Orange and yellow construction site hard hats are now as plentiful as the red berets of the 82nd Airborne paratroopers. Military Humvees have made way for convoys of trucks hauling giant generators, reported Reuters. Slowly, but as surely and visibly as the putrid waters are receding from flooded neighborhoods, New Orleans is beginning to recover two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the low-lying city and forced its half a million people to flee. In areas that two days ago were under water, the sludge-encrusted roofs of cars poke out of the water. In some parts, the water level has sunk by almost 6 feet (1.8 metres) as more pumps come online to drain New Orleans. In parts of town, water service has been restored, electricity reconnected and fallen trees and branches cleared from the streets. Local officials are turning their efforts to commerce, trying to restart an economy that powerful Katrina brought to a halt. Authorities in Jefferson Parish, who urged people not to return to their homes to live until public services are in order, have started issuing certificates to business owners allowing them to return under a program called Operation Jumpstart Jefferson. --more 2331 Local Time 2031 GMT
