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| Tracy Bennett |
I'm not one to easily grasp large numbers, so I find myself a bit overwhelmed when I try to understand the enormity of the devastation that has occurred across the Gulf States region following Hurricane Katrina. By now, we've all heard many of the statistics: One million people displaced; damage estimates of at least $200 billion; 400,000 jobs could be lost; more than 200,000 homes destroyed; not to mention the climbing death toll. But when my local community, the town of Parkville, Mo., population 4,059, announced it was adopting a city in Mississippi, I knew this was a way for my family to have a personal connection to relief efforts.
I've never been to Ocean Springs, Miss., but I can identify with it. It's a medium-sized town with a rich heritage, a love for the arts and education. Likewise the Great Flood of 1993 • when Parkville was one of many towns along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers under water • is not so distant in my memory. While there is work to be done in Ocean Springs, the town sustained less damage than many along the Gulf Coast. As a result, it will become a resource to other people and communities in need.
Meanwhile, there's a bigger picture that requires conceptualizing by city planners, engineers, and architects. In U.S. history, there are few modern examples of the rebuilding of cities. And so amid the destruction of New Orleans, there exists an opportunity. As basic infrastructure is rebuilt, my hope is that the brightest minds of modern construction will lend their expertise.
Every specialty has its latest technology, newest material, and method of the future • whether it be new methods for testing the volume of asphalt mix in road construction, using fiber-reinforced polymer materials in bridge design, developing energy-efficient utilities, or utilizing green building methods in the construction of new homes, businesses, and institutions.
Reconstruction will take years and our immediate efforts must be directed toward those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. But in the not-so-distant future, New Orleans will look to construction professionals • people who have the ability to think on a bigger scale than me • to rebuild their city. I know they are up to the task.
