A Fog of Desolation Over the City

          Among the lost souls of the city, are the victims of the hurricane that devastated the community. Hurricane Katrina is something everyone is aware of. There is no way around not knowing the devastation that this natural cause had endowed upon the city.Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, on the morning of August 29, 2005. The vast majority of the city’s population had already left the city, following Mayor Ray Nagin’s declaration of a mandatory evacuation as the hurricane approached. By the end of the first week of September, when those who had stayed behind were evacuated, the population of New Orleans was skeletal, comprised of perhaps a few thousand residents. Hurricane Katrina caused moderate wind damage but led to extensive flood damage when several levees were breached and floodwaters submerged 80% of the city (McCarthy et al. 2006). It took several weeks before the levees were repaired and the floodwaters were drained. Displaced residents were first allowed to return to the city at the end of September 2005. Initially, only residents of non-flooded areas were allowed back. As recovery efforts progressed, residents of the more heavily affected areas were allowed to return, although many found their homes severely damaged or destroyed by the floodwaters and rendered uninhabitable. It's more real when you see it in person. Hearing the encounters after the storm. The mess, devastation, and the rotten stench that bestowed upon the 9th ward. People were dead. Animals were dead. And others were hanging on, trying to survive. Food and water was scarce. Access to a clean water source was unheard of. Everything had been eliminated. Homes and businesses were in shambles along with the lives that inhabited these places. Even though the city was devastated, people still came together.

         It's amazing how many good people are actually out there willing to donate their time and money to get the town back up and functioning. Notwithstanding the devastation, many lost all personal belongings - homes, cars, lifetime possessions, heirlooms - and, most importantly, some lost family members and friends. Those displaced from homes, schools, offices, churches, social and professional networks, or culture suffered greatly; but it was the dedicated staff and citizens who worked together triumphantly to reestablish community. Chills envelope my body as I recap on the stories that were told about the horrific events during and following the disaster. Many people took rescue efforts into their own hands. Regardless of prior history between the friendships and non-friendships, people still pulled together. This integration of an eclectic group of individuals created a heroic response in the efforts to battle Katrina pre and post.

         Others involved themselves as well. FEMA, the Coast Guard, Military Personnel and medical professionals. Each had their own role to play in simmering the maddening that was developing in this part of the world. Without the first responders, whether professional or not, many would not be alive today.

         A story of man who wrote his wifes hotel, room number, hotel number, his full name, blood type and social security number on a pair of the jeans he was wearing. He thought he wouldn’t make it and wanted to make sure someone was able to identify him and notify his wife. As heart wrenching as that is to even imagine going through the pain of having to plan for your death, he was one of the fortunate ones that survived.

Videos of Hurricane Katrina: the aftermath

 Aftermath: Hurricane Katrina

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5KA7pclcxBA

Restoration, Culture, and How the City Speaks.

Restoration

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit land and devastated the central gulf coast, including the city of New Orleans. Around 80% of the city was flooded prior to the availability of levee repairs and emergency drainage pumps. The city’s residential areas, commercial buildings, and other infrastructures were contaminated with sediments that were deposited through the floodwaters. Microbial growth occurred due to the moisture, high humidity, and high temperatures in the area. Immediately after the hurricane hit, surveys were conducted to determine the environment of the city with a focus on microbial contamination in the air, dust, and materials of damaged buildings. It was found that levels of contaminants were generally elevated, often extremely. The levels of inside air had higher levels of contaminants than those in the surrounding atmosphere. Restoration of the city after the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still continuing today, 10 years later. Because restoration workers were at risk for different respiratory illnesses from exposure to airborne particles and microbial agents, an exposure assessment was performed. The assessment focused on restoration work including demolition, trash and debris management, landscape restoration, sewer and waterline repairs, and mold remediation. The most significant exposures were related to demolition work, with 17.6% of respirable dust exposures exceeding the permissible exposure limit according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. Exposure to the contaminants from the aftermath of the hurricane have been linked to cases of upper and lower respiratory issues including rhinitis, hayfever, toxic pneumonitis, ‘Katrina Cough,’ pneumonia, and exacerbation or initiation of asthma. After the first year of restoration of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, exposure to thoracic dust greatly decreased and then gradually decreased and stabilized through 2012. (Rando, Kwon, & Lefante, 2014).

