Relief Work Experience
Elisabeth Iacono 
Kristina Parthum Amanda Krauss Katie Hayek Alex Carroll Amanda Kaufman
Annie Stadstad Eric Schwanke Erin Fern Morcomb Gerald Strauss Joe Doyen Kelli Pierskalla
LeeAnn Fleischfresser
Lorena Domke Matt Baus Patrick Manrique Rachel Christienson Rachel Harjes
Rondilienne Skordahl Tricia Veale Kayla Gaulke
Elisabeth Iacono
I had just moved back to Winona for my sophomore year on August 28, 2005. I was so excited to see all of my friends again and celebrate my birthday with them on August 30. Between these dates one of the most devastating hurricanes in the United States made its second landfall and it did so in Louisiana. I remember seeing it on the news and thinking, “Wow that is horrible.” The images that came at me from the television will always be engraved in my mind. It was sort of reminiscent of seeing the Trade Center fall. I will always remember where I was when it happened. I don’t think I quite understood how bad it was. I grasped that people didn’t have food and didn’t know where to go, but I didn’t grasp to what extent it was. The reporters can say that 24,000 people were evacuated to the Superdome and were now stuck there with no food or water, but I can’t make that number real in my head. I just know it is a lot. Everywhere I went I saw news of the devastation caused by Katrina. Clubs on campus were doing all they could to raise money to donate to the survivors of the storm. I felt guilty going about my daily activities. I remember coming back to my dorm after class and just thinking how stressed I was with homework and other things going on in my life, like that was all there was to life. It is so easy to distance yourself from disasters like this and pain that people are going through when you are so far away from it. It is easy to pity the victims and act like you want to help but then do nothing about it. It is easy to watch the six o’clock news and feel sad for them until seven o’clock when your favorite show airs a new episode and you forget everything you just saw.
I didn’t want to be like most of the population and turn my head or close my eyes and hope that when I open them again it will all be gone. I wanted to do something to help. Once I realized in the summer of 2006 that I didn’t have any money or means of getting down to New Orleans or Mississippi to help I got a job back home instead. It was still in the back of my mind that it would be nice to help. Once I learned about this class I leapt at the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to help out.
I was flipping through the channels after the hurricane hit and came across the telethon with Mike Meyers and Kanye West and I heard him make his statement about President Bush not caring about black people and my jaw just dropped. I couldn’t believe he said that. My first reaction was anger in defense of our president. I was disgusted with Kanye’s attitude toward Bush. I always think it is hypocritical to have celebrity telethons where they are telling everyone to donate and help out as much as they can when the celebrities are the rich ones that could easily donate millions of dollars to help the suffering. I was disgusted also because I am so sick of hearing about race being an issue in this country anymore. I am so tired of that being an excuse for bad things happening. I think that excuse needs to be retired forever. I realize that there are still some racist people out there, but I don’t think that it is the majority and I don’t think it is any more prevalent than people discriminating against women or even homosexuals. Besides that, white people do live in the areas that were hit hard, so if we say that the government wasn’t helping because blacks live there, then we would have to say that they weren’t helping because whites live there as well. It is just hard for me to think that the government would leave a huge number of people to suffer and not help them because they are black and if it is true than maybe it is just don’t want to admit it. Obviously no one will admit to the reasons behind the slow and unplanned response, so we will never know.
I still think it is sick how the government was slow to act, but it isn’t all President Bush’s fault. He wasn’t the one directly in charge of FEMA, so he couldn’t control exactly what was going on. He couldn’t exactly step on the toes of the people below him and coordinate what was to happen, because that wouldn’t be ethical. I realize that Mississippi didn’t have so many problems getting help as did New Orleans, and it is said that the reason is because the governor of Mississippi is republican; therefore Bush was more willing to help. This could be true, but who is to say that the opposite wouldn’t have been true if our president would have been democrat. Either way, the people needed help and they didn’t get it and politics played a huge role in it. I think that is the nature of politicians though, they think about themselves and how they appear first, and they think about the people second. Mayor Nagin wasn’t helping at first either, he was hiding in his hotel room, and he is black. So the excuse of the slow response being due to Bush being racist needs to go.
After spending a week in New Orleans my perspectives of the people and their attitudes changed completely. As much as I wanted to help them, I still never understood why they would rebuild and they chose to live in a place that was in harms way to begin with. I was completely ignorant to their reasons, and I thought they were illogical. A logical thing, for me, would be to not live in an area that is below sea level and is surrounded by water. Another logical thing, for me, would be to evacuate the area without any questions after learning how serious the storm could potentially be. It turns out I was being illogical. I talked with many of the people from New Orleans to learn about their experience with the storm and I learned why people stayed, and also why they will rebuild. They weren’t expecting the flooding due to the levees breaking. Many had stayed through storm after storm, and to them it was like a party.
The fact that they are so adamant about rebuilding shows a lot of strength. They could easily give up and move out and never look back. I think the people of New Orleans have a lot of spirit and courage. This wasn’t my view before our trip down there though. I couldn’t accept the fact that they had roots there and that it has always been their home. My family has moved around a lot so I don’t know what it feels like to really be connected to a certain place, and I tried to push my own views onto the people of New Orleans thinking that they should think like I do. That would never work because everyone has different experiences and I obviously was not raised like any of them. This experience made me realize that there is no way I could know how everyone thinks and before pass judgments I need to realize that people have different backgrounds and their own reasons for the things they do. This sounds like common sense and that it would be easy to do if you are a good person, but it is difficult to do.
I am typically a very emotional person and traveling to New Orleans definitely brought some of my emotions out. For events that don’t directly affect me I don’t usually show a lot of outward emotions. It wasn’t until Thursday of the week we were down there that it all finally hit me. We had started cleaning out the 4th and final house when we realized that the family had stayed through the storm and escaped through their attic and out the roof. There was a dead cat in the house, which was obviously their pet, and there were boxes of dishes and other glassware that were perfectly intact. I couldn’t hold back the pain that I had felt for the family and all the other families that we had helped. None of it seemed fair to me. It wasn’t fair that the levees broke. It wasn’t fair that some people had no way to get out. It wasn’t fair that the government didn’t help faster or have a better plan. It wasn’t fair that so many people were displaced and still aren’t back home where they should be. The drive home that day was the worst. My eyes kept welling with tears as we passed by the same destroyed neighborhoods that we had driven by everyday, but it was different that time. Everything just seemed so bleak to me, like there was no way that it could all get fixed up and back to normal but so many people were still trying. So many people still believe in their city and have faith that it will get back to normal. So many people are still trying and working hard and not giving up. It warmed my heart to know that in the most devastating of times there are still courageous people that will stand up to the test and succeed. I know New Orleans will get back to normal because the people that live there are strong.
The citizens of New Orleans are the most amazing group of people I have ever met. They are the friendliest and most welcoming group around I think. After hearing all of the news about rapes and whatnot and learning that the city is more dangerous now than it was right after the hurricane I was a little nervous to go down there. From the minute we got off the plane though we were greeted with open arms. Everyone that we talked to was so appreciative of us being there and helping them get their city cleaned up. Not one person that I talked to had a negative attitude about their desperate situation. I think they were able to be so positive because they knew they had support from their fellow countrymen. It is breathtaking to see how volunteer groups and individuals are so willing to offer time and money in desperate times like these, even when their government fails them. It is always amazing to see how the entire country can get together and help out people in need when the government lets the nation down. The government should be our role model. They promote humanity and helping thy neighbor but in times of distress they seem to break down and are unable to function. I think the government should take our lead. They should look at the college students and every other volunteer and see how we are able to coordinate a plan and help out.
I have learned so much about people through this class. I have learned how to try and put myself in others shoes before I voice my opinion and presume to know what I would do in certain dire circumstances. If I could do this all again I would and I wouldn’t change a thing, except for maybe keeping my mind open. I am going to make it my goal to tell my story to everyone I can and try to open up the minds of others who have a shallow way of thinking like I once did. I have grown to love New Orleans and I know that they can make it and I think they are going to come back stronger than before.
Kristina Parthum
This class has been amazing for me. There is no other way it can be described, just amazing. Many people would see such a comment to mean that the entire experience was without flaws which is in no way true. There were some very difficult times for me while I learned about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Still, “amazing” represents my entire experience because it has been both amazingly good and amazingly difficult. I would not say that anything was bad, but there have been trying times which have changed who I am.
I was a senior in high school when Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleans forever. I was in a French class that year and because French is often associated with New Orleans, we took donations from the students and sent them to the Red Cross to aid the victims. It was a nice gesture and because my family is from the Big Easy, both my parents and I contributed to these donations. But aside from this I did not pay much attention to the event after a few weeks. This was not because I did not care, but mainly because it did not have a large impact on my life. Although I do not remember much else from the time, I clearly remember thinking how wonderful it was that people all around the country were helping. It was good that they cared. My feelings about Katrina have changed a great deal in the past three and a half months, but I still believe that it was important and good that other’s care.
Until I took this class I had little real knowledge of Hurricane Katrina. I believed that it was such a terrible event just because it was big. I didn’t have knowledge of the flooding of the city, the government’s lack of response, or the problems with the wet lands. I had heard rumors that this was a predicted but I didn’t know anything more than that. That is not the same today. The film “Hurricane on the Bayou” taught me so much about the coastal wetlands and how important they are. I find it enraging to think that so many environmentalists have been studying the importance of these wetlands for years, likely creating reports on them, and nothing has been done by the government to help. Had the government been working to restore the damaged wetlands, Katrina would not have been nearly as devastating as she was. The inland would have had a buffer to tone down the storm. Unfortunately, it took the wrath of a category five hurricane to make people pay attention. The levee system had problems of its own which were known and could have been avoided. Studies like Hurricane Pam proved the levees could not withstand a large scale hurricane, but again no one did anything to improve them. Had the levees been upgraded to category five protection, it is very likely that Katrina would not have had the devastating effect it did. Once again, I find it inconceivable that this information was commonly known among those in charge, yet these things were pushed aside to be dealt with as tomorrow’s problems. The government’s response to Hurricane Katrina may be the thing most difficult for me to grasp. Since learning about Katrina, I have felt that the government response was abominable. All of the people involved have jobs one would assume require leadership; however, I still fail to see a single government leader who took that position. These are not just positions of leadership, but also power. I find it hard to believe that a person in President George W. Bush’s position could not get into the city of New Orleans with food, water, and rescue sooner than he did. The only leaders I saw were the residents of New Orleans who took it upon themselves to protect and save one another. I have wondered throughout this course how differently the government would have responded had the residents of New Orleans been different people.
The readings from the first half of this class taught me a lot about the dynamics of New Orleans. Dyson gave plenty of statistics showing how large the black population is and how large the poor population is. I have also learned about the government response in Mississippi and Florida. So I wonder what if the people of New Orleans were white, middle class, Republicans? Would the response to help have been so political? Or perhaps the city would have had more attention brought to it before Katrina, thereby suppressing the effect of the storm. The President was very quick to visit Mississippi and give money grants to their gulf region. Are the delays in New Orleans so petty as to be politically motivated? This would be such a lack of care for another; it is something I can barely conceive. If there is one thing I have learned from this class, it is that things are not always as they seem. I hope very much that this apparent lack of care for other humans is just not as it seems. Yet it begs the question, if the people of New Orleans were neglected because of their race and class, who else is America failing recognize?
Had Hurricane Katrina not drawn international attention would this country still be putting the problems in New Orleans off for another day? Why is it that people have to die for a camera to be turned to a place in such obvious need? Perhaps had the media looked to a hurting city, more could have been done to prevent this. Don’t underestimate the power of the media.
The influence of media involvement is something our trip to New Orleans has given me first had experience with. As I said, when Hurricane Katrina first struck I was amazed at how much people cared. I understand now this had a lot to do with the media coverage. People saw the devastation on the nightly news and it forced Katrina into their lives. It made them want to help. This influence is no less prominent 18 months later, but the stories have changed therefore the responses have changed. I had read stories about New Orleans current state from many different newspapers. I was not the only one who read these stories. When friends and family heard about my plans to visit, they all told me all the different stories they had heard about New Orleans. Some people said the city was still standing in water, while others claimed there was violence all over and no one was safe, while still others suggested everything was pretty back to normal. I didn’t know what to be prepared for as we left for New Orleans. As it turns out, a lot of the things I had heard and read were wrong. Yes New Orleans is dangerous, but so is any other large city. No it’s not in standing water and no, everything is not normal. Tourism is the cities largest industry and each of these three reports damages it. Either people are too worried to go there, or they don’t understand the importance of their business as a tourist. The one constant I heard while in the city was to tell other people about New Orleans. They need to know what happened and the city needs them to visit. The people of New Orleans understand the significance of this statement, but because of the newspapers it is hard to get the message across to others. The best example I can give about the influence of the media is when looking at two different articles we read before going to New Orleans. These two articles talked about the response of one hospital during Hurricane Katrina. Both articles wrote about Memorial Hospital in New Orleans and while one makes the workers out like heroes, the other questions whether or not the staff was murdering its patients. This is just one very obvious time when the spin by the media created two entirely different stories. Incorrect media information is one thing that has made coming home so hard. People around me think they have reliable information so they try to talk to about my experience. Their misguided knowledge makes it very difficult for me to talk about New Orleans with them. Even people with little to no knowledge about Katrina are difficult to talk to because there is so much to be said about the city and the hurricane. That is what I feel has been the hardest for me since returning, explaining everything.
