NEW ORLEANS After Hurricane Katrina destroyed about one-third of the Port of New Orleans, the port's chief executive turned an offhand remark into a challenge to restart a vital part of the city's storm-ravaged economy.
"It all came out as kind of a joke when someone told me, 'You won't have a ship in this port for six months,"' the port chief, Gary LaGrange, recalled. "My response, with a lot of bravado, was, 'We'll be back at 70 percent within six months."'
So far, so good.
The port, a major entry point for imported steel, natural rubber and coffee, received its first post-storm ship Sept. 12, two weeks after Katrina. Just over three months later, the port is running at about half capacity, LaGrange said in an interview. Before Katrina hit on Aug. 29, the port was getting 36 to 40 ship [calls a week. Now the count is 18 to 20. [Read more - International Herald Tribune]
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