Katrina Two Years Later
It is crazy to think that it has been two years since hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. As some of you know, I had the opportunity to go down to Pass Christian, Mississippi on two volunteer trips. On a break from our work one afternoon we wandered around town to take some pictures. We wandered into a school that sat a block off the gulf and looked untouched since the hurricane. We wandered upstairs into a classroom and on the dry erase board was a map that apparently the teacher had drawn to show the projected path of the storm to the class hoping it would spare their school. It is was eerie. I post these pictured because they are my favorite memory of my trips and as a reminder that the region affected by the storm was much broader than just New Orleans. More photos.
Spike Lee's When The Levees Broke - I watched part one of the four part documentary last night before going to bed. It gave me goose bumps and had me so wired I had trouble falling asleep. The footage of that tragedy is astounding. Hearing the stories of the people interviewed and seeing the footage of the events organized gave clarity to the severity of the tragedy. I kept thinking about what would happen if a similar natural disaster hit my town and how much my neighbors and I would rely on federal relief because we would be helpless after a few days. It is also interesting how a little time puts an event like this into perspective. If you read this site, I strongly recommend this documentary regardless of your politics.
Ohio Floods - Though not as severe as Hurricane Katrina, the State of Ohio has suffered its own flooding devastation in 8 counties. Jenny Hanzel of the Ohio Red Cross has let me know that The Red Cross has set up a special fund to make donations for that effort. Local chapters immediately opened shelters for the hundreds of people that had to evacuate their flooded homes. Over 700 Red Cross disaster workers are serving hot meals and snacks, as well as distributing clean up and comfort kits to affected residents. Please join me in making a donation online to help our fellow Ohioans today.
Spike Lee's When The Levees Broke - I watched part one of the four part documentary last night before going to bed. It gave me goose bumps and had me so wired I had trouble falling asleep. The footage of that tragedy is astounding. Hearing the stories of the people interviewed and seeing the footage of the events organized gave clarity to the severity of the tragedy. I kept thinking about what would happen if a similar natural disaster hit my town and how much my neighbors and I would rely on federal relief because we would be helpless after a few days. It is also interesting how a little time puts an event like this into perspective. If you read this site, I strongly recommend this documentary regardless of your politics.
Ohio Floods - Though not as severe as Hurricane Katrina, the State of Ohio has suffered its own flooding devastation in 8 counties. Jenny Hanzel of the Ohio Red Cross has let me know that The Red Cross has set up a special fund to make donations for that effort. Local chapters immediately opened shelters for the hundreds of people that had to evacuate their flooded homes. Over 700 Red Cross disaster workers are serving hot meals and snacks, as well as distributing clean up and comfort kits to affected residents. Please join me in making a donation online to help our fellow Ohioans today.
By Kyle - 8/29/2007
14 Comments:
One of the more interesting parts of the documentary was the discussion of previous floods of New Orleans. It gave context to why people stayed and why people thought the levees were blown. If you like history, you'll like part I.
Most upsetting thing ever for me. And the city is still in disarray. I just cannot believe we let that happen to our fellow Americans.
I will probably repost my Ashamed To Be An American post on the tragedy.
I traveled with Kyle to the Gulf Coast for two consecutive years, once 6 months after the storm and again a year and half later. Listening to NPR on the way into work I heard that while 2/3 of the $114 billion dollars was spent on immediate relief, there are still billions (BILLIONS) of dollars tied up in red tape. Apparently Louisiana has had difficulty getting their “Road Home” program in gear.
If you have been to the Gulf Coast or have seen the shoe-box sized, “my kitchen table doubles as a bed” FEMA trailers on TV, then you can see why there is serious frustration with red tape. Even more annoying, city officials throughout the region are stuck in a quagmire of needing to attract residents and businesses back to the Gulf Coast to create a tax base, but can’t offer the infrastructure to these entities as an incentive to return. No businesses, no taxes, no infrastructure, no progress.
The federal government has to build infrastructure so the communities can build. If we can’t rebuild a region in our own backyard… how are we supposed to do it overseas?
Chuck is mad about Katrina?
Kyle,
Just in case you missed it, on Monday I also suggested people consider joining their local CERT program. You get trained up on disaster response, and get to serve your community as a citizen volunteer first-responder.
I'll second the recommendation to watch Spike Lee's fabulous documentary. It'll touch you.
