explosion, or was it disproven? i heard the engineering report that it was overwhelmed and could not sustain that amount of water, but that did not answer the fact that residents, some

residents said they heard the levy blown up. again, i heard that on c-span, revived again this week. within three months of the storm, they told congress. to me, it was someone's responsibly to investigate the allegations. host: stay with us because at 9:00 this morning -- she referenced that hearing that took place in 2005 with katrina residents -- we will hear from one of the participants in that hearing back in 2005. also, we will talk with her not only about what she talks about then, but what she talks about currently. again, if you are just joining us, our three hours are devoted to katrina, on this 10 year anniversary of when that storm hit back in 2005. we want to hear directly from you. no guests today, just phone

calls. louisiana residents, (202) 748-8000. for mississippi residents, (202) 748-8001. for those displaced by katrina, (202) 745-8002. for all others, (202) 748-8003. many stories about the recovery efforts and lessons learned. this is from "wall street journal." host: from shreveport,

louisiana, this is scott. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to give a great complement to the united states military. at the time, i was serving in the military, and after my training, i was transferred to another base. there were so many people i've

met from new orleans who were displaced, so they join the military. i want to give a great round of applause to the military for excepting those displaced members who qualified to join the service. it give them room and board and financial money to give back to their families. in all of this, there are some great things. the military played a great part. host: from new orleans, this is cicero. good morning. caller: i was calling about katrina, the situation. first of all, i would like to give a great things and mighty -- great thanks and mighty welcome to the united states military because my mom, she was a national guard member, and recently passed. as far as like most disasters that did happen and calamities, as far as the levy breaking and

not having enough shelter for the people, you would think that they would have prepared for this. they weren't prepared. they tried to do what they could do for people. i myself lost everything. i was out of town, visiting my uncle, and i saw the calamity on tv, and i was in disbelief. , i did not the book know if my family was living or dead, and i happened to open of the national geographic, and you won't believe it, it was my mom and sister there. i said, where is the president, where is bush at? it took bush a week to get in there, but they had the people in the superdome, and that caused a lot of problems.

basically, in new orleans, they tried to do what they could do, and it was a lot of people helping the people come together. the situation down there could have been done better, you know? i lost everything. everything i had. i basically have nothing, but i got myself together. i think it was really the military that really helps out and kept anarchy from spreading out. it was just that people really didn't have nothing to start. not only that, they had to make their way. i don't know what else they could have done. host: being there, what is it like living in new orleans now? caller: i have been down there and visited. i do ministry, i travel. as far as now, they are getting it kind of together, but as far as i heard one person say, the crime rate, there is crime.

the thing is, it has always been like that, kind of separate here, i do my thing, you do your thing. like the woman said about the charter schools and separation -- that has always been a factor. i do ministry, so i know i talked to all kinds of people, but the thing here is that they could have did better with the levy systems. look, new orleans is a great place, and it could be greater if they sat down and talked to some of these places from like the ninth ward. i have seen a lot of houses dilapidated, but a lot of them have been moved. they have a lot of people still displaced. you ask them, what's wrong? how are you still suffering?

well, because i lost everything, and i never got back on my feet. it was a sad situation. host: here is jake from lafayette, louisiana. go ahead. caller: i just was trying to make a point that nothing has really been discussed about all the people left in the chariot hospital during the storm. the workers and the patient's that were there. they were there for four-five days before anyone came to their aid. i had individuals that were actually working at the hospital that had called me in lafayette, wanting people to get somebody to give the people out of the charity hospital down there. there was so much suffering going on that no one knew about. the governor totally ignored the

whole situation. there was a lot of loss of life in charity because of the incompetence of the government that was in place at that time. it was like they just forgot about these people. there were a lot of other places that were wiped out because they were just left without any support to help them get out. everybody talks about the superdome and the riverfront center. the heart of the city was the charity hospital system. they just forgot about it. nobody knew they were there. host: jake in louisiana brings up the superdome. you may remember pictures that we have shown you of the superdome. you may remember that many residents of new orleans ended up there, as part of the recovery effort.

our next call is from rose in texas and says that she was in the superdome, is that the case? caller: yes, i was. all those people from cherry hospital were there. i saw so many people from charity dive right in front of me. i just want to say that hopefully, if this ever happens again, the federal government or whoever, the state government, should have a place where sick people, first of all, are put away. they should have something in place right now for all the sick people in the hospital. i have people down there right now who are very sick, on dialysis, and i never want to see them go through what i went through in the superdome. they were killing people and raping people, and all kinds of stuff happened in the superdome. i witnessed it.

i'm a christian, i would not lie. we had no food, no water. the national guard was pointing guns at us, telling us they were going to kill us because we were walking around. the national guard didn't treat us right. they beat my son up twice. it was a shame, the way the i can't guard -- really get mad at them. i prayed, and i told my son, you stay with me, every time he went looking for water. he said that they beat him. i don't know what will happen, but i hope for the sick people, they get something in place. i am in texas, and if they want to bring them here to me, they can come for dialysis, but don't wait until it is too late.