My experience in New Orleans was one that has changed me forever. It taught me about the rewards I got by helping people I don’t even know, and the strong bonds I can share with near strangers. I hardly knew anyone before I left for spring break, but now I share something with each person that went. It connects us in a way that few people can even understand. These people saw what I saw did what I did, and we can share how we feel about it and really know the others understand. With other people, people who haven’t learned about Hurricane Katrina and who didn’t see New Orleans after, I feel caught. I understand how important it is for them to hear about New Orleans’ story, but I know they will never really understand so it feels like a waste of time. When I went home for Easter, my mother kept asking me to tell different family members about my trip and it became exhausting. I would show them pictures, and while they would be shocked, they didn’t really understand. They couldn’t. I would try to explain how I felt with each picture, but they never seemed to fully grasp it. Eventually I would loose motivation and end up just scrolling through them. As odd as it may sound, I feel drained while just writing this paper. Recalling all of my emotions is almost as tiring as the experience itself. And trying to explain that to a person with no background knowledge of the situation and who hasn’t been there yet is almost impossible.
This paper is scattered. It jumps from topic to topic and there is not a lot of rhyme or reason to it. Yet this is exactly how I feel about New Orleans. I have learned so much in such a short period of time that I am still just sorting it all out. I am scattered. As I said before, if there is one thing I have learned from this class, it is that things are not always as they seem. Each new article, interview, fact or statistic is just another piece to a very large puzzle. After all this time I still don’t know what the puzzle looks like, I just know how each new piece changes the old ones. This is something I can take with me. I have heard it for years, but this is the strongest it has ever hit me. Things are not what they seem to be. Don’t believe everything you hear, or even see, and know that things are complicated. There is always another piece to the puzzle.
Amanda Krauss
Starting this class, I really had no idea what I was getting into. I had signed up for the class because Tricia wanted me to do it with her. I had read about it in another class and thought that it would be a purposeful way to spend my Spring Break. I didn’t have any friends or family involved with the hurricane disaster so I just knew the basics of what had happened. It hadn’t been in the news lately so automatically I assumed that things had pretty much gotten back to normal. Little did I know it wasn’t even close to being back to normal, and that their view of “normal” had been drastically changed since the hurricane. I figured a lot of what we would be doing is minor things like pulling nails, and maybe moving some big items out of the house. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
The first couple weeks of class I was astonished by the amount of things I didn’t know. I didn’t realize the racial issues until after going to this class. After learning about the racial issues I can’t believe I didn’t notice them before. Small things like wording in articles and the way they portrayed them in the media. Using the word “looters” for black people seems very degrading when you compare it to “scavengers” for white people. Another thing that I learned about was the actual amount of damage and flooding there was in the city. I knew the levees broke, but I didn’t realize it was in more than one place, and I didn’t know what effect it had on the flooding. I assumed there was always flooding whenever there was a hurricane, but I learned that it’s more strong winds and a lot of rain.
Some things that I’m glad I learned in this class that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise deal with the smaller issues that have a big impact on the families. For one thing, I didn’t realize that there were different types of insurance, and that flood insurance isn’t something that a lot of residents have. I had always thought that as long as you had insurance, it would cover anything, but clearly this wasn’t the issue. Many of the people who had insurance weren’t covered, and were therefore stuck trying to pay for repairs on their own. When I had learned that the mayor of the city had declared a city-wide evacuation, I figured that kind of warning was all that was needed, and that those who stayed did it at their own risk. What I soon learned was that many of the people who stayed didn’t have any way to get out of the city, either because they didn’t have cars, or couldn’t afford to leave. One thing that always frustrated me was the lack of planning that went into calling for the evacuation. I’ve gotten over being frustrated with all of the pre-Katrina issues because there isn’t anything that can be changed now. What we need to focus on now is fixing what is there, and getting those home who want to get back to their homes. New Orleans is doing a great job, but it’s not something they can do alone.
On the trip down to New Orleans I tried to imagine what it would look like. In class we saw pictures, and I figured I was prepared for what I would see. Prepared wasn’t the word I would use to describe it once I saw the devastation firsthand. I knew there were certain areas of New Orleans that got flooded worse than others, but even the places that only got a few feet were still a disaster. The lower 9th Ward seemed like a ghost town, and I never would have thought that after 18 months it would still look the way it did. The first day working at ACORN totally changed my perspective on what volunteers down there go through. In my journal I said that, “It was honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done both emotionally and physically” which I can’t seem to say enough. Even the first couple hours at the house changed my views on a lot of things. For some reason, I thought that all of the belongings would still be in their fixed places, and there wouldn’t be as much stuff as there was. Seeing all of the personal items made it clear that this was someone’s house, which is something most people seem to overlook.
Another thing that really impacted me was the face that our group worked so well together. It didn’t seem to matter what group of people we were friends with, who liked who, or if you had a grudge against someone. When it came to gutting the houses we were one group, we had one goal, and we worked as a team. I love knowing that people can gather together in times of need to help one another. Although there were plenty of issues surrounding what the government did (or didn’t do) the real hero’s in my opinion are the people who have dedicated their time to helping this amazing city rebuild.
Even though there has been a lot of work done by volunteer groups, I think that what keeps people coming back to help is that the citizens really show their appreciation, and make sure you know that what you’re doing isn’t going unnoticed. Something that I’ll always remember about New Orleans was the fact that the people were so thankful for what we were doing. Anywhere you went, as soon as someone knew you were in New Orleans to help with relief work they would thank you at least more than once. Many people would tell you their stories about their lives pre-Katrina, and then post-Katrina. One story that sticks out in my mind was one that we did for one of our interviews with a painter who has lived in New Orleans since the hurricane and has family in Baton Rouge. The reason his interview stuck out the most was because he had a lot of insight into what happened around the surrounding towns which was something we didn’t go into great detail about. In my interview paper I talked about how he noticed the same people driving around in their cars everyday because they didn’t have anywhere to go, so they just lived out of their cars. I can’t begin to imagine having everything I own in a car, and having nowhere to call home. As I stated in my Interview paper, “Between what we learned in the 7 weeks prior to New Orleans and what we learned when we were there has given me a totally new perspective on the lives of those in New Orleans. I’m glad I could take time out of our lives to experience the people, the culture, and even the devastation. All of this is something I will not forget, and will share with others. Sharing the stories from New Orleans will help inform more people on what really happened, and what they can do to help.” In my experience so far, this really is the best way to get my point across to people. I think that when people can put themselves in someone else’s shoes, they can better understand why the residents of New Orleans still need help.
Once I got back to Winona, I wanted to tell everyone about the trip. I wanted them to share the feelings that I had, and learn about my experiences, but it didn’t turn out that way. It was very frustrating trying to tell others about what I’d seen when they were just curious about the nightlife, and how the bars were. Even those who did want to hear about the volunteer work didn’t understand it the way I wanted them to. I guess it’s something that you really have to experience firsthand. Although I was disappointed that I couldn’t figure out a way to really get my point across, many of my friends wanted to know if they were doing this class again next year and when I told them that it probably would be, they said they would definitely be interested in taking the class.
Although much of the trip was fun and games, there were times that it was a lot to take in at a time. As much of our group would agree, the fourth house was the most emotional for us. Going into the house there was just something different about it. I talked about it a lot in my journal, mentioning that I had a really hard time going into the house after seeing the chair, and knowing they were stuck up in their attic. I think that experience was one that we needed to have because I realized that we need to appreciate what we have, and not take it for granted. After going in that house I had to call my family and friends to tell them how much they meant to me and how being down in New Orleans had changed my thoughts on what was really important.
As my views have changed, I believe that I’ve matured a little bit from a kid who hasn’t experienced a disaster firsthand, to an adult that finally realizes things in a bigger perspective. So many people worry about the little things like who’s dating someone’s ex-boyfriend, or who has the coolest Coach purse. I’ll admit I was one of those people, but after going down to New Orleans and seeing things that are really worth worrying about I want to try and get others to realize the small things aren’t worth it. I know if everyone took just a week out of their lives and dedicated their time to something, maybe the Katrina relief effort or something else that is trying to better society, we could really make a difference.
Katie Hayek
There are some experiences in a person’s life that changes them forever. The New Orleans service learning course was one of those experiences in my life. I spent weeks studying the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After that I went down to New Orleans for 8 days and participated in disaster relief work and learned about the culture of New Orleans. Then I returned home and began to tell their story, and my story.
In this class, we spent a large portion of the semester reading articles and books on Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. This gave me an understanding of the events that occurred. I knew very little about the events surrounding the hurricane prior to this experience. I came into this class with the knowledge that people suffered greatly after the hurricane, that many were displaced, and that the government didn’t respond adequately. I couldn’t even try to write everything I have learned into one paper.
Through my studying of Hurricane Katrina, I learned about myself. This class was the first time that I took notice of the fact that I am beginning to think like a social worker. This actually happened during the first class of the semester. We were discussing in groups, and I started talking about the readings through the eyes of the victims. I have been trained in my classes to look at things through the perspective of the client, and that is what I tried to do when I was doing the readings for this class. When we were discussing in groups, I was looking at things very differently. That’s when I realized it was because of my social work perspective. This was the first time I was aware that I took a social work perspective on things. It was very cool.
One of the areas we spent time learning about was the government response to the hurricane. This fascinated me. I honestly had no idea just how much this played into the events surrounding the hurricane. Going into this class, all I knew about the government response was that FEMA wasn’t doing its job. I formed this opinion from things I heard on the news and read in newspaper articles. Now my understanding is quite different. I think the government failed at all levels. Local governments failed to successfully use all resources available to evacuate the citizens of New Orleans. The state government did not react to the storm and activate its resources as quick as it could have. Finally, the federal government’s response to requests for aid was slow. Also, between these levels of government, poor communication magnified the slow response. Actually, I couldn’t believe how poor the communication was between the levels and within levels of government. This all leads to the question of why this happened. And to discuss why this happened, I first need to discuss the people of New Orleans.
Another area we focused on in this class was the people. We did readings on the race of the people affected by the hurricane. New Orleans was struggling with race and class issues long before Hurricane Katrina. The storm just brought these ideas into the light. In class, we focused on how the media portrays people of different races. I always thing of the picture of the black man with items from a store labeled as a looter, and the picture of the white man with items from a store labeled as gathering supplies. It was things like this that really shed light into the problem of the subtle racism that was going on. We learned that many of the people who stayed during the storm were African Americans. We also learned that many of these people were in the lower class because they did not have the means to evacuate. Evacuation costs money, and if you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have choices. Not everyone who stayed was lower class. Many people choose to ride out the storm. The gulf coast has hurricanes often, but the rarely cause flooding, and they rarely cause destruction such as this.
In my opinion, the government failed due to the effects of subtle racism. No doubt about it, we live in a society that breeds racism. This in turn has an effect on our government. I think that the reason that our government got caught up in all of this bureaucracy is because the population at hand was mainly African Americans. More than that, many of the people still in New Orleans after the storm were lower class citizens who stayed because they did not have the means to evacuate. I believe played into why the government got caught up in the bureaucracy surrounding Hurricane Katrina. These weren’t the most valued citizens in our country, so the government could get caught up in the decision making process. I will never know for sure what would have happened, but I firmly believe that if the people left behind in the hurricane were rich white citizens, they would have been rescued much faster.
You can read all you want about an event, but going down to New Orleans and really seeing the destruction was something else. I wasn’t prepared. I don’t know that you can be prepared. Our first morning in New Orleans, we drove through the 9th ward. I felt like I was in a ghost town. I don’t know how to adequately describe the experience; it was sad. I found myself constantly watching the water lines as we drove through the city. Some areas were hit worse than others. A lot of the areas that had the worst damages were lower class than the areas damaged less. This to me showed a class issue in New Orleans. It showed an environmental racism. Those individuals with less money were limited to the options of where they could live. Their choices were areas that were at a higher risk of flooding, although many of these people may not have been aware of this risk.
Gutting homes was an experience I will never forget. I never could forget even if I wanted to. Seeing the insides of these homes just affects you. I realized that they were homes, not just houses. People lived their lives in these homes, and we were cleaning up the pieces. This idea really hit me during the second house. When we were cleaning out the possessions from this house, I found many things in the bedroom that could have been mine. I found an English textbook that I had used my first year at Winona State. It was even the same edition. I found bath and body works products that I had as well. I also found a Gloria Estefan CD I used to listen to with my mom when we cleaned our house. It gave me the feeling that this could have been me and my family. These were real people, and these were their real possessions. That is why I can never forget this experience.
The fourth home we gutted was by far the most emotional. We learned that the people had stayed during the storm, and their cat had died in this house. This home felt the most like it had been frozen in time. Even the calendar from August 2005 was stuck to the wall. Most everything else had fallen down, but that calendar stuck, it was eerie. Some members of the class got caught up in trying to preserve these people’s possessions. This made me extremely uncomfortable. Again, using my social work perspective, I walked into this situation with a goal. These people had asked us to gut their house, and that was what I was prepared to do. They had not asked us to salvage their possessions. It was not my place to decide if that was what was necessary. I do not know how these people feel about their stuff. Maybe they would want it, or maybe seeing their things from their past life may bring back memories they do not want to relive. I do not know, I cannot know. So I wanted to do only what I was asked. That is what we finally decided to do as a class. I think it was really good that we decided to talk about the situation as a group. It was a hard situation on everyone. But at the end of a long week, I felt like this house brought closure to our group. We accomplished something good; something to be proud of.
I left New Orleans with a message from its people: Tell our story. I heard this over and over again. We cannot forget New Orleans and what has happened. The city is still broken, but we can fix it. Their city and culture must not be lost! I have turned many other class projects into projects on New Orleans. I have told my friends and family about my experiences. I even gave a presentation to one of my classes on the housing situation in New Orleans while we were studying housing just because I wanted them to know. People have questions, and I want to answer them, or at least get them thinking about the answers.
