Tourist attraction focuses on Katrina destruction

3-hour tour includes Superdome and devastated neighborhoods

Thursday, December 15, 2005; Posted: 9:45 p.m. EST (02:45 GMT)


NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For $35 per person -- $28 for children -- a New Orleans company is offering bus tours of some of the city's most misery-stricken spots, including the Superdome, the Convention Center and neighborhoods ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Residents disagree over whether the tours are crass and morbid exploitation, or a good way to help people grasp the enormity of the disaster and keep public attention focused on New Orleans' plight.

The three-hour tours, called "Hurricane Katrina -- America's Worst Castastrophe," were announced last week by Gray Line New Orleans, with the first one set for January 4.

"It's a catastrophe that happened here and I just think that people need to be a little more considerate," said Nakia James, who lived in the devastated Ninth Ward.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/15/katrina.tour.ap.ap/index.html

for me I saw the damage of hurricane Rita over last weekend, and was shocked.

If I was able to drive to the New Orleans area I wouldn't mind this "tour." Because as it says in the article, "New Orleans resident Christopher Colley agreed with that: 'Film and media only go so far.'" While I have seen pictures or video of the damage, I don't think it would fully set in unless I actually saw it.

Take them into MS also. Of course, they need to be considerate of it all, but I think the more that can see it, the better. COunter that happy-news bs

to me, while New Orleans is important, Mississippi is even more important. Because, they don't get the news coverage, but are devastated just as well.