Mr. Williams,I have seen no coverage on the UNNECESSARY flooding that occurred in Jefferson Parish (Metairie, LA)post Katrina. Thousands of homes and businesses flooded because the Jefferson Parish President, Aaron Broussard, sent all levee pump operators to safe ground near McComb, MS during Katrina. Mr. Broussard "reasoned" that "the job description for the pump operators did not include running the levee pumps during dangerous hurricanes". Because of his judgement, the Aaron Broussard Flood Plane was created resulting in millions of dollars in damages to a highly populated area of Jefferson Parish. The levee pumps that are present to protect residents and businesses did not function during or after Katrina until the pump operators were brought back.The flooding apparently occurred after Katrina had completely left the region. There are other instances in the past that may make one wonder about Mr. Broussard's reasoning and judgement including his two performances on Meet the Press. Hopefully you, or someone will pursue this aspect of Katrina. There are many frustrated Jefferson Parish citizens as a result of his decision making.

For this Thanksgiving I included in our prayer-grace that we acknowledge our blessing that we were not caught up in any of the natural disasters that happened since the previous Thanksgiving, beginning with the Sunnami right through Katrina. I thought this over and realized that Katrina was totally to blame for the disaster in New Orleans. It was government's reluctence to repair and replace the levies that were in such bad shape. I read someplace that Congress cut repairing the levies out of the New Orleans budget. Once again mismanagement is overlooked and the beat goes on. Wake up everybody, become alert about what the President, Congress, Senate and all other politians in your area are funding. For instance, I read that the Homeland Security money issued to the states for security purposes was mismanged whereas one state brought bullet proof vests for it's K-9 dogs. WOW Personally, I don't think New Orleans should be re-built on the taxpayers back. Tear it down and start someplace else that is safe and not in a fish bowl. The fleecing of America continues and the beat goes on.

I was struck by the statistics reported in the story "return to the Superdome." The story reported that the pre-Katrina population of New Orleans was 462,000 and the cost of rebuilding was estimated to be $200 billion. Several questions:

1) Is reconstruction really a proposition that works out to over $400,000 per person?

2) Does the $200 billion estimate apply to entire Gulf Coat area?

It seems to me that when such figures are included in a news article it is the responsibility of the the news organization to clarify the numbers and put them into perspective.

Regarding conventions / tourism in New Orleans [which I heard on the Nightly News, but not on the blog], the American Library Association has said that it will hold its annual meeting in New Orleans as planned in June 22-28, 2006. They will also offer opportunities for conference-goers to volunteer the day preceding & following the conference.

Brian, Your continuing coverage is so important. Thanks for staying dedicated to this story of disaster and hope. I'm hoping you can give us the view from cyberspace as well. I hear there is wi-fi city wide in New Orleans now. I also hear there are Katrina effected businesses that are doing e-commerce. Is rewiring making a difference?
Thanks again.

It's hard to believe that three months after Katrina has gone by now. It seems like yesterday when all you could was sit and cry when you head the news everyday. Thank you Brian and NBC for your compassion for those people. Thank you for not letting us forget them. We pray for them everyday. Thanks again!

To Dean Morgan: Please try your math again. I get about $30,000 per person.

Brian and the NBC News team:
Thank you for showing your heart and for your continued commitment in covering the story of Katrina, both along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. My husband and I are native New Orleanians living in New Jersey- the only two in both of our families to leave that beloved city- and we watch your coverage exclusively for any visuals from that city and all of our vacation places along the Gulf Coast.
You are commended for your professionalism and your dedication to this story EVERY NIGHT!! Our families there are settling in with their new "normal" but "the city that care forgot" extends its appreciation for not forgetting her and her neighbors to the east.
Congrats on the hotel room!

Gratefully,
Charlene Taormina

Tonight's obituary is a morose passing for me. I very much enjoyed the Berenstain Bears books as a child, and I still enjoy them, even if I am older. I'm not quite sure about this, but was Berenstain's name spelled "Bernstein"? This reminds me of something I read in the autobiography of Stan and Jan Berenstain. When Stan was in school, on the first day of 4th grade, his teacher, Ms. McKinney, who was very cold, said there was no such name as "Berenstain" and it should be "Bernstein". Perhaps this somehow carried over? Anyway, to read more about the life of Stan and Jan, I recommend the book "Down a Sunny Dirt Road", by Stan and Jan Berenstain. I'm sure the fans of the Berenstain Bears will miss Stan very much. (I wonder, though, who he leaves behind.)