Hurricane Katrina brought many questions to light. How could this kind of suffering happen in the United States? I think this disaster opened people’s eyes. It was a natural disaster amplified by inadequate responses and inadequate protection to the people. It could happen to any of us. I think a major question now is where do we go from here in New Orleans? People want to know if we should rebuild, and where should we rebuild. This is a hard question for me to answer. Yes, I think New Orleans should be rebuilt. What I am struggling with is decided whether some areas may not be safe enough to rebuild in. On the other hand, can we tell people that they cannot move back to certain areas? I don’t have the answer to these questions. The important thing is that I am thinking about these issues, and talking about them. Nothing will be answered unless we think about it, so I think it’s the perfect place to begin. Another major question raised by Hurricane Katrina is that of race and class. Did race and class play a role in the response to the hurricane? I have already answered this, and yes, I think race and class both played an important role in the response.
There are so many questions this storm has raised. The important thing that I have learned is that having the answers isn’t the most important thing. What’s important is educating yourself on the issues. This trip has given me a greater understanding of Hurricane Katrina and the people of New Orleans. I am leaving New Orleans a better person. I have learned that I am capable of making a change in the lives of others, no matter how small. I have helped these people not only by gutting their homes, but by telling their stories, and I am happy to do it!
Alex Carroll
Going into this class, New Orleans and the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Insights and Implications, I saw the world in what I now know was 2 dimensions. As much as a person wants to they can think that they are really looking at society in a 3-dimensional view. Not until they take every aspect into account can they see the truly complex relationships that connect every facet of life. I have never been truly speechless on a topic before I began to study New Orleans, nor have I ever been so intrigued. Never have I been forced to shake the foundations of my societal beliefs as in this last semester. I always thought of myself being a very fair person and not thinking that I had any prejudices. I now understand more than I think I ever wanted to know.
Imagine a tree. Most people only look at society like they would look at a tree. They think to themselves something like this: “Oh look a pretty tree.” Or “Oh look, that tree is almost dying”. I have learned to look at the tree in a different way. I can now look at the tree, but also see the root system that lies beneath it, feeding the tree and giving it life. Without the roots, the tree would not be able to survive; so how can we look at society without looking at the connecting issues that make this civilization we live in so complex? To learn to connect the dots is a very powerful skill.
One of the most frustrating things about this entire class was trying to tell people why things are still messed up and why these people still need help. I think it was almost as frustrating as knowing all of the problems that the residents of New Orleans and surrounding areas face, and how they are in dire need of help. Trying to explain the complexity of the Hurricane, the aftermath, the corrupt government of New Orleans and Louisiana, and everything that goes with it to someone is damn near, if not impossible. Without talking about the education system, the police, the politics, the levees, Road Home, FEMA, the NOLA Home Boys, etc, etc, etc, people will continue to not be able to get a grasp on the dreadful situation that these people face.
My first Learning Log entries were very static in my beliefs. I did not know what Dyson was all about, and I shut my mind to all of his ideas. I still to this day maintain that it is not a race issue anymore, but has been transformed into a class issue, which, yes, has its roots in racism, but that was in the past and we need to now deal with the present. I slowly realized that I had prejudices against underprivileged people. This really surprised me because I had always seen myself as a very liberal person and that I thought that I considered everyone to be equal. I have now corrected my thinking. I agree with Dyson on most issues now, but in a different way. Where he sees it as race, I see it as class.
I don’t think that people want to learn how to see society in this way. People need to continue to pretend that there is a safety net, and that residents of this country can’t at all be living in poverty. They don’t want to know that there are extremely corrupt governments in this nation. They especially don’t want to know that people are suffering in the “Land of the Free.” I am glad that I learned more of issues that this country faces as a whole. As shallow and meaningless as it seems, I feel that I have benefited from learning more problems that we have. My depth of knowledge can now increase because I can understand where more people are coming from when they speak of issues that people of their group – be it race, class, religious, gender, etc – face.
As a gay man living in a conservative area, I thought that I had things figured out. I thought that I knew what a prejudice was, and I thought that I knew more than I did. It led me to a false belief and I was hiding behind my own situation rather than looking at it from another person’s point of view. The world is way more complex than I ever wanted to know. As much as I subconsciously did not want to know how complex the world is, I am glad that I am no longer looking through rose tinted glasses. I know more about one subject, and with this knowledge I know that I can now learn much, much more about what I already know. I know that the world is never what it seems to be on the surface. There is always more to it. There is always a reason as to what is going on. It is never by chance.
Amanda Kaufman
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, flooding 80% of the city, killing almost 2,000 people, destroying over 200,000 homes, displacing over 1 million residents in Louisiana alone, and destroying over 200 square miles of coastal wetlands. This national disaster is still wreaking havoc in the rebuilding process of Gulf Coast communities, on local, state, and national levels. The aftermath brought to the forefront countless underlying issues—socially, economically, infrastructurally, ecologically, and politically, that proved to be vital, but had not previously received much attention. During the State of the Union Address this past January, President Bush failed to make any mention of Hurricane Katrina. Is the vitality of these issues raised in the aftermath of the hurricane being lost? Eighteen months after Katrina, New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities are still struggling to rebuild. From my experiences in New Orleans each year, combined with the extensive reading, I see that these issues, along with the rebuilding process, is of an extremely complex nature, and that even with all my knowledge on the subject, I couldn’t possibly understand it all. I believe the rebirth of New Orleans is inevitable; therefore it’s the way in which we go about doing it that is of importance. The complexity of rebuilding indicates that the underlying issues, made apparent by the hurricane, must each be addressed if progress is to be made. By ignoring these issues, we are just setting the Gulf Coast, not to mention other national assets, up for another tragedy.
I have always been a very active member in the community for as long as I can remember. Upon moving to Winona, it was harder to become so involved, due to a lack of networking with members of the community, awareness of community programs/needs, and acquaintances with peers having similar interests. When I first learned of this class in fall 2005, I didn’t know a great deal about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, but was excited to learn about these issues, get involved, and meet like-minded people. This class raised major issues in this nation, involving race, socioeconomic class, and poverty to such a degree that I never would have known, had I not taken this course and experienced New Orleans firsthand. It impacted me so much that I jumped at the chance to take this class again, and in doing so, I learned that these issues, not only involving the aftermath of Katrina, but also existing issues throughout the nation are very complex and under-recognized. I am taking with me from this course, a lasting bond to New Orleans, and I know I’ll return to help out this summer and in times to come, a better awareness of societal issues in this nation, a more activist role in these issues than I ever assumed before, and a few good friends with like-minded mindsets.
“It’s the exposure of these extremes, not their existence that gets our attention.” I believe this quote from Come Hell or High Water by Michael Dyson is very illustrative of the various aspects of this course. Immediate reactions to the state of the New Orleans area following the hurricane were of disbelief—how could this be happening in America? Many felt the extreme state New Orleans was facing at the time looked unrecognizable as a U.S. city and better paralleled that of a third world country. Previous events, steps taken by the government, intergovernmental relations, (or lack thereof), were all existing factors leading up to the state of the city after the hurricane, but not until Katrina did this become shocking.
Just as these popular reactions illustrated that the exposure of such extremes, not their existence is what gets the public’s attention, I feel this theme is apparent throughout our society on all levels, pertaining to any issue. I believe this was somewhat reflected in our group discussions during the semester, prior to traveling to Louisiana. In discussing welfare, government grants and aid, poverty, and discrimination, my group had an overwhelmingly shared viewpoint that these things either didn’t exist, or existed because these people chose to live that way. They believed those in poverty stay in poverty because they chose not to raise themselves up, when in actuality, it usually takes some supporting basis or a push to get out. Another frustration I felt in discussing these issues with the members of my group was that they did not believe social aid should be given to families wishing to rebuild and restart their lives in New Orleans, not only because they felt they could get out of poverty on their own, but also because they felt the only reason the culture thrived in the city was based in the fact that the population of New Orleans had so many living in poverty. Poverty arises from social choices and public policy decisions—not individual desires to sustain an impoverished lifestyle. These skewed viewpoints reflect the viewpoints of the majority in this nation—society’s ignorance pertaining to poverty and discrimination. The question I still ask, however is, is society ignorant to these truths because there is a lack of attention toward them, or are they apathetic, despite their awareness? I feel once an understanding and awareness of such issues is instilled, people are more empathetic and willing to help out. While in New Orleans this year, I ran into many more volunteers than I had the year before, who were all helping with the rebuilding process, of all ages, from various types of organizations, and from various ages throughout the United States. Similarly, as the semester progressed, especially after having returned from New Orleans, I noticed much of the class’s understanding and viewpoints become more open than they had been at the beginning of the course; I believe this is due to a deeper knowledge of the subject and issues at hand. I agree with Dyson, who feels the public detaches themselves by deflecting the benefits we receive to complain about the few breaks the poor receive. Furthermore, he states that, “…we remain blissfully ignorant,” to avoid hurting our own consciences, and that by classifying Hurricane Katrina as solely a ‘natural disaster’ and not a ‘human failure,’ the majority of the public is able to detach themselves from such situations. I believe an understanding and a broader availability of information on such issues to be a necessity because it is this lack of understanding in the general public that keeps us from addressing such issues.
Aside from the shock experienced by the rest of America in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in seeing New Orleans as resembling a third world country, shock was overwhelmingly apparent in those actually stuck in the city. The residents abandoned in the city were in disbelief that their government didn’t come to their aid in the way they would expect, as a citizen of the United States, and for the aid they did receive, were shocked by the length of time it took. A statement from Denise Moore, from the podcast, “People were paranoid that they were leaving them there to die.” They were told to go to the Convention Center and the Superdome; not only were the facilities inside terrible, there were false promises that buses, taking them out of the city, would be coming, causing them to repeatedly line up outside in the hot weather. Hospitals, which are generally thought of by most as a ‘safe haven,’ were in extreme disarray. Residents who wandered to these ‘safe havens’ found there to be no running water, no electricity, no communication, no power, and crowded facilities—something they didn’t expect. It’s baffling to me as to why the government neglected the hospitals by putting them low on their priority list. The fact that people were so surprised that the government was not helping them and that something as severe as what happened during the aftermath of Katrina could happen in this country, just proves there was an implicit trust in our government—this trust was that our people were a priority and would be safe from any danger that could be helped by the government. It disgusts me how there was this apparent trust, yet the government was not reciprocal. America is prided with having one of the ‘finest’ countries and governments in the world—these institutions are charged with the protection of their citizens, so they didn’t deserve to be abandoned by their government, yet that is how they felt. Eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleaneans continue to feel abandoned by the government, which itself has little to show for what they did to help with the greatest disaster in our nation. The fact that it is eighteen months after the hurricane and Ms. Gerry has had her house gutted for an entire year, just reflects the slow-moving process of getting reimbursed, if even reimbursed at all, which is a major issue and the biggest deciding factor as to who will come back and when they will come back; these demographics will ultimately decide what the city will become in the coming years.
While spending several weeks reading parts of the Times-Picayune, it was apparent that the affects of Hurricane Katrina are still making front page news on a daily basis. It was disheartening to continue to see documentaries, read books and articles, and hear New Orleaneans’ accounts that so much is still being neglected, and that so much has yet to be done. The inequality of governmental policies, ignoring problems disproportionately affecting the poor and black populations, have not improved; as a matter of fact, Bush has actually cut funding in a large number of social welfare programs. With the huge scrutiny placed on the government due to the events leading up to and following Katrina, it is unclear as to why such things haven’t changed. Furthermore, without failures of the government being made known to the public, as well as the incompetent roles many politicians and bureaucrats played and continue to play, what basis would the federal government have to begin to change, anyway?
From the perspective of having had this class last year, and already having the knowledge that Katrina was very biased when it came to race and class, the readings done this semester made it so much stronger. I felt the readings were much more in-depth and contribute enormously to my understanding of the social structure of not only New Orleans and the response to Katrina, but of our society as a whole. More over, having an entire year pass since I took this course last year, it is still appalling to see these divides still just as present as they were before, and the addressing of social issues within our government still a miniscule priority. While in New Orleans this past March, it was nice to visit neighborhoods we had seen the year before, with more activity, more FEMA trailers, and more gutted houses. However, this could also be taken the other way, for the fact that it is eighteen months after the hurricane, and New Orleans is still so far from a successful recovery.
Hurricane Katrina resulted in the rediscovery of race and class in America, and society’s attention was put on issues such as poverty and discrimination. However, as made apparent by a lack of mention of New Orleans’ recovery process by President Bush’s State of the Union Address earlier this year, attention on these issues and on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a whole has moved far away from the forefront. The wrongdoings of all three levels of government and their institutions, in the factors leading up to the disaster as well as its incompetent response are insurmountable. As stated by Dyson, “Justice allows us to live beyond crisis.” I feel it is the duty of Americans to, at the least, familiarize themselves with issues affecting their fellow citizens, rather than detaching themselves, and that they are to do anything they can to help. I have become very attached to New Orleans and during our trip last month, there were a few experiences I had that really affected me due to this attachment. I personally feel it is my duty to go down and help, for the fact that I am an American citizen, I am aware of these issues affecting my fellow Americans, and there is a current lack of attention and aide given to them by the government. If we want to “rise above the legacy of inequality,” as President Bush ironically stated as a goal after the hurricane, the public must be aware of social issues in this nation, which will in turn, likely disable them from detaching themselves, and the government must make response and aide to such issues a high priority.
