Drew Brees was the first major free agent to come to New Orleans after the storm and bought an old home in a historic neighborhood only six blocks from areas that flooded during Katrina.

Brees, whose foundation has raised nearly $2 million for projects aimed at helping children around the city by rebuilding schools, playgrounds, athletic fields and the like, said witnessing the city’s recovery has been both inspiring and disappointing, often depending on the neighborhood in question.

“There are some areas where it looks like it happened yesterday,” Brees said. “Those are houses people used to live in and they’re not (living there) any more, so where are they?”

Brown’s first house is one of the empty ones. He’s rebuilt it, but is trying to sell it and has moved to a largely undamaged suburb west of the city.

At the same time, Brees has been pleased to see new construction, or flooded buildings being restored, throughout town. He’s also met young business owners who saw the rebuilding city as “a land of opportunity.” Brees can relate, having come to New Orleans after his stint in San Diego ended with a career-threatening shoulder injury.

“I felt like we were all kind of in this thing together,” Brees said. “I’m trying to rebuild my career coming off the injury and changing teams, kind of a fresh start for me, a fresh start for the organization and a fresh start for the city.”

Their home stadium was a prime example. During Katrina, it became a symbol of suffering while being used as a refuge of last resort. After being rebuilt with new and better amenities, it became a symbol of rebirth, and the Saints’ first season there was a memorable one, as they went to the NFC championship game for the first time.

In 2007, the NBA’s Hornets returned full time to the arena next door and are thriving as well.

“The more you talk to people and the more you drive around, I think you just feel like life is back,” Brees said. “When the storm happened, your mind-set had to be: we’re going to make things better than they were before. We’re going to try to turn this into a positive somehow, some way. I see that happening in a lot of areas. ... So just to kind of be there and just feel like you’re kind of a part of the rebuilding process is rewarding.”

The reward, of course, will be even greater if the progress achieved during the past three years isn’t undone by the latest threat.

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