all the money they had, i got $5,000, and i'm still not -- i just bought a new car, and i got no recovery or nothing. $1000-$2000 from texas, and the government sent me about $3000, and i have never recovered. i have worked so hard. i'm going to be 60 years old. used towork like i work. they said they were going to send me money, and they never sent me nothing. host: did you move to texas after katrina? is that what forced you to move to texas? caller: yeah, and i don't want to go back because they don't treat black people right down there. you get a job, and they don't give you raises. if a white person's family member needs a job, they will

put you out and tell you the business -- the hours are getting cut back. i go back, and see a white person sitting there, and they tell me so-and-so, i found out that one of the managers i had -- it is really sad how they treat black people. i would never go back, unless they bring me in my tomb. i have family buried in mississippi. that is not louisiana. i don't even want to go down there and be buried down there. it is sad. i look just as white as how they look. how can they distinguished somebody from white and black, half of my people are white.

how do you distinguish who you will give a job to? host: that is rose, who was in the superdome, telling us about her experience. next is luis in florida. woman: god, about heart wrenching. , it is criminal what happened in louisiana. i was in new orleans, 35-40 years ago, and it was a precious jewel. the music, the food, the feels. that is because of the black population, the creole heritage, and the french-speaking mostly , haitian, who settled there. it is being glossed now to trendy restaurants, shiny and new. we were watching the weather channel, and it was the biggest

storm, and i have been in a few in florida the biggest storm i , have ever seen. it filled up the gulf of mexico. i turned to my husband and said, that is a killer. that was two or three days before the storm. the woman who called earlier that said the people weren't self-sufficient and had to depend on the government -- gosh, you have a credit card, and a car you can get into, you can go spend 10 days in a motel. most of these people, on minimum wage, they had no money, what were they supposed to do? most of the buses were underwater, even before the warning came too late. as far as george w. bush saying that he never heard the levees could be breached, he lied. two years previous, first responders did a trial run to show what would happen in louisiana and new orleans is a

-- if a large storm hit. they said it would be a disaster. i believe an official from the national weather -- i forget the name -- called and told bush that this could be breached. he knew it. i will tell you something. kanye west said that george bush doesn't care about black people. he probably doesn't care about poor people. white area, a rich the hovercrafts, and the boats that can get on the shore, they would have been there. god bless the people who suffered and the people who still want to come back. please, come back. give us back that soul. host: that was luis in florida. statistics tell us, taking a

look at population numbers, in 2010, the city population pre-katrina was 455,000. the decrease in white population due to katrina, 24,000. the decrease in black population due to katrina, 118,000. that is according to "the new york times." william in indiana, you are up degrees and black population due to katrina, 118,000. that is according to the new york times and other statistics. william from greencastle, indiana. you're up next, hi. caller: yes. i just want to say what some of the others said, that you know, , they knew that they would not be able to stand a strongly that. but that didn't matter. the people that went to atlanta, they lost their homes because the government to do their job.

here's charles from phenix city, alabama. hello. caller: yes. i think one of the greatest tragedies is the lies that were told relating to president bush. number one, everyone knows the protocol. it is up to the mayor, number one, to request help from the governor. well it turns out there mayor with a criminal. their governor was a completely without a clue, and by the time the government requested help from the federal government the place was underwater. this is a lie. the news media went out here and they demonized george bush. they never once went out here and put the real blame for what the delays and things not getting done on the locals, because the media loved those democrats down there. that is something -- it is an honest statement. george bush was demonized from day one.

the protocol says the governor chris -- requests help. by the time the u.s. government got there the place was underwater. the news media has never come out here and told the honest truth. that is the sad part. thank you. host: if you're just joining us we have devoted this program today taking a look at the 10th anniversary of hurricane katrina, particularly how it impacted louisiana, mississippi. we have been showing you video and pictures of new orleans, particularly the hardest hit by these events including the dysfunction of the levee system. we are inviting you to call us to give your thoughts and experiences. those lean air their -- louisiana residents, (202) 748-8000. (202) 748-8001 for mississippi residents. (202) 748-8002 if you are displaced by hurricane katrina. (202) 748-8003 for all others. back in two thousand six c-span sent cameras to

new orleans to take a look at events that were going on there. it was a documentary that we put together which you can still see on our website. in the documentary you met a lady named sue sperry. during the documentary you heard her talk about the markings that were used on the buildings that were going on during the search and rescue effort there. here is a little bit of that documentary. [video clip] >> this is search-and-rescue markings. this is such a painful reminder for everybody who lives here -- lived here. we just love it when people come back and the first thing they do is paid over. -- paint over. this marking here, the top is the date they came to do the search and rescue. on the left side is the agency or unit who did the inspection, maybe a troop number there. 118, i'm not sure what that is. n e means that no entry, they

could not gain entry to the house. the bottom quadrant is how many were found dead. they are still finding bodies here just about every week because there could be somebody stuck in that attic or the house collapsed, or it is really unsafe. host: joining us on the phone right now is sue sperry, 80 -- a new orleans residents, joining us to talk about the events from 10 years later. thank you for joining us. guest: thanks for having me. host: where do your thoughts center on these 10 years? guest: i have to say i am kind of mixed about it. there are so many good things that have happened, but then i just deliver my grandparents didn't celebrate the depression, you know, with -- we have just come a long way.

