Reflecting at "K5" (five years after Hurricane Katrina), it is tempting to claim success.
Our population is back; we outperformed the nation through the recession; global companies are moving to our region; reforms are making New Orleans a better place; and, of course, the Saints are world champions.
But the truth is, it’s too early to claim success. We have been buoyed by a short-term recovery economy, and significant long-term challenges remain. Decades are not reversed in days.
To really know if we have succeeded, to really know if we have created a New Orleans region better than before, we have to go out ten years. Here we will find the “new normal” that will come to pass after the Katrina money has run dry, and the economy is left to stand on its own.