The city of New Orleans marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with dozens of events across the city. While some spent the day grieving for lost loved ones, others are demanding the return of basic services like schools, hospitals and in some places electricity and running water, and the ability to return. Christian Roselund is in New Orleans.

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By Christian Roselund

One year later, the city of New Orleans is largely in ruins. Not only are whole neighborhoods empty of the sounds of life, but in many places public services such as hospitals, schools, and even grocery stores have not been restored. Parts of the lower 9th ward are still without electricity and running water, which makes it so that residents cannot receive FEMA trailers. Patricia Jones of the Neighborhood Empowerment Network says this is keeping many from returning.
(cut- Jones- Right now if you don’t have anywhere to put your children, then why would you come here and stay. If you aren’t totally healthy, I wouldn’t invite you to be in New Orleans. There are not enough services here to assist you. :21)
More than two hundred thousand New Orleans residents have not returned to the city. Among them is Eugene Jean-Peirre, who lives in a FEMA trailer park in the town of Monroe, Louisiana.

[Jean-Pierre]: "They put us out there like they just forgot about us. We don’t have communications with New Orleans. Like the mayor talking about come back to New Orleans. But we don’t have anything to come back to New Orleans for. Where we gonna stay? Where we gonna live?"