i think i said that during the documentary, as i have to say i don't think i was right with a lot of the things that i said. host: for those who did not get a chance to see the documentary, give us some thoughts. what did you think that and how has that board itself out? guest: i think the one thing that i talked about -- i talked for a while about neighborhoods and liability, and neighborhoods needing to get organized and improve their viability and get involved. if you want commerce in your area you have to get involved and go out and get it. the same thing with bringing residents home. cantrell is a good example, she is on our city council right now. when i first met her she headed the improvement association and they were supposed to be bringing green space to the whole neighborhood. she led the fight. that neighborhood has come back

and it is better, but it is not gentrified. it is not that much different, it is just restored and it has some additional services. you've got to fight for your neighborhood. host: as far as neighborhoods go, talk a little bit about the neighborhoods. where are some of those neighborhoods that are still hardest hit, we still see clear evidence of what happened 10 years ago? guest: some neighborhoods, yes. but i would say some neighborhoods have been surpassed -- have surpassed what anyone could imagine. the whole area of the lower ninth ward, that is where brad pitt has built all those homes. the other side, or close to the levee side, where mark and i went for the documentary, there is really not much going on there. not many people came back.

that was a lot of older people. retired, elderly, multigenerational families lived in the family homes, and once everybody dispersed they did not come back. host: you talked about gentrification. talk a little bit about that. where is it happening within new orleans? is that a good thing or a bad thing to you? guest: it's good and bad. it is good to have an economic source, tax dollars. it is good to have services and retail, but right now -- in the city's original footprint, rents are very very high. home prices have skyrocketed. it has become expensive to live in new orleans. a lot of that is because so many people came here and fell in love with the city and not leave.

but it is a delicate balance between having a good tax base, having good residents, and attracting commerce, and then the flipside which is it prices people out of their traditional neighborhoods. remember in new orleans you don't have to have a car to live here. a lot of people don't have cars. you don't have a car and you are forced to go to a suburban location, how do you get to work? host: when it comes to who can afford to live in new orleans, how does that deal on the racial aspect? are people able to afford rent or live in communities that have been restored after hurricane katrina? guest: it's becoming a bigger part of their income, and devoted to housing. more than 30% in some cases. our racial makeup is similar to

what it was before. it's just that you can't afford to live in places that you might want to live. host: sue sperry, you did not escape personally. your home was damaged. the in fact we have photos of before and after. talk a little bit about the extent of the damage or comes up. what is happening now? guest: i flooded. my whole neighborhood flooded because the parish president of the time it all of the pump operators to where you could not get them back. i guess people don't know, all of the water that new orleans has to be pumped out of the city. because there was no one to turn the pumps on when the water started rising from the levee breaks, everybody flooded out. where i live, which is on the northwest part of the city, it's

kind of like a shallow bowl. the bowl filled up. no one was here to pump the water out. host: as far as your personal home, we just saw pictures. what was the extent of the damage dr. -- what was the extent of the damage? guest: everything that i had. it flooded, there was no way to get here for such a long time. no power. when i came home like two months later there was laundry that was wet, still wet from two months before. everything was moldy. the furniture had come apart, it was everything. everything i own. the first thing i had to do with pitch a tent in the backyard and lived there until i could get the house gutted.

and then i took my time with rebuilding because -- working at the preservation resource center, i was really helping other people. i knew from what i was experiencing that if i could tolerate waiting, and i had a trailer also, a few months after that, then the chances of me getting quality work done was going to be greater if i wait. host: and that is to sperry, you met her in our 2006 documentary taking a look at events in new orleans and talking with us today about how the city has recovered 10 years later. any final thoughts before we let you go? guest: my final thoughts are, i think we have an awful lot to be proud of. nothing does that has ever happened anywhere in the united states. i think everyone learned a lesson from it, and the city has recovered.

