Two Years Ago Today

Two years ago today saw the worst natural disaster to hit the United States. Ever. That was the day that everything changed around here. The city had become a ghost town, as most of the population that could and wanted to had already left. Windows were boarded up, cars placed on neutral grounds (that's a median strip to the rest of the country) or in high rise parking garages, when available, everything was either tied down, or otherwise secured, and people that had left thought that they would be back in just a couple of days, as had happened before with Ivan and Georges. That was not to be.

On the morning of the 29th of August, Katrina passed south of the city of New Orleans, right through Buras, Louisiana. It came back into Gulf waters on the other side of the tip of Louisiana's boot, then aimed for the mouth of the Pearl River, on the border between Louisiana and Mississippi. After the storm initially passed, everything was fine. At least initially. The storm surge, coupled with the change of wind direction after the eye passed, created such pressure on the levee system, that breaches began to form. First, along the Industrial Canal, then the 17th Street Canal, then the Orleans Canal, another along the Industrial Canal, all followed by the flood of pent up water through neighborhoods. Being in Memphis as I was, I heard about it in stages, but, after the dust settled, I was able to peice together what had happened to my fouled up, but fair city.

Now, two years later, the water is gone. Many of the people are still gone. We have celebrities talking about building "green" homes, an army of Habitat for Humanity people are still here doing whatever they can to get homes built. College students still spend their vacations coming here to gut houses and help with recovery. Church groups are expanding their meal programs outside of the city. Our citizens are still scattered all aound the country - wherever they had relatives or decided to start over. In short, the New Orleans of old is no more. The NEW New Orleans is not yet here.

We are in a strange state of limbo, caught between yin and yang. Or, as was so elegantly put in an episode of Babylon 5, between tick and tock. The city is trying to decide whether to live or to die, in my opinion. There are stalwarts who will tell you that New Orleans will never go away, that we will come back better than before, that we shall rise up. There are just as many who say, "Yeah, prove it."

Personally, I find myself torn every day between the two camps. I want my home to be successful and back the way it was. However, each day, it takes twice as much effort to do even the simplest of tasks. Street lights are still out all over the place. Many favorite restaurants are not open, some permanently, others replaced by new ones. Businesses have folded, compressed, cut down to one of a particular kind in the area, etc.. I know I'm not the only one who wants to wake up and have it all back like it was before. Virtually every person around here wants that.

There are a few bright spots, though. The Saints have done well in lifting our spirits. Some of the good old favorites are back - gelatto at Brocatto's or snoballs at Hansen's or Plum Street. Camellia Grill is finally back open. Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras continue, as do the other festivals in the area.

There are bad spots, too. Crime is almost as bad as it was before Katrina, and we have fewer people. Our politicians keep going to jail in public corruption schemes. Blight is everywhere, and you'd have to be blind to miss it. There is a general malaise over the city, and everyone knows it. No one wants to do anything about it, and we are all deluding ourselves with stuff, fantasy, and other distractions to keep us from focusing on what we need to do. We all want someone else to take care of our stuff for us.

We either expect the government to bails us out completely, or we wait for anyone else to come along to tell us what to do and how to do it. We point blame everywhere except where it belongs: squarely on the shoulders of everyone who stays here or wants to come back here.

We are responsible for our own actions. We must pick ourselves up. It is not a Road Home program, or FEMA money that will save us. We must do it. I have great hope and faith in the movements against violence in our city. The people are trying to take back their neighborhoods. With the help of total strangers, we are doing it. It will just take time. In this world of instant gratification, we are led to believe that everything should be instant - now. Well, ask the folks in Florida about things being right immediately. Ask the residents of Kobe, Japan if things are put back together immediately. Ask California residents if post-earthquake, things just pop right back up. We will come back.

On a final note, I, personally, would like to say thank you to the Memphis Red Cross, and the citizens of Memphis who took good care of my wife and I during our evacuation there. I would also like to thank the folks of Baton Rouge, who tolerated me for 4 months while I was in exile from my home. Also, a huge thank you to all the volunteers, care workers, agency people, and, expecially, the U.S. Army, the National Guard, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the police, fire, rescue agencies of all the states and municipalities who sent people and/or aid to our area. Without you, we would not have been able to come back. Without you, we would not be able to continue our struggle to be back. Thank you. Thank you, all.

K