Market Report: Post-Katrina New Orleans, alive but ailing

I returned in March to New Orleans, a city that I fell in love with when I lived there for several year about a quarter of a century ago. I wanted to see how much had survived the devastating blow inflicted by Hurricane Katrina.

The short answer is, a lot survived. In fact, the city is so incredibly rich in local culture that if 90 percent had been wiped out, New Orleans would still have many times more character than most American cities. The damage wasn't nearly that extensive. Large, important areas of the city survived the wind and were untouched by flooding.

The longer answer, however, is that the city will never by the same. Endless miles of devastated neighborhoods still stand, untouched since Katrina, in large parts of the city. And more than half of the population is still missing.

The city's farmers markets are one sign of a return to a semblance of normalcy, though in March, only two of the pre-Katrina city's four markets were back in operation. The markets are cheering consumers, who are tired of long lines in the supermarket, and helping get farmers and fishermen back on their feet. Here's my report on farmers markets in New Orleans.