THE ADVENTURES OF MERCY AND LIZ...

We started today with two stories in mind. The first a piece that I have been working on about following the funds donated from SMU students. The second story is Mercy's about bringing back New Orleans' music. What we found today was so much more.



We left to grab brunch and get on the road so we stopped in a small cafe... Cafe Orleans. As we entered we were informed they were closed and didn't open for an hour. After a short conversation we were offered shrimp po boys by the owner who sat and chatted with us about his business, post-Katrina. The food was great and so was the scenery in the French Quarter. We are returning tonight to find out more about business life in the Big Easy... new story number one for the day!

A contact at KTVT in Dallas suggest that we check out Lakeview, an up-scale community in the area. He said this was the only place that could afford to rebuild due to high contractor fees, expensive labor force, and building supplies. When we arrived we realized this area sat between two major New Orleans levies, both of which broke. We wanted to take a closer look...so we asked the construction workers if we could climb up on the levy...the London Street Canal to be exact, and they were very willing to let us. These construction workers have been working on this site for a year and were very excited to see fresh faces.

In this same area, we encountered two very different groups. The first people we spoke to were homeowners in Lakeview, who were rebuilding their home. Their home had been severely damaged by 15 feet of water. It was a father/son duo who were doing most of the work themselves. They gave us a tour of the home and talked us through the difficulties they have encountered after Katrina...new story number two for the day!!

The second the group we found were six male volunteers from Toronto, Canada. They drove the entire way, in a small mini van, to vacation here in New Orleans by gutting houses! They were all extraordinary people dedicated to the helping restore this city. They were so kind and helpful that we decided to give them SMU-TV t-shirts....new story number three for the day!

More to come on our trip to the Ninth Ward and the Musicians Village...