11-11-05
SPECIAL HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE:
NCAM is OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) and NCAM Weather the Storm and Reopen

	ROLL MOUSE OVER IMAGE BELOW to highlight the non-flooded green grass.
	Between Old Gentilly Road and the Intracoastal Canal, the green grass of the Michoud Assembly Facility stood like an island surrounded by flooded areas. (photo credit: NOAA .com) ROLL MOUSE OVER IMAGE to highlight the green grass. Click here to see a closeup of building 420, where NCAM administrative offices are located.

The nearby levee and a brave ride-out crew kept Michoud Assembly Facility standing like an island of green surrounded by flood waters from Hurricane Katrina.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin visited the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) on September 7 - nine days after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Griffin later praised the 37 Lockheed Martin employees who stayed at Michoud during the storm to run generators, protect the facility and the hardware and to keep the pumps going.

"We were fortunate," Griffin said. "The water did not get over the levee into Michoud. There was, of course, an immense amount of flooding, but the pumps were able to handle that. It wouldn't have happened without the people who were staying there [at Michoud] . . . look anywhere else on the Gulf Coast and look at the consequences of what happened with unprotected land."

After the storm MAF stood like an island surrounded by flooded areas. Approximately 3,000 Marines, National Guard, Navy Seals and other members of the military took up residence at MAF, and while there, they assisted in the exterior clean-up activities.

Marshall Byrd, Vice President and General Manager of Michoud Operations (Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, LMSSC) visited MAF September 18. In a message posted to MAF employees he said, "What we found was striking. In many ways, the facility appears in near-operational status. Considering the damage Katrina inflicted on so many areas, Michoud's condition is extraordinary. . . . damage is mostly restricted to roofs, windows and siding."

Approximately six weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, NCAM employees were allowed to return to their offices along with limited Lockheed Martin staff. NCAM offices suffered minor rain damage from a leaking roof. (See an aerial photo of building 420, where NCAM administrative offices are located.) On October 31 the Michoud Assembly Facility opened to all employees and returned to full operational status.

We at NCAM want to thank those who have offered help and support. To those affected by the storm, we wish you the best and a speedy recovery.

We at NCAM want to assure our friends and clients that we are gradually returning to our normal routines of daily life. Though some parts of New Orleans and surrounding areas were severely flooded and damaged, other parts of the city were not. One NCAM employee who lives in the part of town locals call "uptown" described her return to home this way, "Everything was just like we left it. Everything. The open book, the empty wine glass. Just like we left it."  With the humor of a true New Orleanian, she admitted that the one exception, upon her return to a house that had stood for at least a week without electricity and which is most certainly not part of her normal household, was the smelly refrigerator.

RELATED STORIES OF RECOVERY

University of New Orleans Open

The University of New Orleans is open for business. UNO was the first University in the city to begin holding classes for students just six weeks after Hurricane Katrina. 7000 students are attending UNO, either through on-line classes or at one of UNO's satellite locations within the greater New Orleans area.

In an open letter on November 9 to the UNO community, Chancellor Tim Ryan wrote, "I am exceedingly proud to say that UNO never closed. We were the first New Orleans University to offer its students a fall semester. And work on getting the campus ready for the spring began almost immediately after the storm. The Lakefront campus will be ready for our students in January, and we look forward to welcoming them and you back to the campus."

Halloween in the French Quarter

Halloween weekend in New Orleans showed the spirit of a city coming back and the humor of its citizens who take it all in stride. There was live music, there were parties, and there were maskers. And on Halloween night the costumes targeted the Hurricane itself, FEMA, hurricane debris, federal aid, and a host of stinky refrigerators.

Mardi Gras 2006

The city of New Orleans may be in recovery mode from the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina, but the storm did not squelch New Orleanians' love for Mardi Gras. Parades will roll in February.

According to an article in the Times-Picayune on November 10, city officials are considering a six-day celebration, which is about half as long as normal. The celebration would begin Feb. 23 and run through Fat Tuesday. Acting Police Superintendent Warren Riley said that one reason for limiting the celebration is to reduce demands on the Police Department.

Krewes have until Nov. 18 to notify the city if they intend to parade, but according to www.nola.com , "a majority of carnival krewes have committed to parading. Until actual parade permits have been granted, an exact schedule remains up in the air."