The city of New Orleans is catching up with technology since Hurricane Katrina, and is now offering residents and businesses a single source to apply for city permits or licenses to build or repair a house, start a business, renew a business license, host or sell at a special event, pay taxes, read ordinances or publications concerning permits, and more.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, “When we took office, we said that we wanted to modernize and improve city government. The One Stop Shop is evidence of our commitment to streamline the permitting process”.

Along with a new online presence www.nola.gov/onestop, a new physical location on the seventh floor of City Hall (Room 7W03) brings together the Revenue Department, Safety & Permits, City Planning Commission, Historic District Landmarks Commission, and Vieux Carré Commission.

First Deputy Mayor and CAO Andy Kopplin said, “With collaboration and agency alignment we will be able to provide better service to our customers and offer a comprehensive system that will be model for other cities.”

The One Stop Shop at City Hall will be open during regular business hours Monday-Friday from 8-5pm. For more information call (504) 658 -7100.

St. Charles Parish authorities have issued a reminder to the public that they are still seeking info on the whereabouts of Antoine Edmond, a 93 year-old man who was last seen on August 26, 2012, as Hurricane Isaac made its way toward the coast of Louisiana. Mr. Edmond, who lived at 274 Magnolia Ridge in Boutte, Louisiana, suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and was last seen wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and no shoes. The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office first issued a missing person report in August, but wants to remind the public that he is still unaccounted for.

Anyone with any information on Antoine Edmond is asked to contact Detective Lance Richards with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-783-6807.

New Orleans area public schools have seen dramatic changes sincce hurricane Katrina, spurred on by an influx of teachers, a charter school district, a Recovery School District, and an emphasis on improving the quality of education.

Before Katrina, the graduation rate was less than 50 percent. Now it’s more than 75 percent. In some schools test scores are up 33 percent.

CBS News anchorman Scott Pelley reports on the transformation of New Orleans schools. Watch the video here http://katrinaconnection.com/Schools.html

New streetcar lines are rolling, parades are marching. and the weather is appealing. The food and music are awesome. The “Super Gras” city with the 2013 Super Bowl & Mardi Gras combined is a gleaming package of adrenaline, seemingly ready to burst at the seams with excitement. And there are lots of local Ravens and 49ers fans here. They care about the Super Bowl. Some national media reports claim New Orleans is back.

Seven years, like those caused by the presumtiously superstitious broken mirror, sometimes seem to only reflect the light of crime, corruption, broken promises, and lost dreams. Looking through the smoke screens to find the pieces means driving around the lower ninth ward, St. Bernard Parish, and other pockets of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still struggling to regain and maintain population and stature. They care about the Super Bowl.

Seven years ago, it seemed like an insurmoutable task to repair the devastation caused by levees which collapsed after hurricane Katrina. Many Katrina survivors felt it would take many decades for the city and surrounding areas to return to their former glory.

Most major, national events disenfranchise many local vendors, businesses, homeowners, and other citizens who are left out of the loop. That’s why the NFL has put so much focus on local business. And, the city of New Orleans recently raised property tax assessments, making taxes higher for some non-exempt property owners. The cost of rent is sometimes out of reach for many of the city’s hospitality industry and other blue collar workers. Budgets are out of whack. The city’s murder rate remains among the highest in the nation, along with it’s sales taxes.

Critics blame Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Police Chief Renal Serpas, or any other elected official – who in turn blame each other – for problems and failures. As squabbling and corrruption continues, businesses leave or avoid the city. Locals navigate the city with a sense of insecurity, uneasiness. or urgency. They care about the Super Bowl, even though the Saints didn’t make it this time.

As the world looks upon the Super Bowl city like it’s a promising, inspiring comeback story, thousands of it’s former residents are still scattered throughout the world with an equal number of Katrina stories. Some choose not to come back. Others want to. They care about the Super Bowl.