Annie Stadstad
Since it’s founding, New Orleans has always found a way to survive. Hurricane Katrina incurred a wrath on New Orleans unrivaled for nearly half a century. The last time the city had been hit that by a storm of Katrina’s magnitude was in 1965, when Hurricane Betsy came ashore and released her furry. The citizens of New Orleans found a way through the destruction, and were able to find a way to rebuild and move on. Then Katrina came along, just as the horror of Betsy was beginning to fade in people’s memories. Now New Orleans residents are dealing with finding ways to recover and rebuild in a new day and age. They are dealing with a mix of issues including race, class, and economic statuses, while simultaneously deciding if parts of the city can be rebuilt, how long it will take, and whether it will ever be the same. Many of these are the same types of issues dealt with in every major storm that New Orleans experiences, but they are now being addressed in a new light for a new era.
Race and class are two of the major issues that New Orleans is dealing with in light of rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This isn’t a new issue for the city, but the destruction of the hurricane has brought both of them into the limelight and is forcing people to deal with them. There are many ways that these issues were brought to my attention both years I traveled down to New Orleans to help with hurricane relief work, but there was one conversation that brought them to my attention in a big way. It was with Jack Wittenbrink, a street artist while in New Orleans last year. I made a comment to him about how people always talk about “Minnesota nice” but that it’s nothing compared to “southern hospitality.” He responded with a chuckle and said that the statement is true as long as you have money, are white, and are attractive. Sadly, this is about as accurate a remark as one could make in reference to the racial issues that underscore cultural diversity in the Big Easy.
There have definitely been both class and race divides in New Orleans all along, but both these divides have become much more apparent to me due to my experiences over the last year. I began to fully appreciate some aspect of these racial divide this year, during a day trip to downtown New Orleans. We were walking back to our SUV’s from our trip to St. Louis Cemetery #1, and I decided I wanted a picture of the projects. While we were in the cemetery, they were in the back drop of a lot of the pictures we were taking and I really liked the look of the buildings. It never really crossed my mind that there might be people outside when I went to take the picture, let alone they would be offended by it. I really do know better then to do something like that, but for some reason my brain just wasn’t working that day. It ended up that there were two young black men standing on one of the front steps when I went to take the picture. I don’t think the shutter had even snapped yet and they were flicking me off and screaming swear words at me. It was a very startling and frightening experience. I hadn’t meant anything negative by my actions, and yet that’s not how they perceived it. To them, I’m sure I was just a little white tourist girl taking pictures of the projects so that I could take them home to show all my friends.
The men’s response to my actions shows how deep racism and classism runs in New Orleans society. These people have had such negative experiences over the years and feel so suppressed that they can’t help but think that I could have nothing but bad intentions towards them. It could be that they felt that although I was not directly involved in their situation, it was people like me who were keeping them at that place in the world and now allowing them to move up and achieve a better life. Regardless of what is really true and what true intentions were, when it comes down to it, the way things are perceived is all that really matters. My actions were taken as negative, and because of that, I was taught a very powerful lesson, and was shown how that segment of New Orleans’s society reacts when confronted with what appears to be racial and class issues.
Although the Katrina was indiscriminant when it came to her destruction – members of every race and socioeconomic class were affected – there were certain neighborhoods and areas of the city that faired better then others. The contrast between different neighborhoods was very apparent while we were living and working in New Orleans. Where we stayed in Lakeview, there were already a lot of people back and living in their houses, gutting and preparing to rebuild, and just a lot more human activity around in general. The neighborhood of the Ninth Ward, where we gutted our first house, was quite different. This part of town was a desolate wasteland, where there was really no human presence to speak of for miles. It was just a ghost town of a former time.
It is very clear that although many want to return to New Orleans to rebuild and start over, it is not an option for everyone. For many, the financial costs of starting over, post-Katrina exceeds their incomes. For people in traditionally poorer neighborhoods like the Ninth Ward, the only way of closing this gap is through federal aid. The longer they have to wait for this aid, the more their frustration builds and the more they loose hope of returning to their beloved city. Lakeview was one area of the city where, in general, families had a little more money to start with. It has been easier for them to return, begin picking up the pieces, and start the rebuilding process.
I believe New Orleans can be successfully rebuilt, but it’s going to be a very long and trying process. One of the main topics of discussion that has been met with controversy is whether or not certain areas of the city should be rebuilt, based on location and the area’s likeliness to flood again. This discussion has led to multiple responses. It is very easy for a city planner, for example, to say that a certain area shouldn’t be rebuilt because of how prown to flooding it is, but it is quite another thing when asking a member of a family who has lived in that same neighborhood for generations what should be done. Of course they are going to advocate their neighborhood be rebuilt, and given the same flood protection that the rest of the city has, and that is completely understandable. The question is where do you draw the line and say that rebuilding in an area just cannot happen?
As I compare my two trips to New Orleans, I have seen that there is activity going on in every neighborhood of New Orleans, as far as the clean-up and rebuilding processes go. There are some areas that are much farther along then others based on the amount of storm damage they received and the amount of financial resources the residents there have to work with. But there has still been activity in some of the poorest neighborhoods of New Orleans. Upon returning to some of them this year, it was good to see that especially in the Ninth Ward, many of the structurally unsound houses had been knocked down, and much of the large debris that had been left after the hurricane was gone. There was also evidence of groups like Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in these areas which meant that at least the first step of rebuilding – gutting – was in motion.
Ultimately, it is going to be organizations like ACORN that are going to give New Orleans it’s best shot at getting back to it’s original state because it is helping to put more people on a level playing field when it comes to rebuilding. ACORN is an organization that guts houses for low to moderate income level families. They utilize volunteer labor to get the gutting done. Gutting a house costs about $15,000, so by getting that process out of the way for free, that family has that much more money to put towards rebuilding. Although I am confident that New Orleans will rebuild, I believe the city will never again be quite the same community that it was pre-Katrina. Much of what made New Orleans so unique were the people, and now with many of them gone, things are quite different. Artists and musicians were members of some of the segments of the population who felt the worst of the wrath of the hurricane. For many, returning hasn’t been an option, but there are now programs like the musician’s village that are helping draw people back to the city. Projects like this will help in renewing the spirit of the city, but there is still some speculation as to how the city will ultimately bounce back.
This year, I had the opportunity to talk to some people about how they felt rebuild progress in the city was coming. One conversation that stands out in my mind was with a bouncer at Pat O’Brians. He (somewhat reluctantly) told me his Hurricane Katrina story. He lost everything in the storm and ended up completely relocating to another part of New Orleans with his family. It sounded like things were getting better for them, but he still (understandably) seemed so down about the situation. I told him about how I had been down a year ago, and how much better things looked, despite the fact that there was still much to be done. He seemed to agree a little, but also commented on how no matter what was done, New Orleans would never be the same. This feeling may stem in part from the loss in both material possessions and the emotional strain that he and his family felt in the wake of Katrina.
It may be true that New Orleans may never be the same again, but just the same, that may be one of the ways progress is made. Larry Francioni talked about how Katrina is a big deal in our lives, and may be a there to some extent in his granddaughter Ava’s life, but that the real horror of the storm wouldn’t make it much past her generation. Something similar may happen with this whole idea that New Orleans will never be the same. Some things will be lost as a result of Katrina, but the real core traditions of the city like Mardi Gras and the high society parades will live on. New Orleans will take on new traditions and flavors in the place of the ones that have been lost. So although the city will never be the same as it was pre-Katrina, it will make a comeback, and it may be better then ever! One major way my overall perspective on the rebirth of New Orleans has changed is in the overall feeling of optimism in the city. Last year when we went down, everyone seemed eager to get the rebuilding process into motion. Most people I met or talked to were very willing to share their hurricane story and to talk about their plans for the future. Every person I met very passionately informed me that they were staying in New Orleans for life, no matter the costs; it was their city and they would never leave it.
This year things were quite different. People weren’t nearly as eager to share their stories. Quite understandably, I think people were getting sick of telling the same sad hurricane story over and over again – they are to the point where they just want to forget and move on. This was somewhat disheartening because it is the residents of New Orleans stories of survival in spite of the hurricane that drive people from elsewhere to volunteer their time and money to the rebuilding process. This change was like seeing the city go from a bustling place of rebirth, to a tired state of existence. Despite these revelations I have not and will not be deterred from my future volunteer endeavors in the city – I have fallen in love, and am sure I will never fall out. The changes in the overall mood of New Orleans have, however, affected me. It makes me sad to think that in a way, life is being sucked out of the city through all this rebuilding turmoil, but at the same time, it leaves me wanted to help more and do all that I can. The citizens of New Orleans need help, and a lot of it, so I will give them all I can.
Through my involvement in hurricane relief in New Orleans over the last two years, I have had the privilege of seeing the city change over time. This has offered me a very different view of the recovery process that few others have been able to see. Although at this point in time, it seems that things are not getting better nearly quick enough, and that they may never, I have come to realize that rebuilding is a process. New Orleans may never be the same again, but out of the devastation, a new city may emerge that is just as good, if not better then the old one. Only time will tell.
Eric Schwanke
When I first heard of this opportunity to learn about and actually go to New Orleans and offer assistance I knew nothing. I subsequently saw “Hurricane On The Bayou” over winter break and got my first taste of what was in store for me. And after viewing “When the Levee’s Broke” I began to see how complex the issue at hand truly was. I was glad, in hindsight, to have had the opportunity to learn of the history, the people and the culture of New Orleans. Dr. Francioni said that we would all become part of New Orleans. This was true, I only underestimated just how much a part of me New Orleans would become.
I have found life to be far more interesting if an individual attempts to segregate ones’ own emotions so as to see an entire situation from a slightly different perspective. This has always been a slightly ‘more difficult’ methodology but it does leave me with the most in-depth life experiences, yet I have found that this is one way in which I can relate to the world around me. At times the service trip portion of the course definitely caused me to pause and re-evaluate if this was the best choice for me in that particular situation. However, it was precisely because of these situations that forced me to realize that there was truly no better way it could have occurred.
I feel that the occurrence of Katrina, and the resulting social disarray, very much parallels my own life. I am in no way trying to belittle the storm or the people that were jolted from their lives by it. This is merely one of the techniques I implored while studying the issues and offering my services.
It is very easy to simply say that the issue at hand is the restoration of the city because of its shipping importance with it being located on the mouth of the Mississippi in the gulf coast making it one of the world’s busiest ports. Or likewise, one can adopt the same view from the humanitarian perspective, because of the amount of human suffering and potential loss of culture. Both are true and both are equally important. This demonstrates the complexity of the issue using only two of the many factors affected by the flooding.
Often times the culture of a society is often held up to such scrutiny only after a traumatic event. Hurricane Katrina showed numerous deficiencies of the American society. One such issue brought to the forefront is that discrimination, or better yet prejudice. Prejudice is often extremely covert but as Katrina’s aftermath has shown it truly exists. The individuals less well off were disproportionately affected by this tragedy. Not only is this evident in the means individuals had to evacuate – in terms such as transportation out of the city, locations to evacuate to, and finally in means available to return to their homes. Don’t get me wrong, without prejudice the human species could not exist. However, this is not the prejudice I speak of. I am referring to the prejudice of the malicious variety. The curving characteristic of this line of thought brings me back to the term of discrimination, or malicious prejudice.
Such programs as The Road Home program and the New Plan for New Orleans are examples of attempts to offer assistance. However, these plans are lacking at best as they are intertwined with countless bureaucratically burdened decisions. Or even better put as poorly thought out ideas. Yet they are at the very least attempts, no matter the underlying intentions of their developers, to get the people back to their homes and to bring the city back to life. Ultimately, I feel, it will come down to the basics: human beings doing what human beings do best, helping other human beings out. I am hopeful that more people with follow the golden rule as they realize what goes around truly comes around.
It was through my actual volunteering that I came to realize what is truly important to me. And that is life, in all of its turmoil and fortune. Not just my own life but life in general. I have never actually taken the opportunity to put my beliefs into action, at least not on this magnitude of a scale. I have seen and lived through tragedy in my own life before and I would not have been capable of this accomplishment had it not been for the help of others. It was nice to begin to give what I have received. I had not expected the amount loss I personally would encounter. And yet through those very losses I have gained. In the end it was not me helping the people of New Orleans out, rather, through my interactions, it was the very people I was trying to assist that helped me grow and realize that this is a purpose of my life. The purpose I speak of is the capability and actual performance of offering my assistance to those in need.
This course and subsequent service trip showed me, in multiple ways, How unfair live is. It has also shown me that something can be done about this besides complaining. I Have gained confidence in my personal ability to “put my money where my mouth is” regarding issues that are much larger than the personal level. It was an opportunity to see myself as the true person I am and has forced me to accept things about myself that are positive. This is a drastic change from my previous view of myself. As I realized after only a few days in New Orleans, I have received for more than I have given. And now I need to set the reflection, at least on a conscious level, down.
When I was a college freshman at the University of Wisconsin – Madison I had lived a grand life up to that point. That’s not to say it wasn’t sought with peril. The way I look at, this is how the life of city of New Orleans pre-Katrina had existed. Then the “storm of my life” hit and I was tossed into a different shell. This is how I view New Orleans right after the hurricanes hit. It has definitely been a struggle, to say the least, for me to reacquire the components that make up my life. Yet, I have been given the chance to rebuild myself into something it could have never been before. This is where I feel the city of New Orleans currently is as it recovers, slightly changes in character, and moves on. The mere fact that the essence of New Orleans was not and can not be removed also is a fact my life shares with it. I continue to come back, all be it slightly different than before, as does New Orleans. From my sort time in the city I could easily see the ‘spirit’ of the city shinning through. This has given me greater hope that I to will proceed on this journey of life. This is the optimistic outlook I chose to hold for both myself and for the city of New Orleans. At times, one must live through the torrents of bad in order to reach a place of greater good.
