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“When they (Ninth Ward residents) saw that I am open.
They say, 'Okay, let's go back” said New Orleans
entrepreneur Casey Kasim.  The Gulf Coast Recovery
Project …”is focusing on what drives recovery after
crisis," said Brian Hooks, Chief Operating Officer of
the Mercatus Center.

An Iraqi immigrant, Casey Kasim opened the Discount Zone in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in 2003. While he spent the majority of his time in the Ninth Ward working seven days a week, ten hours a day, Casey lived in Jefferson Parish with his wife and six children.

As Katrina approached, Casey and his wife evacuated their children to stay with relatives in Houston, but they chose to ride out the storm in their store. Expecting that there would be a foot or two of flooding, Casey brought his boat and trailer to the store and made preparations to secure his business.

Once the levees broke, the Ninth Ward flooded. Casey started to hear his neighbors calling for help. He rescued a number of people before the responders commandeered his boat, stranding him, his wife, and a few people he had rescued earlier in the day at the gas station. They stayed at the station for four days and eventually made their way home on foot.

Casey waited a month for the water to recede and roads to reopen. It took until May 2007 before he was able to open the Discount Zone for business.

As one of the first entrepreneurs to reopen a retail business in the Ninth Ward, Kasim is witness to what has worked and not worked in terms of recovery in the region.

"From talking to the customers a lot of them got the courage [to come back] when they saw that I am open. They say, 'Okay, let's go back, and things are going to get back again to normal one day.' They need my facility to provide gas, drink, [and] food. So it helped a lot to come back to this area when they see that business is open."

For Casey, though, the Ninth Ward is still far from back, and it may be unlikely to return. "I believe people are scared for the future. They don't believe that [it's worth repairing] their houses if another Katrina comes and they lose them again."

Casey seems there to stay, however. After a year of navigating a sea of red tape, he secured a SBA loan to restart his business. He also noted that his personal bank was very patient as it waited to see things get better in his business.

Casey has some advice for the government when it comes to future disasters: "It's the people, not the government. The government can only do so much for the people in this area or another city. They [the people] have to do the work. They have to be more patient, more vigilant. They have to work hard to bring back the area."

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