people really thought we never would. but we did. it's not perfect. we still have a ways to go, but living here you just have to be proud of what has been accomplished. host: sue sperry, resident of new orleans. they do for your time. guest: thank you. host: our next call is from washington dc, go ahead. >> thank you so much. i am a fellow journalist, hello? host: you are on. go ahead. go ahead. i tell you what, we will put her on hold. then we will move on to keith -- i'm sorry, this is michael. south carolina. hi. caller: hi. how are you doing? host: great thanks. caller: good morning. good morning to america. i have a few quick points and

that if you have any questions for me i would be happy to respond. first of all, the military engineers that build that levee dam structure and whatever, they should be held to a standard. i know that the military builds better structures than that, and i really think that somewhere along the line somebody let that ball slip. but beyond that, i live here in florence, south carolina. i volunteer with the red cross. i was not employed at the time, to go to houston and help them with hurricanes following katrina. i'm sure you guys can find records on that. in my way of thinking they wasted money in getting volunteers in their just to get

the help done. we got into beaumont, texas. we provided meals, we provided medical opportunities. but here is the point of fact that i really want to wing out, and please forgive me. i have a little sickness. coughing and take ups so i will try to get this out as smooth as i can. katrina itself was a natural disaster -- event. but our government should have been -- before then and hopefully by now and for the days and years in the future -- have a plan for how we help our poor and indigent people should it come to such an event as

this. at this time -- that time i was quite able-bodied. here's my point. i don't appreciate my government's response, the untimeliness of its response, of its expression of any possible care or concern. i'm not going to name call, i really don't feel good about the person that had the hand on the helm at that time. they do seem to say to me, they don't give a damn. there every nationality here in america trying to survive. we have all got to stand together and be there for each other and get beyond the sum of these things that are still yet

to come. i will hold up with that, i don't want to talk all day, but i'm very opinionated. host: michael in florence, south carolina. we move on to scott in new jersey, he was on a response team. go ahead. caller: hi, how you doing? host: good. caller: we were in the inflatable boats in the 82nd airborne at katrina, so i was somewhat involved down there. i have been amazed at the number of articles in the last week that are revising history and talking about how bad it was, n't and that we did not have as many casualties as we did. i was very proud of the work the military was doing and the way they treated the people of louisiana. i realized that our national

guard was not up to the job, but our regular military was and was just proud of the constitution and treating people with the importance of their civil rights was preeminent for our forces. we were actually given orders not to shoot unless one of our people was hit. we watched as police and sheriffs from all over the country, not to mention just in louisiana and new orleans, had no fire to dublin. they were just firing into space at night and not really knowing who they were firing at. often firing at each other. i was very upset at all the articles that are revising the history of what happened down there. that was my initial call. i also put it up on your facebook site. host: you can post on our facebook site by the way, your thoughts on this 10 year anniversary. facebook.com/cspan. don't forget, public ceremony taking place tonight in new orleans.

that will be live on c-span at 6:00 this evening. the residents in that city come together to reflect on 10 years. you can see that live on c-span, also listen for it on c-span radio. you can go to our website for more information, we go next to keith and princeton, new jersey. caller: hi. i am an officer in the military, i am retired now. there are a couple things you have to recall in rethinking what happened. evacuation plans. the city really had no effective evacuation plan, and they were informed by the federal government, this hurricane is coming. the city was told you have got to get the people north, out of town.

once the hurricane hits, they are going to be trapped there. mayor hagan, and i am not blaming him, it just requires planning. the city attorney said we don't have the authority to force people north, to evacuate them by force. fema came back and said put them in buses, put them in trains, get them out of town. once the water hits they are trapped. there was not a plan in place. the levee, the corps of engineers specified how deep the pilings of the levee were to be. decades and decades ago. but the construction company cheated the u.s. government by deliberately not making those levee pilings as deep as possible, to save money. but that's however never properly inspected the pilings of the levee, so the levee was breech from the bottom, not the top. it was breached from the bottom, being bowed out by the pressure of the water. that could've been avoided.

that was actually criminality on the part of the construction company but they were long out of business. i was in the 20's and 30's. i was in canada when this thing went down. the first thing you saw was a small helicopters like you see in the vietnam era movies. they were great for pulling people off the tops of roots and all that, but should have been used -- what should have been use are those heavy lift helicopter. marine corps, navy, ch 43's. those were never part of the plan, once again, they had no planning. those could have gotten food, water, medicine into the city. instead you saw small helicopters just plucking people out. again, bad planning. the other thing is that even the u.s. government and the department of defense did not anticipate -- this is about evacuation versus getting to the

assistance of the city. what happened at the time was get the national guard and the military into town to help the people. of course there was a wall of water all the way around the city, so for days the national guard was basically hours from town unable to even get into town. once again, the best situation would have been heavy lift helicopters. this was a comedy of errors, and it was unbelievable. host: that's keith in princeton, new jersey. he mentioned the levee system. on this program yesterday you heard from karen from the army corps of engineer's, she talked about improvements that were made to the levee system and where it goes from here. [video clip] >> the levee system around metro new orleans has been built stronger and better than we could have ever imagined in the past, and not only is it an

incredible system for the people of new orleans, but it is also great for the nation, because it shows that we can do. all week long i have been hearing about other people talk about calling it a world-class system. host: how much has been spent on this levee system? guest: we were fortunate enough to have the cooperation of two administrations and the u.s. congress to provide for nearly a $14.5 billion program. about $11 billion of that has been for the hurricane system around new orleans alone. there were other parts of that program to further make improvements such as interior drainage here in this area to replace the temporary pumps and closure structures that we installed in 2006 around the canals. the permanent replacement of those are going on right now. there are other things that were done. storm proofing the numerous

