New Orleans

New Orleans still bears flood's scars

On the East side of New Orleans lies the Lower Ninth Ward - one of the worst hit areas during Hurricane Katrina four years ago. The levees broke and water spilled in remorselessly. Water levels rose to roof height and those residents who had not evacuated - and there were many - had no option other than to cling to their rooftops and hope.

A large number did not make it. Three people drowned in their attic because they could not bash their way through the roof in time. Another couple was found downstairs in their home, still in their wheelchairs, drowned. And so it goes on.

Even today the holes in the roofs are still there. You can see the red paint daubed by the rescue services to denote the numbers of dead inside. Many of the houses are wrecks and there are gaps everywhere where properties once stood.