Amazing, story!
First of all, thank you for coming to my old city with the intention of helping rebuild. I appreciate it. I lived in New Orleans after college. I lost most of my worldly things in hurricane Katrina. I've rebuilt my life since. I visit from time to time. Too hard to live there again no matter how much I miss it.
Yes, it is a poetic, mystical, wild, funky city. It's almost supernatural at times. Your story definitely proves it. That's the magic of the N.O., on one block there's a party, on the next trouble, and if you take a few more steps beyond the Zydeco players and the street dancers, you may run into angels.
Dang, I miss that city. I feel like I grew up there.