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
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