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma left nearly 4.5 million people in need in 2005. Restoration of the city after the hurricane focused on providing people with basic needs, such as food, and shelter. Since the hurricane hit, residential areas have been rebuilt, schools have been reopened, and businesses have been rebuilt. However, there is still much more work to do. Millions of individuals, foundations, and corporations stepped up to help those in need. The American Red Cross received nearly $2.2 billion in monetary contributions. More than 87% of this money was spent during the initial phase of restoration and recovery response. That is $1.9 billion spent to provide shelter and food to the survivors of the hurricanes. Survivors of the hurricanes dispersed to almost every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than 1,400 emergency shelters were set up within 31 states and the District of Columbia. The American Red Cross states that more than 68 million hot meals and snacks were served to evacuees and responders. The Red Cross assisted 1.4 million families or about 4 million people with purchasing urgently needed items such as food, water, clothing, etc. Physical and mental health services were made available by the American Red Cross to aid in the care of the hurricane survivors. Trained mental health professionals were available at shelters and service centers to help individuals affected by the hurricanes cope with stress, loss, and trauma. Other health care professionals delivered emergency first aid and helped to obtain prescription medications that individuals lost through the hurricane. The American Red Cross also provided additional support by coordinating damage and community needs assessments and support of the disaster welfare inquiry system, which assists families to reconnect with each other. The American Red Cross did not only help those affected by the hurricane in the immediate period. They understood that people would need years of help in order to regain their normal lives and cope with the losses that they endured. The Red Cross provided long-term recovery programs to help the individuals. The Hurricane Recovery Program helped assist providers to develop a recovery plan and identify and make use of the resources within their community.  Although the hurricane presented many challenges for the Red Cross, they were able to use the challenges as a learning experience about recovery and preparedness for the future. The Red Cross has improved since Hurricane Katrina by increasing the number of trained individuals that will volunteer to disasters. The number has increased by nearly four times the amount of trained volunteers since 2005. The Red Cross established a warehouse system that provides residents of disaster shelters with blankets, cots, and other needed supplies. The Red Cross has improved the coordination with the government at the local, state, and federal levels. (American Red Cross, 2010).

Before the winds of the hurricane had subsided, local public works departments and state rural water associations had begun to determine the damages and locate specific areas of breaks and leaks. They also began to deliver necessary equipment such as generators and water tanks. As stated in a previous section, communication was difficult during the time immediately after the hurricane hit. However, an official from the public works borrowed a radio to call in urgent supply requests. Water technicians were so quick to respond to calls that they were often the first responders at the scene, bringing items such as bottled water and meals. Through all of the response efforts, water managers were able to restore water access for several communities within a matter of days. However, utility companies were not able to restore power in a lot of the same areas for over a week more. (Worboys & Applegarth, 2006).

Works Cited

American National Red Cross. “Bringing Help, Bringing Hope: The American Red Cross Response to

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.” (2010). Web. 10 Dec. 2015

Rando, Roy J., Cheol-Woong Kwon, and John J. Lefante. “Exposures to Thoracic Particulate Matter,

Endotoxin, and Glucan During Post-Hurricane Katrina Restoration Work, New Oleans 2005-

2012.” Journal of Occupational & Environmental Hygiene 11.1 (2014): 9-18 10p. CINAHL

Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015

Worboys, Ktherine J., and Claire Applegarth. “Recent Research From Lessons Learned Information

Sharing: The Importance of Partnerships in the Rural Water Response to Hurricane Katrina.

(Cover Story).” Journal of Environmental Health 69.2 (2006): 31-33. Academic Search Complete.

Web. 10 Dec. 2015

Culture

Hurricane Katrina caused a huge physical devastation to the Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans because of the distinct culture that includes Mardi Gras, jazz, jazz funeral traditions, parades, and local cuisine. As New Orleans is a city with one of the most significant African American residence, the city is a place that enjoys art and music that represents the American society. The cultural consequences of the hurricane come from the loss of half of the city’s population as they relocated and evacuated to safer areas. As culture is a way of life, it is thought that culture is among the major aspects that were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Homes were destroyed, businesses such as local restaurants with distinct cuisine were destroyed and shut down. The culture of the city includes the domestic architecture, public monuments, and community symbols. However, the folk culture of New Orleans is not based off of the texts, or images, or objects of the city, but rather the experiences of performances and traditions. With the physical devastation of the city, it was hard to maintain such traditions through the recovery period. The essence of the New Orleans culture will never be the same as it was before. (McKernan & Mulcahy, 2008).