Is an unstable New Orleans ready for the next power failure? Until the city of New Orleans wakes up and finds a way to once again come together outside of the Superdome, it’s doomed to fall again. As a host for major national events, as a tourist mecca, as a food junkie paradise, and a party destination, the concensus may be that the city is back. The city cares about the Super Bowl. Yet, as a home, it still has some welcoming to do. It must care about its people.

Unless time or experience has changed the perceptions of East Coast residents over the course of the past four years, a 2008 study (less than three years after Hurricane Katrina) commissioned by Allstate Insurance Company found cause for evacuation concerns.

Hurricane Evacuation Survey.

As Sandy descends, tips from Katrina survivors – CNN.com.

Hurricane veterans know when a bad one’s coming…

As hurricane-to-be Isaac bears down on Louisiana, some citizens may have the need for emergency information. This is a parish-by-parish list of emergency contact numbers [Source: Louisiana State Police]

Acadia Lee Hebert (337) 783-4357 (337) 788-8852 Email: lheb...@appj.org

Allen John Richer (337) 300-9032 (337) 639-4326 Email: elto...@centurytel.net

Ascension Rick Webre (225) 621-8360(225) 621-8362 Email: rwe...@apgov.us

Assumption John Boudreaux (985) 369-7351 (985) 369-7341 Email:john...@assumptionoep.com

Avoyelles Anzell Jones (318) 240-9160 (318) 240-9162 Email:aoh...@kricket.net

Beauregard Glen Mears (337)460-5442 (337)460-5460 Email: glen...@centurytel.net

Bienville Rodney Warren (318)263-2019 (318)263-7404 Email: rwar...@bienvilleparish.org

Caddo/Bossier Sandy Davis (318) 425-5351 (318) 425-5940 Email:sda...@cbohsep.org

Calcasieu Richard “Dick” Gremillion (337) 721-3800 (337) 437-3583 Email:ohs...@cppj.net

Caldwell Dale Powell (318) 649-3764 (318) 649-3765 Email: cald...@bellsouth.net

Cameron Eddie Benoit (337) 775-7048 (337) 775-7043 Email:came...@camtel.net

Catahoula Ellis Boothe (318) 744-5697 (318) 744-5697 Email:cata...@att.net

Claiborne Dennis Butcher (318) 927-3575 (318) 927-2115 Email: ooep...@bellsouth.net

Concordia Morris White (318) 757-8248 (318) 757-7200 Email: con...@bellsouth.net

DeSoto Alan Bounds (318) 872-3956 (318) 872-2304 Email: deso...@bellsouth.net

East Baton Rouge JoAnne Moreau (225) 389-2100 (225) 389-2114 Email: jmor...@brgov.com

East Carroll LeeKeitha M. Reed (318) 559-2256 (318) 559-1502 Email: ecpj...@bayou.com

East Feliciana Bud Weigand (225) 683-1014
(225) 244-5881 (225) 683-1478 Email:efoe...@bellsouth.net

Evangeline Liz Hill (337) 363-3267 (337) 363-3308 Email: vang...@centurytel.net

Franklin Mitch Reynolds (318) 435-6247 (318) 435-6258
Email: mitc...@franklinparish.org

Grant Robert Meeker (318) 627-3041 (318) 627-5927 Email: jans...@aol.com

Iberia Prescott Marshall (337) 369-4427 (337) 369-9956 Email: pmar...@iberiagov.net

Iberville Laurie Doiron (225) 687-5140 (225) 687-5146 Email: ldoi...@ibervilleparish.com

Jackson Paul Walsworth (318) 259-2361 ext 204 (318) 259-5660 Email: pwal...@jacksonparishpolicejury.org

Jefferson David Dysart (504) 349-5360 (504) 227-1315 Email:ddys...@jeffparish.net

Jefferson Davis Ivy Woods (337) 824-3850 (337) 821-2105 Email: sher...@jeffdavis.net

Lafayette William Vincent (337 291-5075 (337) 291-5080 Email: e...@lafayettela.gov

Lafourche Chris Boudreaux (985) 532-8174 (985) 532-8292 Email: chr...@lafourchegov.org

