New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward was among the Gulf Coast’s hardest hit areas by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. In the days immediately following the hurricane, this area became submerged in five to 20 feet of water for three weeks – following a massive floodwall break nearby. Nearly 6,000 residents of the Lower Ninth’s historic Holy Cross Neighborhood were displaced, along with numerous schools, churches and businesses. Fewer than 40 percent of residents have been able to return to their homes in Holy Cross nearly five years after Katrina.
Yet Holy Cross has attracted the attention and support of many national figures and organizations, creating a unprecedented “perfect storm” of sustainability, including:
- Development of Sustainable Restoration Plan for Holy Cross/Lower Ninth Ward
- International Global Green Sustainable Design Competition
- Donations of complete rooftop solar panels, compact fluorescent lighting, recycled and other sustainable materials to area residents
- Opening of the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development
- The Bayou Bienvenue Restoration Project to restore a coastal cypress wetlands
- National demonstration projects planned for green deconstruction, bioremediation, urban forestry, model sustainable homes, mass transit, and more
