New Orleans' low-lying Ninth Ward suffered back-to-back floods as hurricanes Katrina and Rita rolled through the Gulf region. The historic Holy Cross neighborhood escaped much of the destruction, but residents are still concerned about the future of their 150-year-old neighborhood.
Holy Cross is full of indigenous New Orleans architecture, from shotgun houses to bungalows. But residents have been unable to survey damage since Katrina struck (though some have sneaked back in) and they are worried by rumors that most of the lower Ninth Ward might be bulldozed.
Stephanie Bruno of the Preservation Resource Center, which renovates and sells houses in historic New Orleans neighborhoods, notes that many houses restored in Holy Cross survived the floods with minimal damage.
City officials say that because of the devastation in other parts of the Ninth Ward, they're not sure yet when they'll be able to allow residents to return to Holy Cross.
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