pumping stations that were owned by the local parishes, a lot of other components around there to provide for environmental mitigation. overall, just an incredible piece of work. host: if you live in louisiana the number to call is (202) 748-8000. for mississippi residents, (202) 748-8001. if you are displaced by hurricane katrina, (202) 748-8002. all others (202) 748-8003. we are taking your calls on hurricane katrina, 10 years later. all three hours of this program. baton rouge, louisiana, gregory. hi. gregory, good morning. you are on. caller: oh, yes. what i would like to say is good morning. thank you for taking my call. it's like new orleans is a unique city.

when the storm hit it is like -- people lost to come home but it is the growth that is slowing us down. i am in baton rouge now. i wants to come home. but after the storm there was a lot of price gouging. that is what is stopping people from coming home. i would like to say this too. people outside looking in, they don't understand the whole situation. we would love to go home if everything came together financially as far as price guide -- price gouging. host: how long have you been away from new orleans? caller: i have been away from new orleans since the storm. i left on sunday and i went to sunrise, texas, outside of dallas. then we came back to gonzales, now we reside in baton rouge. we have been in baton rouge

since january 06, 2006. host: what were you paying for housing before you left, what would you have to pay now to move back? caller: well back in -- during the storm i was paired through -- paying $350 in new orleans east. now the rent has gone up and i am on social security. i can't afford that. i would have to be on the housing program. host: do you have family still in new orleans and how are they doing? caller: yes. i have two brothers, and nephew down there. if i could work i could subsidize that, you know, but it's just like i'm saying. i would love to come home. i would love to come home.

it would be hard for me to move back, you understand? and try to find affordable housing. host: that is gregory talking about his fight -- experience. the financial times tickle -- takes a look at some of the prizes that are going on, saying that a construction boom fueled by the $120 billion of federal aid has resulted in many of the neighborhoods left underwater for weeks and the crumbling infrastructure become one of the most bright spots -- is the rising market for real estate. home prices are up 43% since 2009 according to the new orleans metropolitan association of realtors. the upper end of the housing market is also robust. or the 100 properties priced above $1 million of sold in the 12 months to august, a rise of 50%.

-- 15%. priscilla from new orleans. hello. caller: hello. thank you for having me and doing the work you are doing. i was born and raised in new orleans, so as a teacher in shreveport my first call was from an old high school friend who was desperate and stuck in jackson, mississippi. had a terrible time getting there. she had a group of 10 and they came first. i of course had to go to work here in shreveport, but a friend of mine found a place near black lake, and people actually gave up their family gatherings so people from new orleans could stay there. it was a wonderful condo area near douglas, and they gave up their place so my people, as they came from new orleans -- my brother was on a cruise. his family was spread out all

over. they evacuated to houston and they met here in shreveport. it was an area -- we were affected, of course, except by bad weather, but they had to come and meet someplace and have the family together. area, everybody had reservations for celebrations, and they gave me for -- four condos because my first set with 10 people. they stayed about 10 days. -- they stayed about three days. a teacher friend of mine told me about this place and the first set we drove over here about an hour on highway 71 to this black lake area, and the first group i

had stayed there for $50 a week. there were bedrooms and i think the station they got was w w l on the tv. the second set that came was first 10, my teacher friend cooked, brett stakes over. -- brought stakes over. my son works for a catering company. he parked outside my house and fried fish. i just can't think all the -- thank all the people as my teacher friend who cooked and found time to bring food even at the camp near black lake, i don't know the name of it now. host: so those family members who ended up in shreveport, have any gone back to new orleans dr. -- new orleans? caller: yes.

my brother had an electrical business at slidell, he went back. he had the wherewithal to get some generators and things in this area, but of course most of them had to stay away for weeks. they spend their every moment on my computer watching the national ledger -- weather service because it was such a long time. they cannot go back to the city. it was -- my one sister lost everything. she has lost everything. she was displaced to baton rouge, and that is where they reside now. people don't understand, new orleans is really a unique and special place. friendly, and here's your mama, and who's your daddy, where you

from? you know. what part of the city. they really do try to take care of each other. it is not just the food and the music. all the efforts of people like brad pitt and many people took the time and send money to new orleans, especially -- my sister still cries because she can't find a place back in new orleans. she is in baton rouge. her husband was in real estate. they settled there. when you lose your friends and your community it is so hard because ice -- i still cry for her. her grandfather, her son who lived near city park in an apartment, he has lost everything. nobody takes care of single guys.

i have two sons. he had to follow her. the people in shreveport and louisiana did a lot to help me me and my family. as soon as the house was empty i had some of the outcome. -- somebody else to come. host: thank you for sharing your experiences about you and your family. let's go to a new orleans resident. kenneth were you there 10 years ago? caller: yes i was. host: what is it like for you since then? caller: let me clear something's up about the devastation we had. i was there. family members were there. we were on the bridge. a lot of family members were devastated also with these catastrophes.

