NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans awaited the reopening of the airport and the waterfront Tuesday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit
The new acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency pledged to intensify efforts to find more permanent housing for the tens of thousands of Katrina survivors now in shelters.
"We're going to get people out of the shelters. We're going to move on and get them the help they need," R. David Paulison said in his first public comments since he was named to replace Michael Brown. Brown resigned under fire over the government's sluggish response to the disaster.
Also Tuesday, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was scheduled to receive its first commercial flight since Katrina struck on Aug. 29.
The port of New Orleans expected its first cargo ship since the hurricane late Tuesday and expected at least three more ships by the week's end, said Gary LaGrange, port president and chief executive. The arriving ship was carrying up to 500 containers of coffee and wood products from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, LaGrange said.
A shipment of steel coils was leaving the port Tuesday bound for a Hyundai auto plant in Greenville, Ala., he said.
"It's a historical moment. Two weeks ago the prognosis was six months, so to pull it off so our customers have enough faith and confidence in us is very heartwarming," LaGrange said.
He added: "From a commercial and psychological standpoint, this is five stars. This shows the people of New Orleans their city is back in business."
The port of New Orleans is the gateway to a river system serving 33 states along the Mississippi River or its tributaries. The port also connects to six railroads.
While public health authorities have been warning about the risk of germs from the filthy floodwaters, workers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are not seeing many cases of disease.
Instead, between 40 percent and 50 percent of patients seeking emergency care have injuries — CDC has counted 148 injuries in just the past two days, Carol Rubin, an agency hurricane-relief specialist. She said they include chainsaw injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning from generators
