The Big Easy is not so easy anymore

The hurricane Katrina has arrived at the mainland of Louisiana and hit Mississippi like a ton of bricks.

Many streets in New Orleans are reportedly flooded by two meters with tales of alligators swimming around. Debris everywhere, boats are floating up the streets and about ten thousand people have sought refuge inside the Superdome. The still water will likely bring diseases and I suspect that a lot of insects will soon be attracted to the area.

The people of New Orleans are facing a tragedy, but I hope they will recover as soon as possible. This is after all a city where magic can happen at the blink of an eye.

The streets of New Orleans, many years ago.

I remember an evening many years ago. I was strolling down a street in the French quarter of New Orleans and suddenly noticed that the police were starting to evacuate the street vendors, saying something about a tornado. We found shelter at the headquarter of Mardi Gras, a place at the corner of Jackson Square.

The fierce rain was intensified with heavy thunder. There was a lot of open doors and windows towards the square, that had to be closed immediately. Then the fire alarm went off. An instant later the fire truck arrived and two men with distinguished hats and sharp axes entered with long strides into the kitchen.

However, the cause turned out to be the burgers we had ordered. The waitress stormed out of the kitchen, pointing a finger and accused us of starting the fire alarm.

We waited out the storm in there, and after a few hours the pavement was almost dry again from the heat. The vendors lamented their damaged goods as we strolled down St Peter Street to spend the evening at Preservation Hall, the world’s premier place for old-school jazz. An easier night in the The Big Easy.