I wasn't sure you could do it - move me out of my post-Katrina fatigue....but you have done so. Now, please educate us as to what we can do individually to help besides the standard "give to the Red Cross" line. Tis the season of giving.

As I do every night, I watch NBC news - and generally enjoy the broadcast - but as a Canadian living in the US - I am constantly amazed about the ethnocentric presentations of the new stories-for example how the hurricane season affected the US on this evening's broadcast. Also of note this evening in the world - Canada's government was dissolved yesterday as a result of a non confidence vote. No smallfeat for any democracy - yet not a word on the news about the event and not even a mention on nbc news web page. Reporting the news should also include events that affect the world around us - not just the news about the US.

I commend you for continuing to raise the crisis of New Orleans above the other news of devastation. I might note that while I do assist any person from New Orleans in regenerating a new life, I refuse to assist anyone to return to New Orleans. Those of us who have visited New Orleans, and remained sober, will agree that New Orleans was and still is an open septic tank. It is a community that has been raped and pillaged by its own. By its citizens, cops, business owners, politicians and community managers. I believe that to rebuild New Orleans is a total waste of time, energy, and money. They should fill the hole and build an economy on the remaining pile that is more resisilent to the effects of hurricanes without the tramatic impact to human beings. Anything else is to fail mankind.

Brian,

After hearing the possible cost of 2Billion dollars to rebuild New Orleans and that there are only 60,000 people actually living there I did the math and it looks like 3 Million per person to rebuild. I would suggest the money could be better spent, maybe buy each person their own mansion and put the rest towards getting us out of Iraq....

As a native Louisianian who lived in New Orleans for 14 years and am now living in NYC I also deeply appreciate the in depth coverage Brian Williams and NBC has given to New Orleans and the aftermath of Katrina. Thank you.

I don't understand why FEMA is allowed to drag it's feet where housing (trailers) is concerned. How come the Pres. can send our men to war but can't budge a gov. agency to take care of our own?

As someone who went thru Katrina and lost everything. I feel that not enough coverage was given to the Mississippi gulf coast. I lived in Biloxi which was a direct hit from the storm and all that anyone thinks about is New Orleans. Yes it was terrible for them but what about the thousands of people who couldn't find their home if they tried. There is just as much devastation there as New Orleans but no one reports this enough. How about going to where some of the places of business once stood in Biloxi, Gulfport or Waveland for instance.

I, too, appreciate the way NBC Nightly News is continuing to remind us of the destruction Katrina has wrought. We have short attention spans, and I've been worried that we will forget what happened there--and the forces that caused such misery. I spent a wonderful vacation in New Orleans last summer, and I do wonder what happened to all the people we met . . . don't let us forget, Brian.

I commend you all on the never ending efforts being made by all involved at NBC.
By keeping a focus on the Katrina aftermath situation on the air each night as well as what goes into the blogs continuous thought provoking personal reports. I only wish our own nartional government would pay more attention to what must be done to save a wonderful city and a huge area of surrounding distruction rather than bickering on matters that will get them re-elected next year.Aside from Iraq nothing can be more important than rebuilding the realestate and lives of of all those who are in such desperate situations. Thank goodness you at NBC are doing everything possibole to keep the public aware of just how bad it still is.

Thank you so much for taking the time to show New Orleans three months post-Katrina. The world needs to know that things are NOT back to normal here. The world also needs to know that New Orleans is making progress; albeit VERY SLOW. Please keep showing the city and the progress we are making. I can't speak for everyone else but I must say that I take the motto "One day at a time" literally because that's all anyone can do in New Orleans.

I lived in Mississippi from 1993 until the end of August, 2005. I saw, first hand, the poverty, poor education and unavailable health care which our nation chooses to ignore. But I thank Brian Williams and NBC for the daily reminder about how poorly our brothers and sisters in our own country are forced to live and how inadequately we have responded to their needs after Katrina. Maybe your daily messages will move the US government to recognize the poverty of the south and prompt it to do something positive.
Thank you, Brian and NBC.

Dear brian,
I was raised in Alabama, my husband in Mississippi. For our 30th wedding anniversary in 2004 we went to Biloxi-Gulfport and casinoed all wknd in various places. I have a bro and sister who left Kenner, bro in Lafayette and sis in Port Barre. I think Katrina will affect us for the next 2 or 3 generations. I appreciate the work you have done on this as well as the reporters who went from one place to another and met up in New Orleans. The horror is still....so....real...