Erin Fern Morcomb
August 29, 2005, a day that will live in infamy for the entire city of New Orleans, for in the early morning hours the nightmare that so many had been dodging for so long had finally become a reality, Hurricane Katrina was upon the city and years and years of inadequacy mixed with ill preparation had finally caught up with them. At this point there was seemingly no way out from the destruction that was about to occur. Ever since the city was born in 1718, the citizens of New Orleans and the government had been contributing to its downfall through acts that would maybe strengthen the area’s economy but in return would make it more vulnerable to attacks from Mother Nature. Miles of coastal wetlands were being dredged out for economical purposes, and canals were being dug through the bayous for ship travel. With every square foot of coastal wetland reducing a storm surge up to one foot, the drastic loss that was taking place around the coast of Louisiana was like a slow suicide to the cities immediately adjacent to it as they were becoming more and more exposed to the fury of the sea with every additional loss of this natural buffer as each year passed. Not only was the sea water in the Gulf of Mexico becoming a problem, but so was the Mississippi River herself. Over the years, man had attempted to tame the mighty Mississippi by placing waterways within its stream in order to direct water current in a particular direction. The result of such confinement was faster moving water which scoured out the bottom of the river, made it almost impossible to control and certainly complicated things should flooding conditions occur. Despite increasingly putting themselves at an obvious risk, they still failed to use proper protection in the form of levees against the consequences. When Katrina hit, the levees were merely designed for a level three Hurricane, and the city knew through simulated events such as Hurricane Pam, that these levees couldn’t hold up should a strong Category four or five hurricane like Katrina come upon them. Even worse, is the fact that New Orleans is quickly approaching its next hurricane season, and despite being warned by the forceful Katrina herself, the government has merely repaired the existing levees back to the level three status that they had begun with. Quite clearly, the city of New Orleans didn’t think that the big one could really be coming for them in 2005 and maybe don’t foresee one of such proportion returning any time soon as indicated by their level of preparation even after the big storm has finally showed her face. They are probably right that they won’t see one like Katrina for a while, but it’s better safe than sorry, that’s for sure.
But Katrina wasn’t merely just a physical issue. There had been problems with a corrupted government in the city for years as well where power had failed to trickle down, and many of the politicians were unfair. As a result, other parts of the city were adversely affected as well, namely the education system. The city of New Orleans has one of the highest drop-out rates in the nation, and their literacy rates are nothing to brag about either. For years people were being put into public inner city housing where blacks were concentrated into confined areas in the middle of the city that happened to be some of the lowest lying areas of all. This was accentuated by a phenomenon known as “white flight” that occurred with increasing suburbanization of the city; as the city of New Orleans continued to grow, the white population fled to the outskirts and suburbs of the city that were located on higher ground leaving the poorer and blacker populations behind in a community of their own. Racial lines were drawn, and over time, the city came to be dominated by blacks with the city containing a proportion of approximately 67% persons of African American ethnicity at the time that Katrina took her toll.
In light of the racial segregation in the city brought to the surface so well by Katrina, a few important questions about race, socioeconomic class and poverty can be brought to the forefront. In 1927, it was discovered that St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes may have had the levee protecting land in the 9th ward severed so that homes and lives beyond it could be taken away in order to spare the richer and whiter parts of the city. The result was a loss of substantially more homes belonging to black people rather than white people. Was this an act of racism? Was it a violation of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964? When we were in New Orleans, there were signs up every where asking for witnesses of the breach of the Industrial Canal to bring their stories forward for proof that something like this had been reenacted when Katrina hit. Could it be true that our government knows more about the flooding of the 9th Ward than we think? What was the big banging noise that sounded like a barge slamming into the canal? Could it be true that poor people both on the social and the economic scale have been dealt harshly with just so people with a “higher” lifestyle could be spared the pain? Similarly, why did the poorest and most poverty ridden places in the city have to be in such inopportune places, all snuggled together and just waiting for disaster? These problems had certainly been around for a while, and it’s too bad that it took a natural disaster like Katrina for people to finally realize them, or was the disaster really one of natural proportions? We may never come to a consensus.
Working in New Orleans both this year and last year has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am so grateful for non-profit organizations like ACORN and the work that they are doing to help people to get up and running once again, and while I wish that circumstances were not warranted for them to give us the opportunity to help repair New Orleans (I wish Katrina would have never reared her ugly face in the first place), the hurricane was a reality and I am grateful for having taken part in the relief efforts. This year was so much more emotional for me than last year when I worked in the school. Even though the children told us a lot about their own stories as to what they did and where they evacuated to during Katrina in addition to just how bad the storm was, nothing compares to getting your hands dirty and seeing things for yourself. Seeing ruined houses from the outside and taking pictures of them is nothing like gutting someone’s house. When you are part of cleaning someone’s house up for them, it’s almost like you know who they are without ever having to see their face. You can tell a lot about a person just by the things that they have in their house, and it was heartbreaking to find objects such as old picture albums, wedding rings, certificates of education and other major lifetime memories that were in complete ruins. Each house told a different story about the family that once lived in it and their own private connection to Katrina. It was very inspiring to know that we were helping to get someone back up on to their feet and running once again even if gutting their house was just one small step forward in the recovery process for them. Working together with a lot of other people, we were all able to make a difference in the lives of more than one family.
In sixth century B.C. ancient Greece, a young slave and story-teller by the name of Aesop wrote a collection of short stories called fables that related to morals that could be employed in everyday life. One of these fables entitled The Boy Bathing went something like the following: “A boy bathing in a river was in danger of being drowned. He called out to a passing traveler for help, but instead of holding out a helping hand, the man stood by unconcernedly, and scolded the boy for his imprudence. ‘Oh, sir!’ cried the youth, ‘pray help me now and scold me afterwards.’ Moral of the story: Counsel without help is useless.” In many ways, after reviewing many people’s reactions to the disaster in New Orleans, I believe that there is a large parallel to be made between this fictional story and the real life nightmare that was brought into existence on the Gulf Coast in late August 2005. Far too many people are pointing the finger at victims who are in desperate need while saying, “You should have known better than to build your home under sea level anyways,” or “You had warning that a big storm with the possibility of extensive flooding was coming, why didn’t you evacuate with all your belongings sooner?” when what those people really needed at the time was mercy instead of admonishment.
I had once heard a quote by Helen Keller that read: “We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.” Working in New Orleans this Spring Break and last really helped me to see the truth in this statement, and both experiences have really helped to change my perspectives on a lot of the controversial issues that have been brought up in class both in the 2006 session and during this last semester. If Hurricane Katrina brought anything to our nation, it was the skills for some to overcome the fear of death, strengthen their faith that the Lord would help them through, become more brave than they had ever imagined possible in the rescue of their neighbors and friends suffering the same plight as they or even worse and to exercise more patience that they had ever done before in their lifetime whether it was with the federal government through the organization of immediate relief or in the living arrangements of the FEMA trailers to come in the aftermath. Life may not always be beautiful at times, but there is always something good to come out of every bad situation; everything will always be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, rest assured that it is not the end yet. This is not the end for New Orleans. Both years after getting back from our trip, it seemed like my friends and family were genuinely interested in what our group had done down in the Gulf Coast, but every time that I would tell them about our experience, the same narrow-minded and rude statement would arise: “The people of New Orleans don’t need any help. They chose to build their lives somewhere that was destined to flood so we shouldn’t have any sympathy for them. Besides, they are all just a bunch of lazy people who should be cleaning up the mess themselves, and shouldn’t be asking everybody else to give them everything while they are nowhere to be found. If this would have happened around here, we would have had it cleaned up long before now.” I have heard these statements more than once and from different people since we arrived home, and they could not be any more small-minded or further from the truth. Perhaps a lot of us would think differently if we were put in their situation. These people have evacuated to other cities around the United States most likely because they have family living there with whom they may stay with for a while until they can get their lives back together. It may seem like these people should be helping the volunteers to gut out their houses instead of just expecting the non-profit workers to be doing it for them, a logical argument on the surface, but just put yourself in their shoes. The mess that was left behind in the wake of the storm was like having every piece of your life stripped away and spewed on the floor right before your eyes, gone, dead, never to return. Would you really want to have to help pick up your memories, clear them out of the way and throw them out on to the street to be taken away with no chance of returning? Furthermore, if you had fought for your life and braved Katrina while still stuck in your house, would you really want to be taken back to that traumatizing experience? By helping people to gut their houses out in New Orleans this week, we were not only helping them financially, but we were also helping them emotionally by taking care of something that desperately needed to be done and by helping them to move on with their lives in a positive direction while doing so. The people of New Orleans are not lazy, and we have no right to conclude that, for we have never gone through a tragedy such as Katrina that would give us rights for comparison. Similarly, we cannot weigh the recovery time of 9/11 or many other catastrophic events that have taken place on United States home soil throughout history against the tragedy of New Orleans either, because they simply did not have the scope that Katrina did. New Orleans wasn’t the only area hit, it was the whole Gulf Coast, and the reason it isn’t cleaned up yet is because of its large range. 9/11 was two buildings and the pentagon, Katrina was the entire bottom portion of our coastal nation. Similarly, attempting to scold the citizens of New Orleans for living in a flood-prone zone after the hurricane had already done its damage and while many were left without food or anything to their name is the wrong thing to do. As Aesop said, “Counsel without help is useless,” and it is so fitting to this situation. It doesn’t matter who is right or who is wrong. There are people in America who need help urgently, and I wish that more people would recognize that and take action instead of preaching about the logistics of the issue. It’s always easy to pick things out about other people, but in all reality we all have our own faults and there are bad things about every place in the world. I am not saying that it was necessarily a wise thing to choose to build a city that was under sea level back in 1718, but in the same way, was it wise to build San Francisco on an earthquake-bound tectonic plate or Honolulu, Hawaii on a volcanic island? Disasters can happen any where in the world, not just in New Orleans, and when disasters do hit, we all hope that people will have the heart to help us out instead of reminding us about every little mistake that we have made in the past before they finally get around to doing so.
One of the things that has been the most unresolved for me over the entire span of this course and last year’s course as well was whether or not it was principled and moral to conduct tour buses in the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Would it be fair to put people’s plight in the public’s eye for scrutiny and for shame? In an emotional sense, if it was your stuff would you really want other people coming around and examining it? Yet on the other hand, if you feel that the effects of Katrina were mostly due to governmental inadequacy, maybe tours through the destruction might actually motivate people to want to do something about the current political situation in our country or to help spread the word about just how bad the region really is. Maybe then people would be more motivated to make a real change in the world and to even come down and help out. There are two sides to the issue, and I can really see where both of them are coming from which is why my feelings about the whole thing have been so ambivalent. However, by visiting the Common Ground site in the 9th Ward this year and seeing the sign that read: “TOURIST, Shame on YOU, Driving by without stopping, Paying to see MY PAIN. 1,600 DIED HERE,” my perspective was finally clear. It’s fine if you want to go down and see what the city looks like in the wake of the storm, but don’t do it just as a tourist or to point out the many flaws and shortcomings of people building in a city that’s below sea level. Go down and see the destruction for yourself firsthand, but do much more than that. Go back home and tell your friends and family how bad it was on the Gulf and confirm that the disaster is really as colossal as what they’ve heard, but before you do that make sure you volunteer some time there. Go down and help someone out who really needs it. See their pain, but also feel their pain and help them to put their lives back in order. If everyone in America took just a week off of his or her busy schedule and spent the same amount of time in New Orleans doing what we did, just for one week, the place could be nearly cleaned up by now.
August 29, 2005. It was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of New Orleans, Louisiana, and it may have started out tumultuous, but it is certainly not over yet. Certainly we have all heard that what doesn’t kill us can only make us stronger, and with the afflicted Gulf Coast, that couldn’t be anymore true. New Orleans isn’t dead; it may have hit a bump in the road and skidded a bit, but it never hit a road block, it merely took a detour. The city, state, and federal governments as well as the people of New Orleans might have to do a few things differently in the future such as restructuring education, increasing residential racial mixing, curbing crime, restoring the coastal wetlands and providing greater security via the levee system in order to ensure a revival of New Orleans past what it had originally been, but they will get there, and they are already headed down the right road. We all have dreams and we have nightmares, but we can conquer our nightmares through our dreams. Long live New Orleans!
Gerald Strauss
Last semester I was introduced to a different kind of class -- a servicing learning class. Being a Computer Science major I was intrigued by this course because it offered something different -- sitting in a class and getting lectured about concepts in Computer Science -- interesting and fascinating as they are, can be boring at times. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, and the New Orleans class seemed to offer that challenge. I was not sure what to expect with the course, Dr. Francioni talked with me about it before registration, but I just didn’t seem get it. To me it seemed like a class were I would be able to express my political anger and hatred towards a national government that was becoming excellently unresponsive to domestic issues. When Spring semester ’07 turned the corner I was soon faced with a new challenge, if I was going to understand the complex social and economic issues of New Orleans I had to let loose of my preconceptions and political bias’, something I have never been good at. Throughout the course I have gone through many transformations of thought, I have opened my doors to new ideas and different thinking methods. After viewing Spike Lee’s “When the levees broke”, reading Dyson’s infamous book Come Hell or High Water, and excerpts from Brinkley’s Great Deluge, my conclusions have changed about the government response to Katrina as well as the national response from the public and media, the service trip to New Orleans also helped changed my perceptions on the city, and what needs to be done in order to solve these issues. Throughout the course my understanding about the events leading up to the hurricane have changed as well as the local, state, and national response, and the effects of socioeconomic and class divides. Our service trip to New Orleans helped my understanding of the current situation, and now I can better process that information.