there were many people that were in the water -- actually i have a younger brother. he just got his life back after all this time about three years ago. he was here when they were recovered people. i am kind of tough -- touched, because sometimes people do all of this they look at the food, the tradition, but they forget about the struggle that we have to go to to get back. the united states government stepped in, they did a great job, but there are so many things that we need to do to get back where we have to go. host: what do you think is the

number one thing you have to do to get back, as you say? caller: the infrastructure part. in new orleans east after 10 years, just one year ago we just got a walmart. downtown new orleans after 10 years we just got a t.j. maxx. some of these major companies are on the outskirts in other cities, they look like they ran. they went out of slidell. but they did not come downtown to the ninth ward. they didn't get into the city. it took years for recovery. if you did not have transportation that you had to rely on other people to help others -- you had to rely on others to just do the basic shopping. host: if you go to the papers

this morning, there is a picture in the paper of the ninth ward, as you heard our viewer talk about how it was flooded back in 2005. this is september. if you go to the new york times, this is the ninth ward and now. this is 2015. of course the water is gone, some of the interceptor has been built back. some of what our viewer was talking about. if you're joining us right now, 10 years ago hurricane katrina hit. it affected new orleans primarily, louisiana mississippi. we wants to get your thoughts. (202) 748-8000 for the week -- louisiana residents. (202) 748-8001 for louisiana -- sippy residents. -- mississippi residents. (202) 748-8002 for mississippi -- if you are displaced. (202) 748-8003 all others. we have heard stories about what housing is like now compared to

then. there are other stories as well. take the line at best herbs and you and give us a call. irene is up next, montgomery, alabama. hello. caller: good morning. we know about the infamous corruption that took place in louisiana when the pilings were built. that is a long story. looking forward, we know that there was no real coordination and planning for disaster. i hear people saying we wants to go back to new orleans. i have news for you. if you are poor you are not wanted back in new orleans. the public housing projects were closed even though they were not damaged, because they were properly built even though they might have been 70 or 80 years old. there is something else i wish your viewers would talk about. it is heir property, where your family might have had that for 200 years, 250 years.

if you don't have a clear title on it. so you are not allowed to rebuild their. the city is sitting on the land and turning it over to developers and declaring that nobody owns this land. let's hear about that. many, many minority people in new orleans had -- have heir property that belongs to family members that they cannot lay claim to it. i'm just sorry to say that teachers were put out of jobs. the commercial people who run places -- run charter schools have taken over, and they are not interested in educating people in the inner-city. they are interested in making money. host: irene, you say you are from alabama. do you have ties to new orleans or were you a resident of dorland straka -- of new orleans? caller: never. it's just you said you had a line for others.

host: no, it's fine. i just got you may have ties there. caller: no, it has nothing to do with my life but i read and study things. someone can explain to you what i mean by heir property. that is having a major impact on minority people. host: if viewers out there can expand on irene's thoughts on heir properties, call the line that best evidence you. -- represents you, especially if you're from new orleans, feel free to give us a call. we will go to gregory next. either way, she mentioned that the cost. new york times has some evidence -- estimates when it comes to cost of living now. two of the highlights is that property taxes have doubled and insurance rates have tripled. other costs have gone up as well as you can see there on the graphic. if you are there in new orleans and louisiana and can speak directly to how those things affect you when it comes to housing, feel free to do so.

gregory from maryland, hello. caller: good morning. i want to thank c-span and i want to thank the cell phone and technology that brings us all these images, first-hand account of what it was like. it is very informative. and here's my point. this is all my opinion, however there is a great parallel to recovery. -- haiti's recovery. it did not work, it did not help, and the contractors made a hell of a lot of money. secondary to that point is the fact that we are seeing global warming increasingly shake the global table of equity and economics. the 1%, in my opinion, are being shaken in.

alternatively the bottom i would say 30%, possibly more if you go to the rest of the world, but of american concern i think maybe 20%, 30%, shaken out. [no audio]

it is all too apparent now with cell phones and everything else. america bleeds black and i think it is totally unfortunate. host: ken in florida, says he assisted with the recovery. what did you do? caller: first thing, what we did is we organized. after the event we took money and food and clothing. a group called the williams brothers out of mississippi, we got together and went down as assistant. that was after. my point is that we were so devastated and katrina was so widespread. i am a retired military man of 22 years. i'm from florida, orlando. katrina just devastated the whole coast. it was so devastating no one knew what to do.