Although the hurricane wiped out much of the city, including cultural aspects, the city has also gained when it comes to culture. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina adds history to the city including the community effort to restore the normal living situations and other historical aspects of New Orleans. It gives the city an opportunity to have a fresh start and rebuild on their culture based off of new landscape, businesses, housing, etc. There are several interventions and ideas that can be done in order to regain a sense of the culture of New Orleans. Tourism can become a fix for the city’s economy with the French Quarter, Garden District, and Uptown neighborhoods to bring in tourists and individuals who want to live in the areas. A simple matter of restoring the confidence of visiting the city in tourists can help build on the culture and economy of the city. (McKernan & Mulcahy, 2008). 

Works Cited

McKernan, Jerry, and Kevin V. Mulcahy. “Hurricane Katrina: A Cultural Chernobyl.” Journal of Arts

Management, Law & Society 38.3 (2008): 217-232. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Dec.

2015.

How the city speaks

The city of New Orleans is a very unique city with a lot of rich history, experiences, and cultural aspects. Hurricane Katrina was devastating when nearly 80% of the city was flooded, destroying homes, local businesses, restaurants, landscape, etc. The response of the city says a lot about the city and the importance of restoring the different aspects of the city to renew the unique culture and living of the city. As stated before, the American Red Cross, partnering organizations, and individual people all volunteered to assist in restoring the city in order to provide the citizens a way to regain their normal lives and eventually maintain and improve the culture of the city once again. The efforts to restore the city and the cultural influences within the city was significant by attempting to restore landmarks such as local restaurants that influence the culture, monuments, art, music, and experiences such as Mardi Gras, parades, etc. (American National Red Cross, 2010).

Works Cited

American National Red Cross. “Bringing Help, Bringing Hope: The American Red Cross Response to

Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.” (2010). Web. 10 Dec. 2015

Our Right to Survive

Prior to the disaster that struck in August 2005, New Orleans maintained a vast population of poor and African American. The city also ranked as one of the country’s highest uninsured rates and many relied on the Charity Hospital system for health care. Louisiana also had some of the poorest health statistics in the country, with high rates of infant mortality, heart disease, diabetes and aids. Flooding forced the evacuation of more than one million people along with the closure of many New Orleans area hospitals. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the entire cities health care system changed, leaving many residents without access to care for more than a year after.

With unstable living and financial situations, people were having difficulty meeting not only their basic needs before the storm, but connecting with assistance after the storm.

The damage of the storm resulted in more than 1,500 lives lost, 780,000 people displaced, 850 schools damaged, 200,000 homes destroyed, 18,700 businesses destroyed, and 220,000 jobs lost. The majority of the population that was affected negatively by the storm were African Americans with poor socio-economic status. Most had extremely low incomes, low educational levels, no bank accounts or available credit cards, and no transportation or savings to facilitate evacuation. Chronic health conditions were common among this population and without adequate health insurance, many relied on Charity Hospital for their health care. After the storm, people reported that they had been trapped in their homes, living on the streets or an overpass for an inhumane amount of time without food, fresh water, medication or medical care. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, displaced residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast (a predominantly African American population), had been subject to conditions that affected human survival by prolonging internal displacement more than two years after the hurricane.  The U.S. Government consistently denied residents their human right to housing through unjust policies and programs that created a housing crisis and an unruly amount of homeless people. The abusive treatment of hurricane evacuees by law enforcement and military personnel had been documented, yet no action had been taken by the Department of Justice to protect them.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other governmental authorities had failed to re-open public health care facilities. With lack of access to health care, the number of deaths continually increased. Arsenic contamination of sediment and debris disposal had become burdensome among the African American communities who had also been denied public health protection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The government’s failure to protect the rights of displaced people, who are predominantly African American violated the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (“CERD”) and is contrary to the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which specifically prohibits ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination.  This document recognizes the rights of individuals who remain in their country but are uprooted from their communities as a result of natural or man-made disaster, placing the responsibility to protect the health and well-being of these individuals on the national governments.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) provided temporary housing to displaced residents of the Gulf Coast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security whose primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency to implement FEMA and federal response recovery actions. In response to Hurricane Katrina, the governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency in order for federal response to begin. Housing provided to the people were in the form of trailers that exposed residents to high levels of formaldehyde contained in the cabinets and other furnishing. A Congressional hearing exposed the fact that FEMA knew of the formaldehyde exposures and attempted to suppress complaints by residents of serious health effects triggered by the toxic chemical.

