Forever New Orleans
In March, I planned a girl's trip to New Orleans for May, as a mini celebration for my birthday. This would be the first time that I had visited the city in a very long time. Maybe 10 years. I decided to fly to New Orleans because the flights were so cheap on Southwest. Our trip was Memorial Day Weekend. Wonderful flight in. Driving in the cab, I personally couldn't see the remnants of Hurricane Katrina, but I am sure they were there. At this time I was only focused on having fun-filled touristy-type vacation and enjoying the City. The weekend was fun, we ended up doing some of the touristy things that I hadn't done before like the Haunted History tour. But all weekend in the back of my mind were thoughts about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of a City that up until 2001, I had visited every year. There were signs in the Quarter of the economic damage of the storm. Restaurants and businesses closed never to re-open. But there also were signs at least in the Quarter, of some construction. I was amazed though, at the emptiness. There was nowhere near the number of people that I expected to see in New Orleans. Katrina. On the last day of my trip I took the Canal Street street car to the Greenwood Cemetery. You can learn a lot of history in a cemetery. As the street car made its way to end of the line, I saw the Katrina Memorial out of the window. I got off the car and walked back to the Memorial. The whole weekend it seemed to me that subliminally what had happened when Hurricane Katrina was there all around, in some little way or memory. In all of the shops, there was a pictorial book about the storm conveniently placed. I picked one up and flipped through it, the photos of the aftermath were horrendous, I don't see how anyone could have survived the storm. I saw plenty of damage from disasters when I worked for the American Red Cross, but nothing like what was in those pictures. Nothing.
I took a cab back to the airport. When I got into the cab, my cab driver began to tell me about how he has been affected by Katrina. He and his wife he said, were so disappointed in his son who had began running with the wrong crowd after Katrina. His son made bad choices and now was paying for it in jail. Guns, my cab driver said, were made easily made available. "If only our son had made a different choice," he said. I told him that he couldn't blame himself for the choices that his son had made. It was sad. The conversation turned to the recovery effort and Lower Ninth Ward. I asked exactly where was the area, and he said that it was five or six miles directly behind us, in the other direction. Beyond the Quarter. My cab driver told me that his mother lived there. The Lower Ninth was one of the places hardest hit by the storm. I asked how the recovery was coming and he said, "not as should be, too many people are still living in tents and FEMA trailers on their property. Because the are afraid that someone was going to take their land." I had to ask why they re-elected Mayor Nagin after he botched the whole evacuation and recovery efforts, and he told me that it was because at the time Nagin was the only one campaigning on the promise that he would re-build their homes and City. A promise that clearly to a certain extent had not been fulfilled. Nor does it really look like it is going to be fulfilled. That's my opinion.
He told me the story of Fats Domino and how he was one of the victims of the storm, trapped in his house, trapped in the water. He went on to say that Fats Domino's gold records and pianos had been damaged by the water. Tipitina's a club, Fats played in before Katrina, had the records and pianos sent to a company to have them restored. But there was more damage than that to Fats Domino, because he now has so many health problems that he couldn't tour anymore. My cab driver said it was because he was in the water so long before being rescued. Incidentally, the weekend after my trip, a tribute concert was being held for Fats Domino in order to help raise funds for New Orleans children, for schools and parks. As we approached the airport, I asked what were the celebrities really doing to help the effort, and he said that Harry Connick, Jr. had done a lot to help the musicians of New Orleans, with the building of the Habitat community, the Musicians Village. The rumor around New Orleans was that all of the musicians had moved out and now the clubs in the Quarter were overrun with non-traditional music. The hope is that all of the musicians will return to New Orleans to re-ignite the music industry there. Brad and Angelina also he said, had done a lot for the Lower Ninth Ward with their foundation, Make It Right. He said that they truly did help in the neighborhood. I said that was good to know. You hope the stories you see on television are true about their help with the recovery, but you really don't know the truth. The locals do know though. I was thrilled to hear that the commitments from the celebrities were genuine.
I remember watching the devastation from my apartment in Washington, D.C. It was horrific. New Orleans looked like a Third World Country, at least on TV. I couldn't help but watch the minute to minute coverage, ever since 9-11, 24 hour news coverage was a given. Being a former Red Crosser, it was hard for me to believe that what I was seeing unfold on television was really going on. Was there really no plan for evacuation? How could the instructions given be so wrong? Why wasn't the City ready for the disaster? After all, isn't this what all the disaster planning was for? And how could the Mayor and Governor not be prepared? These are questions I still ask to this day.
Needless to say, my cab driver made an impact on me. His story was the story I tried to avoid all weekend. But I couldn't. Some of the things that I remembered from my previous visits to New Orleans were now just memories. Things have changed there. I told the driver to just know that regular people like me were thinking about those in New Orleans. His story made me very emotional. He pulled up to the curb of Southwest and I got out, he placed my suitcase on the curb. He hugged me and said "thank you."
His story, made me want to stay and tour the Lower Ninth to see where the residents needed help. Since being back home, I have been thinking of ways to help New Orleans. I am of the opinion that we just can't as a nation let this City die. The culture, history, art and the birth place of Jazz are all important to save. Those things are too important to our history not to. I am of the opinion that those of us who can (Americans) should do what we can to save the City. The impact of not saving New Orleans will be graver especially to our economy and to future generations. I personally am going to do what I can to help rebuild the City. I plan to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or some other organization that is working to rebuild neighborhoods. I also plan to donate money and to keep the focus on the need of those affected by the storm. We have always overcome disasters in the nation, from Pearl Harbor, the great Depression, Oklahoma CIty and 9-11. I know we also can overcome Katrina. Our resilience is proof of the fact.
Forever New Orleans.
To help with the Katrina recovery:
Posted by Kara's Blog at 6/12/2009 6:43 PM 
Categories: Personal Growth,Philanthropy
Tags: New Orleans NOLA Rebuilding Philanthropy Katrina
Categories: Personal Growth,Philanthropy
Tags: New Orleans NOLA Rebuilding Philanthropy Katrina
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