The first six weeks of class were tough for me. I had to let go of my preconceptions and my bias’ so I could start learning about what actually happened. I had to let go of the media reports about Katrina and the aftermath. After watching “When the Levees broke” by Spike Lee, I really started thinking, I soon realized I had many questions that I didn’t have answers too, questions that wouldn’t be answered until we went to New Orleans. Before watching the video I really didn’t think there was anything left to be done in New Orleans, I really wasn’t sure why there was a course that was centered on New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. It would be sixteen months after the storm hit the Big Easy when the semester started; I quickly realized that sixteen months was not enough time to rebuild the city. Throughout the weekly readings, I was often surprised at what I was reading. Dyson gave a very passionate point-of-view of the events before and after Katrina. I often wondered if what he wrote was actually true of if he was just venting his anger and frustration through a novel. My biggest problem the first part of the semester was trying to understand the magnitude of the destruction of Katrina on New Orleans. Both Dyson and Brinkly, gave graphic descriptive images -- the events they wrote about; you only saw in movies; people left to die in the streets, the Government abandoning the people. As the first six weeks rolled by, my understanding of New Orleans and Katrina expanded. New Orleans wasn’t just a big bowl waiting to be filled again, she had a beating heart, and a soul that drew people by the thousands. I would learn that New Orleans was a city worth rebuilding and preserving for many years to come. There were many times throughout the first six weeks of class that I complained about the readings, often long they were, they turned out to be worth it in the end. My understanding of the history of New Orleans and the events preceding the hurricane expanded. Learning about the social and economic class divides were a great asset to accessing the response of the government. There was a quote from Dyson that I will not soon forget. He said, “It is the exposure of the extremes, not their existence, that stumps of national sense of decency.” One point that Dyson was trying to address was about poverty, and how as a country it is not an issue until we are exposed to it in high concentration like we were on the television screens following the aftermath of Katrina. The various readings throughout the first six weeks of the course helped identify my opposition to the government response to Hurricane Katrina.
Before the course, I knew the government response had been far from stellar, but it wasn’t until we discussed the readings in class, that I really understood what led to the poor response from the government. I didn’t realize there was so much politics involved in the process. I thought the response to hurricane Katrina would be just like any other response to a hurricane on Florida or the North Carolina’s, but I was wrong. Mayor Ray Nagin, Governor Blanco, and President George W. Bush, formed a heated trio, and their political differences made for a slow response. Mayor Nagin was hesitant to call for a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans because he was afraid that it would hurt the tourist industry that the Big Easy depends on so much, Governor Blanco often appeared distressed, and near breakdown on the television, and for President Bush he fought Governor Blanco for control on the Louisiana National Guard, he was unsuccessful in his plight. I think this issue alone created a not of tension between President Bush and Governor Blanco. There were many problems that occurred with the government response such as poor coordination, unprepared ness, and the inability to deal with shock. Katrina was shocking and somebody needed to take control of the situation. Michael Brown, director of FEMA, attempted to do so, but with his lack of experience in emergency response and a newly formed bureaucracy called the Department of Homeland Security put him in the middle of a hierarchy. The director of Homeland Security was no longer a step away from the President but a few. One thing I learned to accept from the class discussions about the government response was that Michael Brown wasn’t incompetent; he was just assigned to a position that he had no idea what to do with. The administration got lucky, because they were able to use Michael Brown’s lack of experience as a scapegoat to cover up their foul-ups. After learning about the history of New Orleans, the events preceding the Hurricane, the government response, the time had come to begin our service trip to New Orleans Louisiana for Spring Break.
Seeing New Orleans on television and reading about it in books just doesn’t do it justice. New Orleans is a beautiful and unique city. Walking trough the streets reminded me of my travels in Spain. I was happy that we had done so much preparation before embarking on our endeavor to the Big Easy, because it didn’t seem so foreign, it really felt like home from day one. Although we had a lot of fun in New Orleans we really went there to help people, which we did, but we would soon find out that the people of New Orleans helped us too. Monday morning brought a new experience to a lot of people especially me, we were all being briefed on how to protect our selves while gutting houses. I was extremely nervous, I had no idea what to expect, I found out that we were going back to the Lower Ninth Ward. After touring the area the day before, I was nervous. Once we started gutting the anxiety wore off, and I got to work. We had another group with us that day from Chicago, so the double shotgun house that we were assigned to went quick. It took a while to get a rhythm, but once we did, it was work, work, work. We gutted four houses during our stay in the Big Easy, I believe it was one of the proudest things that I have done in my lifetime. I was never encouraged to perform community service while I was growing up, (I think its because my family is a bunch of republicans.) but I sure am happy that I got the opportunity to do it now! We saved four families a lot of money and relief, so now they can begin the rebuilding process, and will not have the constant reminders of Katrina.
Even though I wasn’t directly affected by the wrath of Katrina, she has taught me a lot. I learned not to take things for granted because you never know when something might happen. I am also more aware of the social and economic class divides that are still an issue in this country. I hope that people will remember Katrina and what happens when we as a country forget about those who are less fortunate than us. I truly am proud of the work I did in New Orleans, and I am gracious for the opportunity that was given to me. I remember reading part of the book, Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans, and I can say after this trip and this course, I can honestly say that I do know what it means to miss New Orleans.
Joe Doyen
To me, the format of this paper is rather difficult trying to tie in everything that we have absorbed in the past months into this paper. The issues that were raised before, during, and after the hurricane take on many levels of thought, ranging from simple questions, to very deep and complex social problems. In this paper, I will try to point out the differences in the types of people New Orleans, and how their lives were affected by this storm; I will also use the storm as a lightning rod to help shed light on the issue most people do not want to talk about: race in America.
Before I took this course, I understood New Orleans more through what I saw on T/V during broadcasts of Saints games (and before last season, there was little need to bother watching). Nevertheless, the aerials that were shown usually showed the superdome in the middle of the busy downtown area. Bourbon Street was another popular shot for television. Granted, the Superdome and the French quarter are two of New Orleans’ best-known landmarks (although I hardly think of Bourbon Street representing all of the quarter). What I never saw, in any footage, short of a Master P rap video, was the lower ninth ward, Gentilly, or any of the other low income communities that blanket the surrounding area outside of the downtown area. These communities were some of the poorest areas in the country before the storm came, and it seemed like the government was in no real hurry to fix that.
Every city must have a poorer area of town; it is simple economics: desirable neighborhoods and land will fetch a better price than less desirable land. In New Orleans’ case, the Lakeview, downtown, and French Quarter regions of the city are in demand, while the ninth ward, Gentilly, and the eighth ward are considered unfavorable. Because of this flux in property values, over time poorer people tended to become more and more concentrated into these less desirable neighborhoods.
These Neighborhoods were less desirable for certain reasons: first, they may have been a difficult or inconvenient trip into the business district of downtown, so young professionals would pass them over. Second, the building style of the area is not to some people’s tastes, as most of the homes are single floor, shotgun style homes. Therefore, instead of moving into the Ninth ward, a family may opt for more square footage in the Lakeview area. Third, and most importantly, the land in relation to the river plays a huge role in where race and classes decide where to live. Prime positions relative to the river bring a premium in the housing market, and drive prices through the ceiling on the market. Because of this, more people that are affluent become concentrated on these choice lots. On the other hand, the poorest tended to have located below the flood plain, and sometimes literally in the shadow of the massive concrete levees which surround the outer communities, sheltering the towns from the very thing people paid extra for just upriver.
It is clear now why these low lying areas of the city carried the lowest price tag in town: they were generally the lowest paid, poorest educated, minority, and lived in undesirable parts of the city. This was the harsh reality for many of the people who lived in these areas. In addition, to me, the most shocking and frustrating part of this situation, is that nobody seemed to want to fix the problem or even care at all that the city was becoming overrun with decay. Everyone was quick to point the finger at race and class when the hurricane response was slow, but nobody wanted to point it out before the storm was even created.
Race and class in this country seem to go hand in hand. There is still a huge disparity in the distribution of income between minority and white populations, reaching as far back as history goes. Why is this? Are white people that much more successful than blacks at earning an income? If so, is it that whites are so much better at it, or that minorities, such as African Americans, are so much worse at it? Is it a genetic trait passed down over the years, written into our DNA that allows us to become successful? (or unsuccessful?). Clearly not. However, this issue is much deeper than a simple question. One reason for this is that blacks and minorities are not given the same opportunities as whites in some cases. Because of this, disparities in income and education distribution are created.
New Orleans is a perfect example of this, as the higher income families can afford to send their children to private schools, in an attempt to avoid the poor public education system that is plagued by poor budgets, underpaid and unmotivated teachers, and crime. One of the things that frustrates me most about this disaster is when people tell me, “Well they should have left when they were told the storm was coming”. This argument does not hold water, (for lack of better words) because the social ills of the city were created decades before Katrina flooded the city. People were forced to live in poor communities, working dead end jobs, and were unable to afford a decent education for the children. Because of this perpetuating cycle of poverty, many of the citizens-upwards of 60%, did not have access to a car, and relied on public transportation. Besides the financial cost of evacuating the city, something many of its citizens did not have anywhere to go, as their economic conditions forced families to live together, in many cases, three generations under the same roof. Therefore, the people who were “supposed” to evacuate had no car, no money, and no place to go. -But they were idiots for not leaving. Right.
I would like to shift away from the social problems of the city that led to the disaster, and look at the positives in the aftermath of the hurricane. One of the good things this storm created was it forced America to come face to face with the race and class problems in our country. Once again, the superdome was the main focal point of New Orleans; however, this time it was not because of Reggie Bush or Joe Horn, this time it was a massive crush of humanity sleeping in filth, starving, dehydrated, and drowning in sewage, all compliments of the government and Katrina.
The superdome has long been a symbol of the crescent city, and its place in New Orleans history is going to change from being the home of the sugar bowl, the super bowl every few years, and of course, the ‘aints. One of the biggest events of the year for me, in my senior year, was the first Monday Night Football game of the season. It marked the beginning of another season, another year of loving (and hating) the Vikings, and more importantly, it was the homecoming of the Saints. After Katrina, the Saints played essentially 16 road games, like a traveling circus, never having a home. The storm had created millions of dollars worth of damage to the superdome, the residents and fans had fled, and over 80% of the city was underwater. Fast forward to this past September, and a huge crowd was gathered in front of the Superdome, the media was insane, focusing on the positives of the event, rather than all of the tragedy that has happened to these people. The atmosphere surrounding a simple Saints vs. Falcons game made it feel like it was the Superbowl. I will never forget when the countdown ended, and a huge celebration took place. It looked like Marti gras, with the colorful streamers, fireworks, flamboyantly dressed people, and an over abundantly jubilant attitude. That energy continued all night, and the Saints, huge underdogs in the game, blew out the very talented Falcons. With that crowd, if the Falcons played them a hundred times, the Saints would have won every one of them. It was one of the best moments in sports for me, and it marked the turnaround of the city, a step towards normalcy (if New Orleans could ever be seen as “normal”).
When I got down there, I was taken aback by how little has seemingly been done, until you realize the extent of the devastation of the city. There was still driftwood in the ditches, rotting houses, and boats on the road, signs that showed that the water had just left. The city looked down, but it only took one look at the citizens of the city to realize that they were far from out. They were determined to come back, as if for no other reason but to spite the rest of the world. The determination of these people is amazing, and it just goes to show how resilient the human spirit can be. It is said that when King Arthur came back from the crusades, he said, “One man fighting for his home is as powerful as ten mercenaries trying to take it.” I thought about that as I saw what many of these citizens endured in their efforts to rebuild their city. In my opinion, these people will outwork most of the contractors hired to demolish damaged houses. Not only would they need to be taken off their property by gunpoint to abandon it, but also they would probably still fight you for their homes. To them, the home can never be destroyed, that is just wood and sheetrock. To them, the home is their beliefs, their spirit, their memories, and their families. No storm can wash that away, no politician can sign that away, and no bulldozer can bury them. They will rebuild their houses, but the people of New Orleans have never lost their homes.
Kelli Pierskalla
The United States has had many tragedies, with thousands of lives lost. From the attack on Pearl Harbor, to 9/11 and now Hurricane Katrina. Some argue that Katrina was “different” because it was not a planned attack, but instead from Mother Nature. Even though this is may be true, it does not mean that this disaster should be taken any less seriously or with the same care as previous disasters. There are still countless families feeling deserted by their government and still needing much assistance.
If the proper precautions had been taken, the Katrina death toll would be considerably smaller and if there had been stronger levees, the devastating flood waters would not have been an issue. The damage from Katrina in New Orleans would have been limited to mostly wind damage with some water damage. However, in areas such as the Mississippi Gulf coast, which was destroyed by the water surge. Also, if New Orleans had not been below sea level, the water from Lake Pontchartrain would not have filled so much of the city. Aside from the physical and geographical reasoning for the disaster, there were also other aspects that made a difference in the outcome of the hurricane. Much of the population in New Orleans was unfortunately living at or below the poverty level. Despite the fact that there was a mandatory evacuation given, many people had no way to get out of the city since that they did not own a car. In addition, hurricanes are not rare for that area and many people figured this particular hurricane would be like any other and decided to stick around and wait out the storm. No one imagined that the flood would be coming and the destruction that came along with it. It was expected that not everyone would be able to leave or simply choose not to leave, so there were ample amount of supplies at the Superdome and the convention center. However, the projected number of people needing assistance and the actual number of those who assembled were extremely different.
