February 2007 a year and a half after the storm and the recovery is grinding along. You can hear the sand in the gears, and it is not attractive. Attractive or not, the squeaking and squawking indicates progress. One house at a time things are improving.

People are pointing fingers. The President is in trouble, the Governor is in trouble, the Mayor is in trouble. The Saints season is over and even Reggie is in trouble. Sean Payton and Drew Brees are decidedly not in trouble. New Orleans is in trouble. The Superbowl and Mardi Gras will provide plenty of distraction.

The month opens with the ICF / Blanco Road Home still under intense scrutiny. Fewer than 300 checks have been issued so far. Progress is glacial. At this rate we will have Category 5 flood protection before the Road Home is complete. Walter Leger says we can't fire ICF because that would just slow things down further. ICF says they are doing what they said they would. Then they promised 2,300 closings in February. Mayor Nagin is working on a bridge loan program to speed things along. Mississippi is 65% complete with its program.

There was a shootout at a Terrytown gas station that must have been like the incident at the OK Corral. Multiple vehicles were spotted pulling up, shooters opened fire. Some didn't even get out of their cars. There were lots of guns as .22, .380, 9mm, 12 gauge and AK-47 casings were all found at the scene. One young woman was killed and another injured. Bystanders took cover behind gas pumps (for safety?). It happened during the 4am witching hour when so many drug deals turn violent. Who brings a .22 pop gun to the "Gunfight at the OK Corral?"

February is Black History month. Featuring George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, the underground railroad and much, much more. Black America is about freedom.

The French Quarter is clean.  The new contract with SDT is working. Business is good.

The first part of the IPCC's fourth Assessment Report on Global Warming was released on February 2, 2007.  This part explains the physical science and the news is that warming is man made and will continue for hundreds of years. By the way the groundhog did not see his shadow in Puxatawney. The nutria used for a similar purpose here escaped from his cage and is now destroying more of the wetlands. This means winter will end early. It seems like time to move to high ground. Denver and upstate New York are buried in snow.

The Recovery School District is having trouble keeping up with new registrations. Each week 50-75 students register for school. On January 8, 2007 the RSD schools were full. Over the next four weeks 300 students were wait listed. Two new schools came online in February and the students were placed. Some (black) legislators called for return of the RSD schools to control of the OPSB (why?). The RSD complained that state procurement laws are slowing it down and asked for access to expedited procedures. At first the state did not respond, later Gov. Blanco assigned a coordinator to help speed things up. Within days Supt. Robin Jarvis announced she may resign.

The District Attorney is especially under pressure due to some high profile prosecutions (Memorial and Danziger) and some high profile mistakes (failure to file timely charges resulting in automatic 60 day release for felonies). The DA's office denies allegations of dysfunction. You be the judge. Of the 162 murders committed in 2006 the police cleared 62 and made 47 arrests. The DA charged 17 and has conducted 2 trials and got 1 manslaughter conviction on a domestic violence charge involving a gay couple. The jails are full of marijuana users. Getting a crime lab up and running to prosecute more drug cases is the priority. Then on February 16  the DA released a murder suspect with a long criminal record even though he had been caught with the murder weapon and witnesses placed him at the crime scene. The police expressed frustration and Stacey Head, Council Person District B was outraged.

FEMA announced that it has determined it issued 80,000 checks for emergency assistance in aftermath of Katrina to citizens who were not eligible to receive those checks. They are investigating and issuing letters demanding repayment.

February 13, 2007 3:00am a strong line of thunderstorms rolled across New Orleans bringing hail and tornadoes. Suddenly the sky turned green and an F2 tornado touched down. It cut a swath across Westwego, destroying homes and the Bon Soir motel. Continuing northeast it crossed the river and touched down again in Carrollton near Freret and Fern and again in Gert Town near the intersection of Carrollton and Earhart. Continuing across Mid City it touched down once more in Pontchartrain Park near Lakefront Airport. Here it picked up a FEMA trailer and tossed it against the levee. One woman in the trailer was killed and her daughter suffered a broken collar bone. Debris is scattered across the city. There are power outages. Some roads and schools are closed. The Mayor is up in a helicopter assessing damage. The Governor arrived at noon. People are filling out paperwork to get more federal aid. Helicopter traffic over Carrollton was historic. There must have ben fifty people milling around on Fern Street. It looked like a block party. The Red Cross and FEMA had food and ice distribution points setup uptown by noon, much to the amusement of the population. For the most part it was a bunch of guys in uniforms occupying a parking lot and interfering with traffic. A shelter opened on the westbank to help those whose homes were destroyed. About 75 people were temporarily setup in local hotels.  Happy Valentine's Day.

Mardi Gras came off without a hitch. The crowds were big and festive. Plenty of costumes. Lots of sarcasm and fun. If you missed it, too bad. Next year Mardi Gras is early, February 5. Make your plans now. Lent is underway and the seafood industry loves it. A huge crawfish crop is expected to begin in a few weeks. Jazz Fest is up next.