LaSalle Scott Franklin (318)992-2151 (318)992-8919 Email: sfra...@lasalleso.com

Lincoln Kip Franklin (318) 513-6202 (318) 874-3910 Email: kfra...@lincolnparish.org

Livingston Mark Harrell (225) 686-3066 (225) 686-7280 Email: lohs...@lpgov.com

Madison Earl Pinkney (318) 574-6911 (318) 874-3910
Email: earl...@yahoo.com

Morehouse James Mardis (318) 871-3907 (318) 281-4141 (318) 281-1773
Email: jmar...@mpso.net

Natchitoches Victor Jones (318) 357-7802 (318) 357-2208 Email: jper...@npsheriff.net

Orleans Jerry Sneed (504) 658-8700 (504) 658-8701 Email: NOO...@nola.gov

Ouachita Tracy Hilburn (318) 322-2641 (318) 322-7356 Email: thil...@ohsep.net

Plaquemines Guy Lagist (504) 274-2476 (225) 297-5635 Email: g...@plaqueminesparish.com

Pointe Coupee Donald Ewing (225) 694-3737 (225) 694-5408 Email: daew...@pcpso.org

Rapides Sonya Wiley (318) 445-0396 (318) 445-5605 Email: swi...@rapides911.org
Email: rapi...@suddenlinkmail.com

Red River Russell Adams (318) 932-5981 (318) 932-5802 Email: ra1...@netzero.net

Richland Dawn Blackshear (318) 728-0453 (318) 728-5888 Email: rppj...@inetsouth.com

Sabine David Davis (318) 256-2675 (318) 256-9652 Email: spo...@suddenlinkmail.com

St. Bernard John Rahaim (504) 278-4268 (504) 278-4493 Email: jrah...@sbpg.net

St. Charles Scott Whelchel (985) 783-5050 (985) 783-6375 Email: swhe...@scpeoc.org Dispatch (24 hr) Email: comm...@scpeoc.org

St. Helena Jessica Strickland (225) 222-3544 (225) 222-3696 Email: shoh...@hotmail.com St. James Eric Deroche (225) 562-2364 (225) 562-2269 Email: eric...@stjamesla.com

St. John the Baptist Jobe Boucvalt (985) 652-2222 (985) 652-2183 Email: j.bo...@sjbparish.com

St. Landry Lisa Vidrine (337) 948-7177 (337) 948-9139 Email: stla...@att.net

St. Martin Terry Guidry (337)394-3071 (337) 394-5705 Email: ohs...@stmartinsheriff.org

St. Mary Duval H. Arthur, Jr. (337) 828-4100 ext 135 (337) 828-4092 Email: dart...@stmaryparishla.gov

St. Tammany Dexter Accardo (985) 898-2359 (985) 898-3030 Email: dacc...@stpgov.org

Tangipahoa Dawson Primes (985) 748-3211 (985) 748-7050 Email: daws...@tangipahoa.org

Tensas William ‘Rick” Foster (318) 766-3992 (318) 766-4391 Email: tpo...@bellsouth.net

Terrebonne Earl Eues (985) 873-6357 (985) 850-4643 Email: eeu...@tpcg.org

Union Brian Halley (318) 368-3124 (318) 368-2728 Email: hall...@aol.com

Vermilion Rebecca Broussard (337) 898-4308 (337) 898-4309 Email: vpo...@cox-internet.com

Vernon Howard Hudgens (337) 238-0815 (337) 238-9025 Email: jhud...@vpso.org

Washington Tommy Thiebaud (985) 839-0434 (985) 839-0435 Email: tthi...@wpgov.org

Webster John Stanley (318) 846-2454 (318) 846-2446 Email: webs...@wildblue.net

West Baton Rouge Deano Moran (225) 346-1577 (225) 346-0284 Email: dean...@wbrcouncil.org

West Carroll Peggy Robinson (318) 428-8020 (318) 428-8025 Email: wcp...@bellsouth.net