African Americans who attempted to evacuate New Orleans were subjected to a pattern of incarceration without due process. No formal charges were given to these individuals and the opportunity to post bail or seek legal representation was taken from them.  Reports of inhumane conditions and abuse in the prisons were documented. The inmates also suffered extensive sentences long after their original sentence was completed. 

Against tremendous opposition from the U.S. Government, hurricane survivors are still struggling to return home and rebuild their communities.  The people of this community have the right to rebuild their lives and their communities as well as flourish among the vast population of survivors of the aftermath of Katrina. The government is responsible to protect these rights and assistance should be provided accordingly.









Ursula Thomas

http://www.fema.gov/hurricane-katrina

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/25/5/w393.full

http://www.ushrnetwork.org/resources-media/hurricane-katrina-racial-discrimination-ethnic-cleansing-united-states-aftermath 

First Responders

Coast Guard and other military units, volunteers, and state and local first responders delivered thousands from death by drowning, dehydration, heatstroke, fire, starvation, and disease. At the state level, the Louisiana National Guard’s 1-244th Aviation Battalion and 812th Med-Evac unit moved helicopters—ten Black Hawks and six Hueys—into New Orleans behind the storm.





                     


                   


                       


              


FEMA’s Michael Brown, Gov. Kathleen Blanco, and Mayor Nagin—had little if any role; in fact, because local communication was wiped out by the storm, they may not even have known about the scale and success of the rescue operation.

     


                      

Dolinar, L. (2005). Katrina: The Untold Story. National Review, 57(19), 35-39.

 

Marilyn, E. (n.d). Katrina weighs heavily on first responders. USA Today.

Preparation & Evacuation

The city of New Orleans has long been considered “a disaster waiting to happen.” For those who prepare for, respond to, and study such events, the level of death and destruction wrought by Katrina was not outside the realm of possibility. Although a complete evacuation of the city has been the cornerstone of hurricane preparedness planning for the region, the highway evacuation plan used for Katrina evolved over a period of many years based on valuable lessons learned from prior storms in Louisiana and elsewhere.

Fortunately for New Orleans, officials in Louisiana were able to evaluate and refine their evacuation plan based on two “practice runs.” In 1998, Hurricane Georges appeared to be heading directly for the city, leading to the first major evacuation in some 20 years. From that experience, it was apparent that making conventional use of available routes in the region was not an adequate strategy. As a result, the Louisiana State Police (LSP) developed a plan to implement two short segments of contraflow (LSP, 2000).

Six years later, Hurricane Ivan threatened another direct hit on the city, triggering an implementation of the new plan and the first-ever implementation of evacuation contraflow in Louisiana. Like Georges, Ivan tracked east prior to landfall and largely missed Louisiana. The evacuation that it precipitated, however, revealed numerous deficiencies in the plan that resulted in monumental congestion and delays on several key evacuation routes.
 
 After a period of considerable public criticism, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) and LSP formed a Louisiana Evacuation Task Force with input from consultants in industry and academia to identify where and how the congestion occurred and to develop and test ways to reduce it.

A major failure of the plans for evacuating the low-mobility population was the lack of communication. Evacuation plans can only be effective if people are aware of them, and evacuation orders can only be heeded if they are received in time. The of problem evacuating low-mobility populations will be one of the most important issues for all levels of government in future evacuation plans.  Although some seek safety inside the Dome, which was allotted as the refuge of last resort.