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In 2005, my husband Norm and I owned a sign-printing shop in New Orleans, right next to the Superdome. We were getting ready to celebrate our 15th year in business.
And then Katrina came.
As was the fate for much of New Orleans, the hurricane flooded our shop and forced us to move to Lake Charles, Louisiana. (Until Hurricane Rita hit a few weeks later, forcing us to move yet again.) Once the waters receded, Norm and I had to decide whether to abandon our business, or to go back and rebuild it.
We decided to rebuild. Just like our city did.
This afternoon, I'll be introducing President Obama as he visits New Orleans to meet with residents like me who have rebuilt their lives since Katrina, and to talk about what's changed in the city and what still needs work. Tune in here.
Over the past decade, we've learned our lessons from Hurricane Katrina, and we've made some pretty big improvements. For one, Louisiana has worked hard to be better prepared for future storms and extreme weather events -- upgrading our levees and pump stations, as well as elevating homes and retrofitting our buildings.
But our efforts aren't limited to making sure we're ready when the next storm comes.
We've also worked to improve our schools, for our kids. New Orleans' high school graduation rate before Katrina was only 54 percent; now, it's 73 percent. College enrollment has almost doubled over that time period, giving our children a better chance at a future.
And residents like me who stuck with our home through the hardest possible time are expanding job opportunities for our neighbors -- by creating jobs to rebuild New Orleans' transportation systems, and expanding job-training programs in industries like high-tech manufacturing.
There's still a lot of work left to be done, but we're getting there. Our growth so far is a great example of what can happen when everyday Americans, community leaders, government agencies, and business leaders work together to make a difference.
I'm proud of my city. I'm proud to have rebuilt and to be celebrating 25 years of business this year. I'm proud of how far we've come in the last 10 years, and I can't wait to see how much more we'll grow.
Make sure to watch the President's remarks this afternoon at 4:55 p.m. Eastern. And if you have your own story of how your community stuck together, or you know someone who does, share it here.
Best,
Michelle
Michelle Gobert
New Orleans, Louisiana
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