Bush administration says New Orleans could take 25 years to recover [View All]

http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4703950

Bush administration says New Orleans could take 25 years to recover

WASHINGTON The Bush administration's Gulf Coast recovery coordinator says a full recovery in New Orleans could take 25 years as homeowners, businesses and tourists are coaxed back to the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

White House coordinator Don Powell said in an interview with Associated Press that much of what's needed for the return of New Orleans' population is "out of our control," including housing, ensuring safety and robust investment by the private sector.

Powell says much of the economic rebirth hinges on flood maps that will set safety standards for rebuilding.

The four parishes that make up New Orleans and its immediate suburbs have been waiting for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to issue the flood maps for months. Powell says he expects FEMA to release the maps soon, but that the data largely is tied to new levee cost estimates that would nearly triple earlier projections for protecting the city.