"I say this is just as much a cultural disaster as a natural disaster, because it's a city of art and culture that is beloved by the world," Mr. Spitzer says. "It's a tragic thing to go to a city of nightlife and see it dark and not hear music. And obviously you hate to see the beauty of the buildings surrounded by mucky water. Putting the city back is going to require a lot of people from within the city, and I think that's going to be a big job."

A job that will require the talents of craftsmen like Earl Barthe, a fifth-generation master plasterer from New Orleans who specializes in the ornamental molding found in the city's historic homes, churches and other buildings.