Port of New Orleans gearing up to reopen soon

Port of New Orleans gearing up to reopen soon

Nearly 10 days after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Gary Lagrange, the president of the Port of New Orleans, is planning to reopen terminals and bring ships and labor back to the weather-ravaged wharves. Despite the flooded terminals, charred metal and spilled shipping containers plugging up the harbor, LaGrange expects commercial ships to return as soon as next week. One reason why the port, the largest in the US by volume, is so popular is that it provides the most cost effective way to reach certain markets in the US. For example, it costs less to ship coffee to Chicago through New Orleans than through New York, the nation's other major coffee port. For now, the steel, rubber, coffee, and grain that normally flow to the port are now shipping to other harbors. The Port of New Orleans will need to recover this crucial business. Mr. Lagrange hopes to house up to 1’000 people by bringing in three Navy ships for port workers’ living quarters.