New Orleans residents angered by Hurricane Katrina disaster tourists
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The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 prompted an unexpected tourist industry in New Orleans and now authorities are said to be cracking down on so-called 'disaster tourism' in one of the areas hit hard by the hurricane.
According to the Daily Mail, the city's ravaged Lower 9th Ward sees a daily parade of visitors wanting to get a closer look at the damaged neighbourhood.
The hurricane caused homes to be pushed off foundations and stranded residents on their rooftops when the levees failed.
In 2006, the City Council approved an ordinance banning tour buses and vans from crossing the prominent Industrial Canal and entering the neighbourhood as it was concerned they would hamper clean-up efforts.
The Lower 9th Ward is slowly being rebuilt and visitor interest has been stoked by housing built by actor Brad Pitt and his Make It Right foundation.
Around 30 companies are said to offer tours of the area, which pass Brad Pitt's houses and the home of rock 'n roll star Fats Domino, and charge around £15 a ticket.
Some residents have been complaining that the tour vehicles are blocking streets and damaging the roads, prompting officials to stop and fine the operators.
Locals say they are also tired of being stared at.
Lifelong resident Vanessa Gueringer said: 'We're fed up and tired of them coming through the neighbourhood like we're some sideshow.
PA
'After all the suffering we have been through, we deserve more respect than this. We don't need those big buses coming through here tearing it up.'
Many tour companies are halting tours and David Lee Ducote, owner of Southern Style Tours, said: 'I can't afford to keep paying tickets.'
City Councilman Ernest Charbonnet, who represents the neighbourhood, believes a compromise can be made with plans to gather guides and residents and discuss proposals, such as limiting bus sizes and creating a single route to protect the streets and privacy of locals.
He said: 'I feel confident that we will come up with a plan that will work for everybody.'
Not all Lower 9th residents oppose the tourism and some, like Sidney Williams, say they enjoy waving to tourists and selling homemade treats to them.
The city sees around nine million visitors each year, mainly those wanting to look at the stately homes along oak-lined avenues, eat at the renowned restaurants and enjoy the jazz of Bourbon Street.
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