New Orleans ‘will start to breathe again’

NEW ORLEANS Mayor Ray Nagin announced yesterday that large parts of the city will reopen early next week, and the French Quarter the week after that. “The city of New Orleans will start to breathe again,” he said.

The announcement came amid progress in restoring power and water services and the day after the release of US government tests showing the floodwaters still contain dangerous bacteria and industrial chemicals, but that the air is safe to breathe.

The first section to reopen to residents will be Algiers, across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter, on Monday, the mayor said. The city’s Uptown section, which includes Tulane University and the Garden District, will be reopened in stages next Wednesday and next Friday, he said. The French Quarter will follow on September 26. The reopened areas are home to 182,000 residents out of a city of nearly half a million.