After Katrina hit there were many issues which became visible in America. The gap between those with money and those without money became much more noticeable. The fact so many families either did not have a vehicle or merely could not afford to leave simply showed everyone that things need to change and every American deserves to be taken care of, especially during times of disaster. I feel many people in this country do not worry enough about other citizens, instead they tend to focus on their own problems and their own lives, so when Katrina hit, it opened the eyes to the poverty situation existing in our country. Along with poverty, insurance became another topic of concern for those who lost their homes. Most of the residents did, in fact, have insurance, but it unfortunately only covered hurricane damage. Typically, this kind of coverage would cover this damage, but since it was the flooding that caused the damage, that is typically not considered hurricane damage, it would require flood insurance.
Race became another controversial issue after Katrina; a large majority of the New Orleans population was African American. Race was a highly publicized topic and many people blamed the slow government response to the fact the population of New Orleans was primarily black. Kanye West made a comment on live television stating that President Bush does not care about black people. There were many Americans who became frustrated with the poor response and were relieved when someone finally said something to address this issue. The assistance finally did come days after Katrina hit and after so many lives were lost, which could have been saved if the proper response had arrived.
During our time in New Orleans, we had the opportunity to see first hand some of the damage left after Katrina rolled through, even after 18 months. Before we left, I never imagined that there would still be so much work that would have to be done. Not only in the residential areas, but also in areas of stores and restaurants. On our trip we also had the chance to meet with some of the residents and got the opportunity to hear their stories. Although there were few which were apprehensive to talk about their Katrina stories, most people were thrilled to share with us what happened to them and what they have been through to get where they are today. During our time in New Orleans the main thing that kept running through my head was the idea of coming home and finding your home and all of your belongings destroyed. Most families had damage to their property and since those who did evacuate thought it would only be for a couple days, they left most of their possessions at home and therefore, lost most of it. Not only did these families lose their homes, but all of their pictures, items which were passed down from generation to generation, along with other belongings which cannot be replaced or able to place a value on it. I feel for the group, it was really important for us to find something as simple as pictures. This helped connect us to these houses and it was nice to be able to see the people we were helping, even if we were not able to meet them in person. Pictures are a treasure for almost everyone, so I hope that these photos help give hope to these homeowners and help give something back to them from this horrific tragedy.
One of the most surprising things I learned about after this trip was the overall response I received upon returning from our cleanup. I was shocked by the different reactions from the people I talked to. One of them, which were most shocking to me, was my pastor’s wife. She asked me if some of New Orleans was still under water. I could not believe that there are still individuals out there who believe that the city is still under water. I then explained to her that the water was pumped out soon after the hurricane hit and that New Orleans is functioning again and the cleanup is still in progress. On the other extreme, there were many individuals who could not believe that there were really areas that still needed so much work done. I then went on to explain how the Road Home money is not getting to these residents fast enough and many simply do not have the resources to gut and rebuild their homes. I blame the media and President Bush for the lack of publicity of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. Katrina touched land over eighteen months ago and yet, there are thousands of homes needing assistance and families needing help rebuilding. Many people were very upset during President Bush’s State of the Union address when he failed to mention the progress in New Orleans and the cleanup still needed.
There were also many different attitudes from those I shared my experience with. I was actually taken aback by some of the responses. The most shocking question was if I thought New Orleans was even worth rebuilding, due to the fact that the city is, in fact, below sea level. I realize that this does mean that the risk of flooding is more likely to happen again, but I am a firm believer that if New Orleans gets stronger levees, that this type of thing will not happen again. Beyond the physical aspect of the city, the people of New Orleans have determination, heart, and faith that their home will come back and their neighborhoods will in time return to normal. The citizens are hopeful and are clearly trying to get their lives back to normal, to the best of their abilities. It is impossible for everyone to come back, but hopefully in time these devastated neighborhoods will be able to return to some level of normalcy and pick up their lives.
There were also countless thankful responses by the residents of New Orleans. Hearing the thank you’s and the overall appreciation made the trip that much more meaningful. For me, the most memorable response was by a book store owner in the French Quarter. On our way back to Jackson Square, on Sunday March 11, we stopped at a book store and he was instantly able to tell we were not from the area, due to our accent. We then told him why we were there and what we had accomplished during the week. He then began thanking us and started telling us about all of the different groups he has seen come through his store to help with the cleanup. He told us about all of the religious groups that came from all over America and even the world along with all of the different college groups who are spending their breaks to help people of whom they have never met. The most touching thing he told us was when he expressed how much hope he has for the future of our country. He began speaking about how many people are discouraged and lack the faith in the youth of today and the future of our country. At this point, he began to get a little emotional and expressed how our group, along with the other various college groups, gives him hope in the future of our country. I did not catch this mans name, but he made one of the largest impressions on me of all the people I met while in Louisiana.
In the past three months, I learned more about New Orleans than I thought I would ever know. I had the opportunity to learn about the rich history and the many cultures that call New Orleans home. The greatest part was then having the opportunity to go and help out and be able to see first hand what the area offers to not only tourists, but residents as well. While there, I realized that New Orleans is more than just another city, it truly is home for thousands of people and contains a very unique culture unlike any other city in the United States and possibly even the world.
LeeAnn Fleischfresser
Over the past two years I have grown to love the city of New Orleans. The city is full of rich culture and diversity, which makes the city one of a kind. At this present time in New Orleans they are still suffering from a natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, that occurred eighteen months ago, which obliterated the city in a lot of areas. This destruction has left the city in a terrible state with approximately only half of the residents having returned. The hurricane exposed a lot of issues that the city of New Orleans has and made them visible to the rest of the nation.
The city of New Orleans is surrounded by water with Lake Pontchartrain to the North and the Mississippi River along the west and south sides. New Orleans is also below sea level and the shape of the city is like a bowl. Because of these natural conditions surrounding the city, the city has a need for levees. Although the river makes natural levees, in 1726 the residents of the area started building of manmade levees to keep the floodwaters contained (Barry, 1997). Since then the building and repairing of the levees has continued, with the Army Corps of Engineers spending millions of dollars on them annually. The levees surrounding New Orleans were supposed to be able to withstand a category 3 hurricane before Katrina struck.
Because of the city is below sea level, any rain that it receives has to be pumped out of the city to keep it dry. The city established pumping stations around the city in order to do this. In order for the water to be pumped back into Lake Pontchartrain, the city created canals for the water to go into to get to the lake. In 1965, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was completed as a way for vessels to go from the Gulf of Mexico to the New Orleans harbor instead of following the twists of the Mississippi River. The Industrial Canal is another outlet that lets ships go from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. Both of these large canals and the other ones used throughout the city to pump water into the lake would prove to be detrimental in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 as it neared shore on August 29th, 2005. The storm was projected to do the worst damage New Orleans and to the east. But as the storm actually made landfall it weakened to a category 3 and veered its path so that New Orleans would not receive the brunt of it. Even though the storm changed course and weakened New Orleans would still receive detrimental damage from the winds and the storm surge which in turn would cause the levees to break.
The storm surge funneled up MRGO and because of this, it caused extensive amounts of water to enter Lake Pontchartrain. The lake could not handle the water and triggered it to enter the canals of the city. The water created an extreme amount of pressure on the levees which caused several breaks. The breaks in the levees allowed the water to spill into the city causing 80% to be under water anywhere from a foot to twelve feet of water depending on the area of the city. In some places the water may have been higher. In other areas of the city, water overtopped the levees causing widespread flooding and eventually causing the levees to collapse beneath the water. In the Lower 9th Ward, an unmanned barge crashed through the levee wall.
The pressure of the water when it came through the levee destroyed everything in its path. Houses were pushed from their foundations and moved several feet. The pressure also caused houses to crumble into a pile that could not be recognized as a house. People lost everything that was in their house and sometimes their own lives. The levees were the only thing that was protecting them from a disaster like this and it failed in many places.
The Army Corp of Engineers has come forward and said that there were flaws in the design of the levees. At this time they are working on improving the levees so that they are up to pre-Katrina standards. It will take years and billions of dollars to make them better so that they can withstand a hurricane of this magnitude or larger. Flood gates have been installed at the entrance to Lake Pontchartrain on the canals, but citizens are concerned that this may back fire on them when another hurricane hits by trapping the water in the city (R. White, personal communication, March 6, 2007). Because the levees are the cities main protection from natural disasters like this, they need to be the best they can be in order to safeguard the citizens.
The levees failure can be blamed for the water in the city but the loss of life is another story. New Orleans has one of the largest poor populations in the nation. It is also a predominantly African American population. Mayor Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation on Sunday August 28, 2005. The lanes on the major highways out of New Orleans started the contra flow process allowing those people leaving to use both sets of lanes to evacuate. Most people who had the means to leave, either had already done so or was doing so when the order came. The people left in the city were those who could not afford to leave or have any way to. Mayor Nagin opened the Superdome as a shelter of last resort. Approximately 25,000 people would show up there during the course of a week. A lot of people also stayed in their homes with family and friends ready to ride out the storm. There were also people who were too stubborn to leave either because they thought the storm would not be as bad as anticipated or for other various reasons such as the Superdome not allowing pets inside.
Hurricane Katrina made landfall during the night. The sounds were horrendous but most people made it through the storm (Brinkley, 2006). It was when the levees breached and the water started rising that people started to panic. In places, the water came up so fast that people did not have time to evacuate their homes and had to put a hole in their roof and climb out onto it in order to stay above the water. People than tried to get to areas of safety such as the Superdome, but found out that the conditions were terrible. There was no food or water available. A large number of people started to congregate at the Convention Center which would eventually have approximately 10,000 people waiting to be rescued. The food and water situation was dire. Looting was widespread with those looking for and taking stuff in order to survive, while others took advantage of the situation and took things like CD’s, TV’s and numerous pairs of shoes (Brinkley, 2006).
Relief was nowhere to be found for those people. For those still stranded in their houses the process of being rescued was extremely slow. The first efforts to rescue the people that were stranded were done by neighbors and other fellow citizens. Many people volunteered for this effort from across the country and thousands of people were rescued. The Government on all levels has been scrutinized for the lack of preparedness and the slow response to help the people still in the city.
An exercise had been done of a simulation of category 5 hurricanes and what it would do to the city of New Orleans. This exercise known as Hurricane Pam would prove to be seemingly accurate to what happened with Hurricane Katrina (Brinkley, 2006). The city of New Orleans did not have a good plan of evacuation for the citizens who remained in the city. Since the time of Katrina a new, better plan has been developed. It is now about executing it and planning with enough time to get everyone out of the city.
During the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina that was seen around the world, many viewers noticed that most of the people who were left in the city were African American. This stemmed a debate on whether or not the response would have been faster if those who were stranded were Caucasian. Many people in this country who do not suffer from poverty do not know the extent of it. People blamed those who do not leave, saying that they brought it upon themselves by not leaving. What those people do not understand is it that many of them did not have the financial means to leave. In my opinion I think that the city of New Orleans should have helped these people to evacuate rather than leaving them stranded. To me it should not be about race or socioeconomic status but what is for the good of the people who are residents of that city.
Fortunately for me I have been allowed the experience to travel to New Orleans two years in a row. It was hard for those who had not been to New Orleans last year to see any kind of hope or any progress that has been made. The Lower 9th Ward is still in ruins, but I noticed that there were more people about then there were last year. I am not saying that enough is being done there, because it is not, but rather that I see hope that it will return in the future into a thriving neighborhood. I also noticed that in areas where the residents have more money, that people are living in their houses again and that there are a lot more FEMA trailers about. The city is slowly progressing back to where it was prior to Katrina.
Most of the recovery effort is being done by volunteers from across the country and also people from other countries. During the nine days we spent in New Orleans we gutted four houses while working with a group of students from Chicago State and other volunteers. Volunteers are vital to this process. On average, it costs a homeowner anywhere from $5,000- $16,000 to gut one home. I am overwhelmed by this fact because approximately 30 people saved the home owners of the four houses together anywhere from $20,000- $64,000.
This year was very different from last year in many ways. We did not have the opportunity to meet the home owners of any of the houses we worked on. When we entered a new house to start our work, it was a shock to see these people’s lives right in front of us. By seeing their belongings and removing them from the house, it was as if you knew some of their dreams and personal stories. The work was hard as everything had to be removed from the house, including appliances. A couple of the refrigerators had not been opened since before the storm and we were warned not to open them as the smell would atrocious and we would not be able to work for the rest of the day. Most of the houses had sheetrock for their walls, but one house had plaster and lath. This was extremely difficult to remove. The plaster was thick and then the lath was connected with lots of little nails that kept it securely attached. This house took almost two days to finish.
The four different houses also made me realize even more so than before that the flooding affected everyone. One of the houses had about three feet of water while another had water over the roof. It is hard to say for sure but I believe that some of the homeowners were from different socioeconomic classes. People who have a lower income tend to live in lower lying areas around the city of New Orleans, because the land is cheaper. These areas had more water than those on higher ground. This brings up the issue of whether or not these people will have the money to come back and rebuild.
ACORN, the organization that we volunteered with, guts houses for those who are middle to lower class, as they need the help because they probably can not afford to spend the money to gut their houses. There is also criticism of Road Home Program and the amount of time it is taking for people to get the money. The Federal Government has also approved billions of dollars to be spent on rebuilding, but I do not know where that money is and why it is not getting people back into their homes. I understand that most of the city had damage done to it and that it will take a long time to be rebuild. But I would think that getting the residents back into the city would be one of the first issues to addressed, because the city is dependant on tourism. And without the proper staff, areas that accommodate tourists can not be getting back to normal. It is a big vicious circle.
