Down here you hear things like The Storm, or Katrina used often to describe time. If you ask someone where they live or where they work, they often start of with, before The Storm . . .or after Katrina. Their point of reference is The Storm, . . .or is it?
Since arriving, and working within the activist realm, I also here folks refer to the Great Flood. No, I'm not being dramatic here. Many people want to make a distinction between the Storm and the Flood. The storm did relatively minor damage to the city compared to the flood that ensued from the levees failing. Of course the storm damaged the roofs of structures and broke out the windows of many buildings, but it was the flood that wiped out entire sections of the city and left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless.
In NOLA leading up to the 2nd anniversary, I spotted a slew of film crews, celebrities, politicians, and city employees cleanining up the streets (me w/ Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, right). The City hosted many events to mark the anniversary: the Hope and Recovery Summit at UNO, the International Tribunal (pissed I missed), A Day of Presence, Candelight vigils, and festiv 2nd line marches that New Orleans is world famous for. I was able to attend a few events via volunteering and doing outreach with work. It was a sombering week. In the months since, things have returned to normal or semi-normal. More and more residents are returning to the greater New Orleans area and living with family members while the try to save their homes. More on saving their homes soon . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment