Phonebook Highlights New Orleans Changes

[MountainLaurel]

So very poignant in a weird way.

On a recent hot day, the new phonebook landed with a thud on the stoop of a house that one year ago lay under water, a notable sign of normalcy.

The phonebook's arrival is a mark of progress here, but it's also a window into how much has changed. With nearly half the city's population gone, two swollen books have shrunk to one, following a decision by the phonebook's editors to fold the white pages into the rest of the book. Meanwhile, the yellow pages now include far larger ads for contractors, electricians, roofers and others crucial to the city's rebuilding.

Lay the old and new editions side by side and the resulting contrast is a microcosm of a transformed metropolis.

It's one in which people need help repairing their homes, but don't have time to fuss with their hair — the 'Contractors - General' section jumped from six to 14 pages and 'Roof Contractors' from 15 to 32, while listings under 'Beauty Salons' declined 42 percent from 541 individual businesses to 316.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060823/ap_on_bi_ge/katrina_yellow_pages