A lot of those homes, including my former apartment, might be turned into parks since they’re not in a good place should another hurricane hit.

City starts to raze homes hit by Katrina – Americas – International Herald Tribune

It was a moment of fearful anticipation for New Orleans, the first demolitions of flooded homes in the six months since Hurricane Katrina. Three were razed Monday in a process that was long delayed by legal challenges, physical obstacles, and the difficulty in getting money to search for bodies that almost certainly remain in some of the houses.

Army Corps of Engineers officials estimate millions of cubic yards of debris from demolished houses will have been removed in Orleans Parish when the process ends, roughly a year from now, representing perhaps as many as 25,000 houses. About 120 houses, nearly all in the Lower 9th Ward, are set for immediate demolition.