Comparing New Orleans To Grand Forks

"To date, we haven't seen many comparisons between Grand Forks and New Orleans, likely because the immediate aftermath of the earlier flood was well-handled. (Or perhaps because, as Grand Forks survivors ruefully explain, people tend to forget about North Dakota.) But as we turn from taking stock of the destruction in New Orleans to envisioning the city's recovery, a sentiment is emerging that was also dominant in Grand Forks: the belief that disaster provides a special opportunity to redraw a formerly troubled city on a blank slate."

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