CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND PARKWAYS

MITCHELL J. LANDRIEU MACDONALD MAYOR DIRECTOR

ANN E.

July 13, 2011 Nicole Hobson-Morris Executive Director Louisiana State Office of Historic Preservation 1051 North Third Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Dear Ms. Hobson-Morris, I support the nomination of the levee breach of the 17th Street Canal and the east-side north breach of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. These levee breaches catastrophically affected the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans respectively. I am the Director of Parks and Parkways for the City of New Orleans. I also lived two blocks away from the east side breach of the London Avenue Canal which catastrophically and directly affected my neighborhood. For these reasons, I believe I have a proficient understanding of the significance of the breaching of the levees in New Orleans in August of 2005. The listing of these breach sites on the National Register would be an important avenue for the impacted residents of the city like myself to preserve and to remember their history. The listing of these sites as areas of historical events would also impact how the federal government deals with levees and the issues of flooding for people in the rest of the United States. If you have any questions regarding this letter, you are welcome to contact me at your convenience. Yours truly,

Ann E. Macdonald, Director Department of Parks and Parkways

2829 Gentilly Blvd.| New Orleans, Louisiana | 70122 Phone 504.658.3200 | Fax 504.658.3227