Can anybody recommend a compelling Katrina tour of New Orleans?|143522

A few buddies and I are visiting New Orleans next month. We are all very interested in taking a compelling Katrina tour of New Orleans and are looking for suggestions of reliable and high recommended companies that can provide such a tour. We would prefer a private tour in a van as there are about 6-8 of us. However, if the tour is awesome, a bus is totally acceptable.
I greatly appreciate your assistance in identifying such a firm. Their website and telephone contact information would be greatly appreciated in your response.
Thanks very much!!!
James E

I recently took several of the Katrina disaster tours to find out what the guides were saying about my city. The most professional of the tours was by Grey Line. They have a website
http://www.graylineneworleans.com/


Despite what _deanie1962_ says, all of the tours are safe.

Also, a red X on a house does NOT mean someone was found dead inside. The X is a search _ rescue mark: The top is the date the building was searched, the left is the unit designator (ex TFW means police from Texas Fort Worth), the right is hazards (such as a gas leak) and the bottom is the number of people found. The number at the bottom of the X is almost always zero now.

A red X just means that was the color paint they had.

Gray Line Bus Company has a Katrina tour. Here is their website. I believe they do a private tour but you have to have 10 minimum. Their website is:


http://www.graylineneworleans.com/katrin��


You may find other tours but Gray Line has the best, but more importantly SAFE, tour. The tour does go into the less desirable neighborhoods, since they were one of the hardest hit areas, along with Lakeview. New Orleans East had a lot of poorer neighborhoods, and the majority of the residents were unable to afford flood insurance, which is very sad because they are left with virtually no means to rebuild. Lakeview is a richer community, but they were still impacted just as hard as the East, but there is a lot of rebuilding going on.

You will be very moved by this tour. It is very surreal, and brings you face to face of what can happen in a few hours time. The most disturbing picture for me is seeing the red X_s on the houses, and more so seeing the ones that indicate a death. Being a resident of this area, now 2 years post Katrina, it still bothers me to see that. The television showed alot, but not nearly what you will experience.

Enjoy your trip to New Orleans, and be safe.