New Orleans mayor apologises for ‘chocolate’ remark

THE mayor of New Orleans has apologised for saying the hurricane-ravaged city would be rebuilt as a “chocolate” city and for blaming the storm on the wrath of God over US involvement in Iraq.

The “chocolate” remark, which Mayor Ray Nagin made in a speech on Monday, struck a nerve, as racial tensions and concerns loom over proposed plans to rebuild New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.

Several of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods were mostly black, and many residents have expressed fears that those areas will not be rebuilt while those with more white residents may be. Before the August 29 storm, New Orleans was about 70% black.