secondly, there was no one to organize until the president appointed general russell. he took control and things started happening. i am afraid, my friend, we are in the same condition right now. if another hurricane of that magnitude hit our coastline again, we are going to encounter the same thing because we are still ill-prepared with no one in charge. we must put someone in charge that are not afraid to do what needs to be done. our response has nothing to do with the levy, basically. it had everything to do with what we would do when it happens. an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

it is coming again. i'm not trying to use a fear tactic but i am telling the truth. if it happens again we will have the same occurrences. someone has to be in charge. host: that was ken in florida. let's move onto susan, new orleans, louisiana. hi. caller: good morning. host: hi. caller: can you hear me? host: i can. caller: what had happened to us is we live in the lakeview area. we were taken off of our roof to the superdome. but the lady y'all road around with nine years ago, she was in the ninth ward and gentilly, and she was saying these houses are fine. people can come back. what a lot of people don't realize is there were no schools for the children. there were no doctors. there was no public transportation.

all of that was going on, and a lot of people had to deal with that. the second thing is about the lady that called that was well read talking about airships -- heirships, you know the people that inherited property. what happened in a lot of the ethnic neighborhoods, -- a lot if a grandmother would die no one would take possession. they would just keep paying the bills in the grandma's name. they did that for decades. when this happened and they were trying to get help, the government was helping a lot of people. the katrina trailers were wonderful. my husband and i lived in a trailer for two years rebuilding our house. my husband is a handyman so we basically did it ourselves. we were 60 years old. we were in our 60's. i am a 71. -- i'm now 71.

host: did you get money from the government either state or local to help with that rebuilding? caller: we held -- we had insurance so we did get a little bit but not a lot. but i felt sorry for the people who lost everything. there were people who are getting like $150,000, and they were walking away from their house. they were not using the money to rebuild. if they could rebuild anywhere else in the louisiana they could get that money and rebuild, but i have to tell you. i am an air force brat. i have lived in far east, central america american people do not appreciate what we have. we should all be so grateful, because of this happened in any other country we would not have had all the benefits that we got. so many people were helped. the faith-based organizations, so many people that came down, and i have to complement the coast guard. that young man that took us up in the helicopter, they were all young people helping us.

the coast guard was fantastic. [no audio] when they found out i had a dog, a little chihuahua, they said we

could not go in. but what they did is they gave us bottled water and rations and they just said wait outside by the door. i had a family -- we were brought there by helicopters, but we had a family member brought there in a truck. earlier that day we had parked our car -- she works for a law firm. so we parked our car on the 10th floor of this building in new orleans. we slept outside the superdome on cardboard, and when we woke up -- remember, we are all in our 60's. when we woke up next morning we started to see water knew the superdome that we had not seen before, so we started walking about 15 blocks to where we had parked our car and we just left from there. we went across the river to my son's house. he had evacuated to northern louisiana because his wife was eight half months pregnant and he had to get her out of town to find a hospital. host: how long did you stay at the sons house? caller: we stayed there three days.

peoplen the blue tarp were coming around and these people were coming around -- a tree had my son's roof. it was not leaking but there were roof damage. and these people that i guess were contracted with i don't know who, a put a blue tarp on his roof. my husband was off on the roof, 60 years old, helping them. there was someone in the neighborhood that helped it, and my son that had evacuated, they did not know what had happened to us. they had been watching it on c-span on all of that, they were watching the flood and they saw where the levee broke and they knew where our house was. they did not know what had happened to us. it is like three days later when somebody who knew what -- where my son was and called him. we all met up in vicksburg. that is what happened to us. then we came back. a friend lent is a trailer and -- us a trailer and we were able to hook up on someone else's electricity across the street, and we lived in that until we got our fema trailer. then the contractors came around and put the electrical pulled up

poll up so you could work on your house. it was a long time. the street lights were out at night. it was pitch black as night. you did not go anywhere at night because it was dark. host: got it. susan from new orleans giving as her experiences being a resident there. ted and gain sound, kentucky, who assisted with the recovery. good morning. what did you do? caller: i was a truck driver. i was retired. i had eight years in the ministry and when i retired from the ministry i got a job driving a semi-. got a job driving a truck. i was driving for a small trucking company here in russell springs, and when hurricane katrina hit the government was saying -- sending services down there for the people. my company got a job with the government taking a load of ice

down to the people to help them because they did not have anything down there. everything was destroyed. i went down there with another driver and we went down there. we sat in a holding lost for quite a few days -- holding lot. finally they moved us down to new orleans and then they finally got a policeman to guide us into where we were going to unload our truck. i sat there for quite a few days. finally i got a place where i could unload my semi. it was quite an adventure. i have never seen such devastation as there was there in new orleans. i just felt for those people. it was so devastating. i felt for them because i knew they were suffering terribly. it was quite an experience just to be there and to see it all.

