Not just the contractors, I was told by a few that the "inspectors" hired to supervise the rebuild were a real problem. I was told that if you could show "any" knowledge of construction and were also able to read you could get a job as an inspector. Pretty scary.
One of the saddest things I learned was that people with school-aged children weren't coming back even if their homes were salvageable. No open local schools to send them to, no safe (due to debris AND crime) areas in the neighborhood to play.
Mayor Nagin dropped in for a quick talk with a larger group. He said that the City was selling individual lots in the devastated areas at whatever was the lowest appraised price, and that we could choose our own appraisers. (BTW, we weren't there to buy real estate). He really tried to sell it. I don't think there were any takers, although our guide through the area said that he had lately been getting work picking up developers at the airport and driving them through ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS that they were considering buying, then driving them right back to the airport.
