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tour of new orleans

Motor Coach Tour of New Orleans

The Tours are currently at capacity.  Thank you for your interest.

Monday, 27 August - 0900 - 1200

Join a narrated tour of the 9th Ward and other areas most dramatically impacted by Hurricane Katrina two years ago. The tour will preface several foci of the conference, including the need for synergy among multi-level (fed, state, local) responders and national support organizations, and a way forward on strengthening DoD/DNI collaboration in support of military and crisis response.

Advanced registration required.

FREE to government personnel; $30 for contractors.

You must be registered for the conference or an exhibitor to participate in the Tour of New Orleans.

Katrina: America’s Worst Catastrophe in a City Who’s Spirit Cannot Be Destroyed

During your stay you are surely looking forward to experiencing the French Quarter and marveling at the beautiful architecture down oak-lined St. Charles Avenue. Fortunately, most of the areas a visitor sees escaped the damage of Hurricane Katrina.

Many visitors, however, do want to venture into the areas that were affected. After having watched the television coverage of this horrific event, you have many curiosities about the magnitude of what Mother Nature has done and also many unanswered questions as you struggle to comprehend the aspect of human suffering.

You will board motor coaches with a local tour guide and they will travel through some of the hard- hit areas as the guides provide a timeline of the events of that terrible August week. After seeing mostly low- income communities on TV, you may be surprised to see the many middle and upper class neighborhoods that were completely underwater and still struggle through recovery. You will appreciate a greater understanding of evacuation processes, levee systems and our battle with coastal erosion.

You will learn the history of the original city, the French Quarter, and why it was built at this particular location along the Mississippi river. We’ll drive past an actual Levee that breached and see the resulting devastation that displaced hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents. The direct connection between America’s disappearing coastal wetlands, oil & gas pipelines, levee protection and hurricane destruction will be explained. After this tour, you’ll have a better understanding of events pre and post Katrina and the “Rebirth of New Orleans!”