SPAN :: Southern Pine Awareness Network

A Hurricane Katrina Recovery Success Story:
The Role of Southern Pine

BACKGROUND The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the late summer of 2005 was felt by the entire world. Entire communities were flattened, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents homeless and businesses and landmarks devastated. One such victim: City Park New Orleans. Encompassing 1,300 acres, the first parcel of which was acquired in 1854, City Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country as well as one of the oldest. One of the main attractions at the park is Hines Carousel Gardens. Visitors have enjoyed the "flying horses" of City Park's antique carousel since 1906. The carousel is one of only 100 antique wooden carousels in the country.


Following Katrina, the carousel was submerged in five feet of water, devastating the attraction that drew about one million riders to the park each year. The "flying horses," and the beautiful Southern Pine floors they glided upon, were all but destroyed.
THE PLAN Several businesses and organizations convened on Hines Carousel Gardens to ensure that kids - and kids at heart - will once again experience the joy and wonder the carousel creates in all of its passengers. On the to-do list: a complete restoration of all the antique wooden horses, a fresh coat of paint for the interior and exterior of the circular building that houses the carousel, fresh new landscaping and brand new Southern Pine floors to greet visitors for years to come.
McShan Lumber Co., Inc. of McShan, AL, donated 11,500 board feet of premium Southern Pine flooring to replace the original floors (also crafted of Southern Pine) which were destroyed by the flooding that resulted from the hurricane.

"We are very proud to be involved with this project," said Tyler McShan of McShan Lumber. "And we are just as proud that because of the tradition of good stewardship practiced by generations of Southern Pine producers, we are able to provide the very same material that graced the carousel's floors over 100 years ago." Restoration of Hines Carousel Gardens is expected to be completed by August of 2006. For more information on Hines Carousel Gardens, visit www.neworleanscitypark.com/carousel_gardens.php.