Hurricane Katrina: Reports from the region

Stepping up to the plate
From Rosalie Douglass, Carrollton, Tex.

Well, here it goes.

I was unemployed for 10 months. Then on Wednesday, I woke up, read the Dallas Morning News, and noticed an ad from the Small Business Administration that they were hiring 300 people in this city to gear up for the folks in Louisiana. I e-mailed my resume in at 7 a.m., got a call at 11 a.m., and was hired by 5 p.m. to become a loan officer for the SBA. I’m thrilled. I was finally wanted! Yes, I agreed to do 6-7 days a week for the temporary 90-day period, and from 12-14 hours a day. I start on 9/6.

Meanwhile, I watch what is happening in nearby Dallas (I live in a northern suburb called Carrollton). Tonight on the news, people were happy to receive so many Louisiana folks into Dallas, were volunteering outside Reunion Arena, and hoping "to make a difference." My church, Horizon UU Church, in Carrollton, has at least 10 families so far offering to take refugees from Katrina into their homes. One is our minister, Dennis Hamilton, who, with his wife, Mary Kay, have two bedrooms they’re willing to donate for the cause. Today, my husband and I dropped off canned goods and other food items at the Christian Community Action store. His employer, Citicorp, offered to match any contribution its employees made up to $1 million. We donated what we thought we could afford, and know that twice that is getting to American Red Cross. All in all, it has been an incredible three days for us.

My heart goes out to everyone I see on TV in New Orleans who is starving, burning in the sun on the tarmac, questioning why the government hasn’t reached them yet, wearing the same clothes they’ve had on since the storm hit, and carrying little babies who need formula and attention. I’m happy to hear some of them on the news tonight praising the Texans for making them feel so welcome and working so hard to make it a good environment for them. What is so amazing still is the news on NPR and in the paper that other countries are actually sending relief money and goods to the United States of America. I am in awe that this is happening. A commentator quoted a German who is actually expressing appreciation for what the U.S. has done for Germany over the years. France, also, is stepping up to the plate. The world is watching what we will do with the situation.

I've spent a good many of my years dealing with flood insurance and disasters. I heard the news that the levees in New Orleans could have been more completely reinforced had all the budgeted funds been allocated to them rather than to the war in Iraq. It reminds me that the city of Los Angeles, just a few years ago, shored up their levee walls along the Los Angeles River in order to prevent a disaster. Oh, had we taken that prudent measure in the Crescent City, where the jazz music makes you happy, where you don’t drink coffee without hearing music in the streets, where walking through the French Quarter any time of the year is a joy unlike any other. Now, we pay for our lack of foresight. Let’s hope this beautiful, southern city by the Gulf, along with all of its sister cities who have been struck, can make it back to a higher plain someday. Can we raise the “bowl” above sea level? I sure hope so.

"My sister-in-law in New Orleans is a hero!"
From Jennifer Highland, Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, Fla.

My sister-in-law, Charlene Mahoney, is one of New Orleans’s heroes amidst this horrible, unfathomable natural disaster. She has been on hurricane duty at Charity Hospital in downtown New Orleans since Sunday. Early yesterday morning, after days of unimaginable conditions within the hospital and paltry attempts at evacuations, she hailed a passing boat with a cameraman and reporter from CBS Evening News. Charlene asked them why the desperate situation at Charity Hospital had not been in the news and why so few attempts had been made to do anything. The cameraman told her they had been ordered NOT to film the hospital or anyone from it. She pleaded for help and began telling the cameraman what was happening inside -- and he lifted his videocam and began filming her, summoned the reporter to her side, all while a Charity Hospital official glared at her from the sidewalk. Charlene helped bring the story about Charity Hospital conditions to the forefront, and it’s been on the news, all channels, ever since.

For whatever reason, we’ve been able to call her every day. I can’t wait to hug her! Yesterday, for the first time we finally heard from my brother and their daughter, who are safe in Mandeville. I have two other cousins with homes in the city proper; both had evacuated safely. Probably none of my relatives there will have jobs for a long time, and possibly won’t have homes either.

Charlene's story was broadcast on the CBS Evening News last night. On air, she says, “This is the first time anyone has come to help us.” It’s a short clip of her, but I know she talked a lot longer to the reporter about conditions there.

Relieved (but still worried!),
Jennifer Highland

Reflections
From Alan Edwin Malone, North Shore Unitarian Universalist Society, Lacombe, La.

My wife, Marilyn, and I were in Chicago on business/pleasure when the Big One hit. We remained there for about a week, then flew in our Cessna airplane down to Lake Charles, La., where we are planning to live for a few months, at least, with a friend.

Throughout the whole deal, we did not miss one night of sleep in air-conditioned comfort, did not miss one hot meal, or anything we wanted to drink. To restore our sense of perspective, we made several visits to the museums in Chicago, and ate out at several excellent restaurants. Aside from the anxiety about our stuff (financial records, some family heirlooms, and one car), we suffered no significant damage.

We have been talking about moving away from New Orleans, although I have lived there since 1956 and Marilyn was born and raised there. It is truly our home, and we hate to give it up, but change is the essence of life. When we think back 10 years how different our lives were then, it’s just a matter of suddenness that makes these changes so shocking and makes us feel so emotional. We’ll get by just fine.

Watching the plight of many of our fellow New Orleanians makes us think about an uneventful, boring day. There’s something to be said for uneventful, boring days.

Watching the reactions of some of our fellow citizens, it looks to me as if there is a lot of anger and resentment which has been forced below some kind of surface in our society. The removal of law enforcement gave many people freedom to express their hostility through use of guns and other weapons, as especially seen in the Superdome.

I think about an entire class of people who have been denied opportunities in our society, and who are instead taken care of by various social organizations. I can well see how these people lead very insecure lives, and how they may be distressed to the point of panic when those services become unavailable. I think of people with minimal jobs, for example, who have been removed from their normal surroundings, who are without skills, jobs, and homes -- many of whom are responsible for young kids. It’s enough to make you want to take a pot shot at a helicopter!

Maybe we can take this model of social unrest as a wakeup call and try to do something about reforming our society so that more people are eligible for quality education, jobs, and the American dream.