i didn't realize there could be such devastation. thank you for taking my call. host: next up is al, from lydia, louisiana. hi. caller: how are you doing today? host: fine. go ahead please. caller: i live in a little town called louisiana, -- a little town in louisiana, it is called lydia. all of these people were getting all kinds of help in new orleans, over here we got hit by hurricane rita which flooded our house. we had the church fix it up. at which point, a little bit later -- we lived 10 miles north of vermillion bay, and what i want to mention is i just got laid off. i was working to go ahead and get my house completely fixed,

and i went there yesterday. everybody is working except for a few people. like i said, we got hit by the hurricane. the big bad thing is because of the hurricane plumbing is bad, and now we have got to come up with 2000 or $3000 for that. like i said, hurricane katrina was bad but there were a lot of surrounding people that got hit. we are not getting the help that we should get. host: simone lives in slidell, louisiana, close to new orleans. we are asking people to share their experience about this 10 year anniversary of hurricane katrina. good morning. caller: good morning. host: you are on. go ahead. caller: i am from slidell louisiana which is about 20 miles outside of new orleans. my family and i along with our dog, we evacuated sunday morning around 3:00 a.m..

we did not get a lot of traffic so we were headed towards memphis tennessee. while in memphis we checked into a hotel and we just watched the devastation. it was my husband and i's wedding anniversary. it was a really interesting time to celebrate our anniversary. then we traveled to chicago where my family is from. we lived in chicago for an entire year. the school was great. they allowed the kids to register with no documentation. however we all long to be home. my mother was with us and she was in her 60's, the only thing she wanted to do was come home. my biggest concern with the recovery was that many people of color in the disadvantaged neighborhoods were not giving their fair share of the money. in addition to that, our

insurance rates skyrocketed. in our home in slidell before we left, before the storm hit, our annual insurance rate was about between $1500 to $2200 a year. the insurance rates have skyrocketed to almost $8,000 a year. this has increased our house and our mortgage by about an additional $750. if i can say anything else about the hurricane, i am so glad we have come so far. however we still have quite a bit to go. i am very proud to be a resident of louisiana. i was born and raised in , but we still have a bit to go. host: i want to show you this map of where people ended up. you heard some owns a story -- simone's story about moving to

chicago for a while. as far as people who get transplanted and move out, as the city, alabama, arkansas picking up a lot of that. southern oklahoma. texas. a good deal of people going to texas. our next call is jerry in pittsburgh, texas. hello. caller: how are you. we had a couple from louisiana that the only place they could find was a motel. our church had to take care of them for a few days until they could go back, but prior to the hurricane what i was wanting to talk about was in marshall texas, before the storm came in that had been predicted, they were ready to go down there immediately after the storm went through to feed 5000 or 6000 people. they were also at the pentagon

when they were bringing people there. the red cross has taken credit, but there were people and marshals getting ready to go in to help before the storm ever came. after the storm there is also a group of veterans that go around and cut out the trees that fell on houses and everything like that, help people after the storm. there is help available after the storm. there are a lot of volunteers that are retired. host: anna is in texas, de soto texas. tell us more. caller: yes. jasmine, who at the time was 18, she is still in the reserve. when she got called up she was a little fearful. she thought she was getting

ready to be shipped to iraq because her first cousin, my great-nephew, she is my great, had just been killed in iraq on may the 19th, 2005. jasmine said when they were called up at barksdale air force base they were flown in and told they had to report to the superdome. they said when the hurricane hit, people worry -- were screaming. there were sick people. she said it was just major chaos but they were told by general honore that you better not shoot one person because these people, these businesses that you are guarding, these greedy people are going to get their money. if a person goes in and get a loaf of bread, let them get it. texas, i have to say, governor rick perry at the time he opened up texas, austin. they opened up the dome that was

old in houston to let people come in. some of us still rail from people from katrina. one of the ladies that said they barely got any money, that is incorrect. when they opened up the convention center down there they had people lined up. i worked for a major retailer, and a lot of the money was spent on very expensive things. yes, some of them did get some homes. one is down the street from us, and we are not used to people parking their cars on the lawns. a lot of times we did have to call code enforcement and to be persistence to say guess what guys, you can't do this. i think when they tell it to have got to tell the whole story. on the heirs, i know i have heir property from my mom.

we have to change that. another thing, you have to pay taxes. in a neighborhood when it is devastated like that, taxes are going to up. insurance is going to go up. we as black people have to understand that. if you want to go back, you have to pay the taxes. you have to pay insurance. one of the most important things, i am 57 years old. you have got to vote. host: peter in florida, hi. caller: hi. i am listening to this. you know, we have the government that we deserve. we elect idiots who don't respond to anything. the executive at that time should have -- instead of waiting to be asked by the governor or the, what do you call it, mayor of new orleans, he should have said the military in there. it is funny that we can go and help everybody around the world but our own people are screwed over left and right.

it is disgusting when you drive through new orleans today, you still have dilapidated buildings. we have not done anything to fix of the flooding problems, and we need to get some intelligentwhe. he talked today, ice still hear the words you are doing a wonderful job, because people were dying in the city. of the united states, is still part of the united states. they keep selling -- selling the cabinet is there to reject all of the american citizens. they have forgotten it. i think people need to a liked intelligent people instead of these idiots that we have in washington. :