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.
