Hello all,
When we think of days that will live in infamy, we often think of December 7, or September 11. We do not remember August 29, but should, as it too is a sad date for the United States – Hurricane Katrina.
Some of you know that I went with a group of Kaiser Permanente volunteers last week to help in the rebuilding efforts in Biloxi and New Orleans. Kaiser posted our work on their national website http://xnet.kp.org/communitybenefit/ under “Gulf Coast Volunteers”.
The impression that the 30 of us were left with inspires us to do one thing – let everyone know that the Gulf Coast is no where back to normal, and volunteers are still desperately needed 18 months later after Hurricane Katrina. This was not just about homes being destroyed –the infrastructure was destroyed as well. You may have not lost your home, but there was no guarantee that the business you worked for was still there. Many worked at the casinos along the Gulf Coast, which took the storm surge first. All were destroyed.
Some areas, like the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans look like the damage occurred last week. The neighborhoods are full of empty, rotting homes, devoid of the families who lived there who appeared to have left August 29, 2005 – never to return. Most all homes were marked with a painted X, noting when they were searched, by whom, and the number of bodies found in the house if any. The picture below was a taken February 1, 2007.
I am pictured here at the Katrina Memorial in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. I am not smiling, as there was nothing to smile about. The blue poles behind me represent how high the water got in that area.
Something else occurred – our faith in the young people of this country has been restored! There is nothing glamorous about these rebuilding efforts, yet every day young college aged folks show up to help. In many cases they came down for a week and ended up staying for months. The organization we worked with, Hands On Gulf Coast www.handsongulfcoast.org and Hands On New Orleans www.handsonneworleans.org is affiliated with www.handsonbayarea.org . Most all of the volunteers are unpaid, 20-something men and women, doing difficult jobs like gutting houses, removed mold, and rebuilding homes. We worked side by side with them. It was an awesome experience!
The trauma these folks suffered is unimaginable. I helped to drywall a home where the owner, Miss Ro, told me she felt good that her family was able to escape to the second floor of their home as the flood waters filled the first. She thought that they might not make it as she watched an huge oil tanker float ever closer to her home - 2 miles inland. Miss Ro’s home was also worked one by the cast and crew of the “Guiding Light” who was there the week before us. Rob Newman who plays Josh Lewis on the show was there with us, and the GL work on Miss Ro’s house will be featured on their February 14th Valentines Day special. The folks in the Gulf Coast are extremely appreciative, even cooking for us in the traditional Creole/Cajun styles.
I was told more than once “20-somethings ran Biloxi in the days after Katrina.” Although I did have the opportunity to meet New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, and Slidell Mayor Ben Morris, we did not see anyone from FEMA or the US Government. The young volunteers continue to do the work that is so desperately needed, so I share this with you to get the word out.
If you want to know more or hear more, please don’t hesitate to call or email.
Brad