The rise of a city under water

Over six years ago, Hurricane Katrina resulted in one of history’s most expensive disasters. Hurricane Katrina displaced several leaving the few that stayed behind stranded in an area filled with stench, corpses, and rubble. Of all the destructions Katrina left in its path, Chalmette and the Ninth Ward experienced the most chaotic nightmare. The high waters engulfed both of these parishes, which were incapable of sustaining its waters because of the levee breach.

After the hurricane, businesses seemed reluctant to return to Chalmette leaving it seemingly deserted for a few years. Business operators set their decision for returning based on Wal-Mart’s return but Wal-Mart refused to return unless the government rewarded a substantial amount for its damages. About five years later a few daredevils spiked interest in the Judge Perez area, one of Chalmette’s most prominent location before the hurricane. The investors Joe Licciardi, colonel of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office and Ray Peacock, a Metairie developer demolished the old shopping center and replaced it with a new upgraded exterior. The Chalmette shopping center more commonly known by its name as the Mall is rumored to have been an investment of about $20 million.

The Mall encompasses several large franchises such as Big Lots, Aarons, I-hop, Cato and a six-screen movie theatre. The investors of the Mall have also spurred the appetite of other investors, which have long waited for such vital signs of improvement.