West Feliciana Chief Tommy Boyett (225) 635-6428 (225) 635-6996 Email: tboy...@wfpso.org

Winn Harry Foster (318) 628-1160 (318) 727-3112 Email: winn...@winnparish.org

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season got off to a busy start, with 6 named storms to date, and may have a busy second half, according to the updated hurricane season outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The updated outlook still indicates a 50 percent chance of a near-normal season, but increases the chance of an above-normal season to 35 percent and decreases the chance of a below-normal season to only 15 percent from the initial outlook issued in May.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the season – June 1 to November 30 – NOAA’s updated seasonal outlook projects a total (which includes the activity-to-date of tropical storms Alberto, Beryl, Debbie, Florence and hurricanes Chris and Ernesto) of:
•12 to 17 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
•5 to 8 hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
•2 to 3 could be major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

The numbers are higher from the initial outlook in May, which called for 9-15 named storms, 4-8 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes. Based on a 30-year average, a normal Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

“We are increasing the likelihood of an above-normal season because storm-conducive wind patterns and warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures are now in place in the Atlantic,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. “These conditions are linked to the ongoing high activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995. Also, strong early-season activity is generally indicative of a more active season.”

However, NOAA seasonal climate forecasters also announced that El Niño will likely develop in August or September.

“El Niño is a competing factor, because it strengthens the vertical wind shear over the Atlantic, which suppresses storm development. However, we don’t expect El Niño’s influence until later in the season,” Bell said.

“We have a long way to go until the end of the season, and we shouldn’t let our guard down,” said Laura Furgione, acting director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Hurricanes often bring dangerous inland flooding as we saw a year ago in the Northeast with Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Even people who live hundreds of miles from the coast need to remain vigilant through the remainder of the season.”

“It is never too early to prepare for a hurricane,” said Tim Manning, FEMA’s deputy administrator for protection and national preparedness. “We are in the middle of hurricane season and now is the time to get ready. There are easy steps you can take to get yourself and your family prepared. Visit www.ready.gov to learn more.”

Since so many have been pushed from their sleeping posts under bridges and overpasses, New Orleans’ homeless seek out blighted and abandoned buildings.

New Orleans Homeless Hole Up In Hurricane Katrina’s Abandoned Buildings.

It’s a shame that those who choose to defend the truth are usually the victims of sharacter assassination. Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal speaks out on Huffpost about a New Orleans ‘hero’.

Sandy Rosenthal: The Character Assassination of Dr. Bob Bea.

Please be sure to follow KatrinaConnection.com on twitter@stormconnection and ‘LIKE” me on facebook facebook.com/katrinaconnection

Are seniors at risk in hurricane season?.

NOAA has announced conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season,

For the entire six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms (with top winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane (with top winds of 74 mph or higher) and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Favoring storm development in 2012: the continuation of the overall conditions associated with the Atlantic high-activity era that began in 1995, in addition to near-average sea surface temperatures across much of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, known as the Main Development Region. Two factors now in place that can limit storm development, if they persist, are: strong wind shear, which is hostile to hurricane formation in the Main Development Region, and cooler sea surface temperatures in the far eastern Atlantic.

“Another potentially competing climate factor would be El Niño if it develops by late summer to early fall. In that case, conditions could be less conducive for hurricane formation and intensification during the peak months (August-October) of the season, possibly shifting the activity toward the lower end of the predicted range,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

NOAA’s outlook for the Eastern Pacific basin is for a near-normal hurricane season and the Central Pacific basin is expected to have a below-normal season. NOAA will issue an updated seasonal outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season in early August, just prior to the historical peak of the season.

The public is invited to attend the 2012 Jefferson Parish Hurricane Prep Rally on June 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Zephyr Stadium, 6000 Airline Drive, Metairie.

We interrupt this blog for an important rant. I just can’t resist the temptation to post this MUST SEE video. This guy is great (!!) and says everything that’s on your mind about our government.