I haven't been back to the Gulf coast/NOLA region since early 2006, but I'll never forget what I saw. Never.
I say send all the blue-thumbed democracy loving Iraqis to New Orleans to repopulate and rebuild the city.
Then tell Bush he can have the $50 billion more he wants fto give Iraqis democracy as long as he sends all it to Louisiana. Seems win/win to me.
Just think about the huge amount of tax money WASTED in Iraq. I bet it would be enough to fund health care for all, repairing every bridge in the USA, rebuilding NOLA and some left over to buy Mencken and me a few lap dances.
Getting a lap dance could cost me my job AND Chuck's vote- although I've never bashed strippers publicly. I might still be electible.
What a difference BushCo could have made in America's perception of Dubya if he had done what LBJ did during Hurricane Betsy: Fly like the wind to get down there and let the people of NOLA know that their Prez is there to help them. Read about LBJ's response to Betsy in the October 3, 2005 New Yorker article called 'High Water' by David Remnick.
Immediately upon graduating from Kent State in 1997, I moved to New Orleans and lived with my lifelong friend and his boyfriend in a gorgeous home on Prytania, which luckily saw minimal flooding during Katrina. After living with them for a few months, I got my own apt. (waaaay less gorgeous then their lush digs) in the 12th Ward on General Pershing St., which was nearly all flooded during Katrina.
When this tragedy was unfolding in '05, I cried hour after hour, day after day.
Since Katrina, I can't watch much of anything about New Orleans and not cry.
I feel so unbelievably sick about it.
But I know that part of that immense pain is because I lived for one year in that humid as the damned jungle, glittery, dirty, Mississippi River smelling, decadent like a triple chocolate cake and champagne for breakfast, fricking gorgeously alive city that I loved with all my heart.
And for being able to describe New Orleans like that from my amazing memories, I am forever grateful.
Tina, thanks for sharing your story.
Tina, I visited NOLA in 2003 . As it turns out, I am glad I did before all the destruction.
Your passionate description is something I can dig too. Its a very unique place allright! I enjoyed riding around on the trolley and stayed in the "Garden District"
I still have two contacts there who have told me a blow by blow ever since Katrina. Some of the most touching stories are about persons from neighboring town (as well as some from far away) that literally came to the rescue. I guess that is the positive side of human nature - acts of charity.
Nobody can tell me that government did a good job of assistance.
Here's hoping for a NO comeback
No one should depend on government for anything and the government doesn't control the weather. While there is plenty of blame to be spread around locally and nationally, common sense dictates that if a cat 5 hurricane is barrelling down on a city under sea level, you have a mandatory evacuation and enforce it. No one should have even been there. Nagin fucked up, fire him then put a get it done kind of person in his place instead of a poor me whiner and watch the red tape disappear. Also, why weren't the levees built to tolerate a cat 5 as the original plan went into motion when Kennedy released all those federal funds to build an appropriate levee system. I'll tell you what happened, the funding came and all the libs and special interest people greased their own pockets in kick backs and short funded the city and the good people of New Orleans suffered at the hands of the people they trusted. The level of this disaster was created by the democrats in power at the time when the system was built and then Nagin didn't enforce a mandatory evacuation. Also, the governor didn't pass information on fast enough on how ill prepared they were to handle it after the fact because she wasn't getting good info from Nagin. Then everybody wants to blame the President for a Hurricane? He's not always the brightest crayon in the box, but he can't control the weather and he can only react with the information he has. Peace out libs, smell ya later!!!
the best part is when that toad nagin was reelected. How in your right mind can anyone vote for someone that incompetent. La was is and always will be a corrupt backwater, you can throw all the money you want at it, but with the dynamic that exists down there nothing will ever get done. Sometimes cynicism=reality, and with La politics assuming the worst is usually the most astute judgement.
The aspect I feel that required federal intervention was oversight of the insurance industry, they got away with a royal fleecing of the people, and you would have seen a quicker clean up and rebuild if that had been handled properly, but as is the case with most things-add either an insurance company or a lawyer and you will get a steaming pile of chocolate soft serve instead of anything useful.
Anon, its absurd to say that the people should not expect anything from their govt in a disaster ===> especially the non response doggie show that occured after Katrina.
& Tdawg - good points about the fleece industry (insurance)- shit, I just saw a piece on news a bout high end condos in Tuscaloosa built with Govt graft/ins $$$$ meant for NOLA
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