New Orleans convention center, Harrah’s Casino set to reopen
WCAX
NEW ORLEANS The convention center that became a squalid evacuation shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina is reopening tomorrow in New Orleans.
The Ernest Morial Convention Center opens just a day before the city’s first major Mardi Gras parades roll. In the chaotic days after the storm hit last August, tens of thousands of evacuees found themselves stuck at the center — without food, water or medicine.
Nearly six months later, the convention center will host the four-day gift and jewelry show that’s been a New Orleans tradition for over 50 years. Three Mardi Gras balls will be held there as well.
Harrah’s New Orleans Casino is also opening tomorrow for the first time since Katrina. The casino was used as a police command center in the wake of the storm. It will become the third of the four New Orleans-area casinos to reopen, in another encouraging sign for the city’s tourism industry.
