Muddy "Katrina cars" take final ride - Yahoo! News

When Alex took me and some work colleagues around New Orleans, a repeated theme was the sheer intimidation presented by the number of things that needed to be done. In response to a question about the danger of black mold, Alex showed us a typical flooded home in which mold of every shade, color, and variety had taken over where the residents had left off, creating their own unique (and foul) culture. "Black mold is probably the least of our problems now," he said.

Same went for the marina, where 6- and 7-figure yachts and cruisers were tossed around the parking lot and in the water like old soda cans in a dump and decades-old restaurants had been literally ripped from their foundations and dragged out to sea. Same went for the city's gardens in many areas.

I remember, shuddering, each time Jamie and I had to pack to move to a new home. The mass of possessions, taking on the temporary mental label of "crap," overwhelmed us at the outset of each move. Just getting started took a concentration of willpower that far surpassed what one might expect. To me, the recovery of New Orleans is like that same challenge multiplied by 20 million raised to the power of the number of elements of the task that could potentially kill you.

It will be nice to get rid of the cars stacked under the highways. Unfortunately this will only reveal something equally ugly, annoying, or dangerous that was sitting underneath them for the past 10 months.