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Four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, New Orleans still lacks adequate basic infrastructure. Striking the city in late August 2005, Katrina left more than three quarters of New Orleans underwater, causing severe damage to public services, roads, and essential utilities.
Since then, a lack of federal funding has hampered recovery and reconstruction efforts. Without basic services the city remains difficult for residents and evacuees who may want to return. Of the 23 hospitals that serviced New Orleans before Katrina, only 12 have reopened. Public transportation is unable to ferry more than about 43 percent of pre-Katrina passenger numbers, while only 50 percent of the city’s child care centers are open. Repairs to roads are also still ongoing.
According to a new report by the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, a local research group, only 58 percent of the $7.8 billion pledged since 2005 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for infrastructure repair has been paid to local authorities. The city authorities have repeatedly called for the federal government to honor its commitments and provide the crucial financial support necessary for the city to restore its infrastructure and rebuild its communities.
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