For most of the trip I did not feel the same emotions that I felt last year. This year I was more angry and frustrated at the situation New Orleans is still currently in while last year it was more sadness and grief. Although, when we entered the last house on Thursday, I felt those feelings return. We could tell that the residents of the house had to escape through their roof. The chair was still in place that they used to reach the attic space. In the attic space was water and a picture of the Virgin Mary. There was also a dead cat in the bedroom. I felt as if I could picture the last steps these people took. I can not imagine the feelings that they felt while they were in that situation. The unfortunate part of not knowing the home owner we do not know their story. We can assume that everyone made it out okay as they needed to contact ACORN in order to be put on the list and also because ACRON contacts the owners before we go in to do the gutting. I am not sure I could have handled hearing the story first hand. Last year when Mr. Reggie told us his story, I cried because his story was so descriptive that I felt like I was there experiencing it with him. Even to this day when I look at pictures of the aftermath of Katrina I tear up. I do not know how these people who suffered have moved on with their lives because I am sure it is constantly in the back of their minds.
Another thing I noticed this year compared to last year is that people were not really wanting or willing to talk about their experience during and shortly after Katrina. They were more interested in talking about what they have been doing since and how their lives are starting to get back to normal. Whereas last year you could walk up the street and greet somebody and they would want to tell you their story. This was also observable when we met with Mr. Reggie and he did not tell his story of during the storm. Dr. Glen Casey was going to talk about his experience at Memorial Hospital but he realized he could not tell it again. I think this is part of the healing process where people do not want to relive it over and over again.
There were also things that did not change such as the satisfaction I obtained while doing relief work. This has been a life changing experience for me. I think that the two years I have volunteered over spring break, is the best thing I could have done with my vacation from school. Even though I am not a resident of New Orleans I felt is was my duty as a citizen of the U.S. to volunteer my time and help these people who are in need. The other thing that did not change was that of people’s gratefulness that they felt toward us as volunteers. Once they found out what we were doing in the city they could not say thank you enough. I think that because people felt abandoned right after the storm when volunteers come to help out it reinforces that they really have not been completely abandoned by their fellow citizens in this country.
While in New Orleans we had the chance to experience the rich culture that the city possesses. The city has a history which is fascinating. Although I did not participate in the Great Race this year, but I learned a lot from it last year which made me feel connected to the city. The food is unique to the city and I can not even describe how wonderful it tastes. The street vendors and entertainers are one of a kind. I have never seen anything like it. Last year there were very few to see, but this year the variety and numbers were increased.
New Orleans is a city that is irreplaceable. I am not sure that the city will ever be the way it was before Katrina, but I can hope. I never had the chance to experience it before, but know that the city and its people have affected me for the rest of my life. The southern hospitality makes you feel as if you are at home with family and friends. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans twice in order to help in the recovery process and to experience the city. But there are still questions I have and do not know if they will ever be answered. We as citizens of the United States need to understand that what affects others, affect us all. If something of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina happened to any other city or area, would we be comfortable in the response we would receive. We need to all be responsible.
Lorena Domke
My birthday is August 27th, just a few short days before Hurricane Katrina Destroyed New Orleans and a large portion of the Gulf Coast. Sad as it is… I was oblivious to the fact that anyone was suffering or in any sort of danger. I set my foot in this class not knowing what a levee was. I knew that Hurricane Katrina hit, I knew it caused a lot of damage, and I knew that there were fund raisers going on to help the residents down south. And that is about the extent of my previous knowledge.
This class has really opened my eyes to the rest of the world, I wouldn’t like to say that I was ever really self-centered, I prefer to say I wasn’t well rounded, a little preoccupied perhaps. I am guilty of believing that I have enough problems and stress in my own life that I do not have time to worry about people’s lives millions of miles from me! I am still guilty of not giving them enough thought or time but now after this class I see a change in at least my attempts.
As I have been reviewing some of my past writings for this class specifically my first learning log I came across something very interesting in my response to “when the Levees Broke” I said; “one thing that really surprised me was the amount of victims killed, I suppose I knew that people died in the Hurricane, but I guess I never put two and two together.” This was interesting to me because I had completely forgotten how ignorant I was. I think this is a perfect example of how much I learned in this class. As I began to write this paper I was thinking of all of the things I didn’t know about Hurricane Katrina and after learning so much I had forgotten that I didn’t even know why people suffered. I think that is absolutely terrible. You would think it would be common sense… I mean contaminated floodwater, sweltering heat, dehydration, lack of food, lack of access to necessary medicine, but none of this was common knowledge to me, none of it. I think that for me one of the biggest things I learned was just that, common knowledge.
There are some people in our class who could go on and on about the government response, they could give you facts and figures about unemployment without racking their brains. I on the other hand, can not. The reason for this is not because I did not put forth effort in this class, not at all, but because I had so little previous knowledge that I had to extend all my energy in gathering the little details/common knowledge to make up the whole of the story of Hurricane Katrina. I feel that with the common knowledge I have learned in this course I could now hold an intelligent conversation, maybe even a debate about the cause, the effects, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Looking back I am impressed with the knowledge I have acquired just by taking this class. I say this because Amanda showed our group an e-mail from a guy that was comparing snow storms in Colorado to Hurricane Katrina, and it was boasting that no one in Colorado was asking for help from FEMA and none of them were blaming the government. I was talking about this to a friend and I made a statement about how New Orleans deserved government aid since they pretty much caused the disaster. She asked me, “Why do you say that?” As I said, previously I did not even know what a Levee was. I now know that New Orleans sits below sea level and it is surrounded by levees so as to insure the city does not end up under water. I also know that The Army Corps of Engineers was/is in charge of these levees. Because of this and other knowledge obtained in this course I was able to tell her that New Orleans deserved federal aid because the damage done to New Orleans was barely even caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was caused by the breaching of the Levees which the government and the Army corps of Engineers knew were not up to par but chose not to repair them anyway. This breeching caused the city to fill up with water, and although the Hurricane was what triggered the flooding, if the levees would have been built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, this problem quite possibly never would have occurred. I can not tell you how great it felt to actually know something! As I wrote in my first learning log I have always been one of those stereotypical girls who doesn’t know or care about what is going on in the world around her. I have never been interested in politics, and have tried to stay away from conversations about them or other worldly topics. But it is actually fun to know enough to carry on an intelligent conversation!
There is one thing I have yet to overcome throughout this course and there could be several reasons for it, but I still have a hard time believing that the problems and lack of action in New Orleans was due to racial issues. We have researched it to death, and yet, I can not seem to make up my mind, was hurricane Katrina and its effects a racial issue? In many of the readings and such that we have gone over have talked about how Katrina uncovered many race and class divides, that were always there, but lying under a rug. I can see how this could be an accurate statement. The Hurricane did show these divides because many of the people most hurt by Hurricane Katrina were lower class citizens and a lot of them were black. However, this is because many of the residents left behind in the hurricane and its aftermath were lower class citizens who didn’t have the means to evacuate, many of them were black, but that, in my opinion, is because the majority of the population is black residents. I guess after pondering this and deciding what to write it has become evident to me that I still do not believe that this problem had anything to do with race. I guess the question I still need to address, is whether I truly believe that, or if it is just what I want to believe. As I wrote in one of my learning logs, “The color of some ones skin doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t think it matters to George Bush”. In my honest opinion, there were a lot of problems, miscommunications, and failures in general that made up this terrible tragedy, but racism, simply wasn’t one.
I obviously took this course because I wanted to go and help out with hurricane relief. However, after taking this class I felt a little closer to the problem, which excited me even more about going down there. Once we got there I was very surprised by what I saw. I guess it surprised and saddened me that a year and a half at the hurricane, parts of the town were still completely devastated and other parts weren’t much better. I actually wrote in my journal how much being there reminded me of being in Peru (I was there for two weeks last summer). That was also sad, because Peru is a very poor country (especially Lurin, which is where I spent the majority of my time) and much of New Orleans was not in much better shape then the cobbled streets and homes there.
Another connection I made between Peru and New Orleans was the faith I experienced in each place. Although the residents in Peru live a very poor life and have to go without many of the luxuries many Americans my self included don’t even appreciate, they still love life and live it to the fullest. This in a way is something I found and was impressed by in New Orleans. Despite the devastation and long drawn out recovery process in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many of the residents are working hard to get their lives back and are keeping positive while waiting and trying to rebuild. A perfect example of this is Mrs. Jerry who I was very grateful to get to meet.
wrote in my journal how I could tell that she was sick of her situation but “she still had hope and faith and that was very impressive and empowering.” As the week went on I met more people and saw this same determination in them. It bothers me when people say that it is pointless to even rebuild the city, I mean that is those peoples home! Which is exactly what a few of our interview subjects said, plain and simple, "this is home."
I was a little nervous about the work we would be doing, just because I didn’t really know what to expect. When we got to our first house, it was all pretty surreal. I was overwhelmed when I looked inside the house for the first time, I definitely underestimate our group because I thought to myself “there is no way we will finish this today!” The house was nothing like I had expected, it didn’t even look like anyone had lived there. The second house seemed a little more real and sad to me. I walked in and I could actually see that a family had lived there, that was much harder for me to handle than the first house. I realized at our fourth house that none of them had seemed truly real, not at all, until this one. The fourth house really struck a nerve for me, and felt all too real. I walked into the house and I could picture the family living there. Then when I saw the chair, and he attic, and the hole in the roof, I could not only see their suffering, but I could feel it, and that was extremely hard for me. On our last work day, which was the second day of working on the fourth house, I was determined, not to go back in that house; it was too scary for me. Luckily, I acquired a job of transporting the wheelbarrow for a majority of the morning, and then helped Kayla with the garage type storage room, which was much better for me than being in the house. As hard as the house was to handle, I think it is a good thing that we were assigned that house, because it brought out emotions that I didn’t know were there and it definitely hit home more than the other houses did.
Although I went down for the work I also had a really enjoyable time experiencing the city. I really enjoyed doing the great race that first Sunday. I was excited about it, and it turned out to be more fun than I had even imagined it to be. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about doing the interviews, but honestly, I think that was one of my favorite parts. It was so interesting to hear first hand accounts and their opinions; I think I probably learned the most from those alone.
I also really enjoyed the chance to go to the gulf coast and see some of the damage in Mississippi. It was nice to expand our horizons and see that New Orleans wasn’t the only place devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I also enjoyed the opportunity to talk to a woman in a shoe store there who told us her hurricane survival story as her family did not evacuate. One of the main differences I noticed in her story was that her family was rescued after four hours of being on their roof. This arose many questions in my mind, until she told us in the end of our conversation that “New Orleans needs all the help they can get, we need help too, but we haven’t had all of the political problems that they have.” That was a very interesting statement to me and really got me curious. I spent some time researching the differences between the storm in Mississippi and in New Orleans, but didn’t get a chance to find really anything valuable. This is one thing I would be interested in learning more about.
Now that I am back I feel more empathy towards the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina because as I feel a closer connection to it. I can not imagine how I would feel if my family or I actually lived there! It is nice to care enough about something to have an opinion on it, and nice to have enough background knowledge to back it up. I honestly have learned so much. From the history of New Orleans, to the Hurricane itself, to the aftermath, and best of all a first hand experience. It is great to learn things from books, to research subjects, and view photos, but there is nothing likes a first hand experience, nothing. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this experience, and I have benefited greater than I probably even know.
Matt Baus
New Orleans was hit by hurricane Katrina in August/September of 2005. Flooding occurred in about eighty percent of the city with some areas getting water up to the roof of their homes, while some areas only got just about a foot of water. It was a disaster that could have been avoided a lot easier then it was. There were things that did happen that could have been avoided, such as the slow government response and other issues of that nature.
I will say that the experience we all shared by going down and helping out with the relief work was one that we will all cherish for the rest of our lives. For me, going down there was an eye opening experience that I am glad that I was apart of. I can remember that when the storm initially hit, I was amazed at all the damage that had occurred. But, after a while of watching it on the news it all seemed to me that it was repeating itself and nothing new was developing with the story. Looking back at that now, I can say boy was I wrong. Another thing that I was shocked about throughout the whole class and especially during the trip itself was that of how after a while the whole issue of New Orleans took a back seat to everything that was going on in the world, which is understandable especially after the amount of time that has passed since then.
When I went down there I was actually expecting it to look worse then it did. I thought I would have seen a lot more debris. This showed me that there was a lot of progress in the cleaning up of the city and the extent of the population coming back. As the week went on I had realized more and more that there was still even more to do that will take a long time to even get through every thing. While working on the houses throughout the week, it was an emotional and great experience because you got to see how the people lived and what they did. It was emotional especially in the last house we did because of how every single thing was still there that the family had owned. Even before we were told that they didn’t evacuate, you could tell that they hadn’t. The other houses were easier to tell that they were evacuated; they didn’t have a lot of stuff left, if anything at all in the homes. Looking back at all the volunteer services I have done, this year during spring break was probably the best one I have done in my life. I say this from the fact that it was the most work and the work that was done was going to be ending up being the most beneficial as well.
You can not understand the reason for people going down to help without understanding what led up to what had happened down there both natural and unnatural. Naturally what happened was that of a hurricane brought storm surges into the city. Since the city itself is below sea level having it flood isn’t a far stretch at anytime and the residents are used to it happening. But this case was different; this time not only did water come over the levees but some of them even broke causing even more water come into the city then there should be. The levees that are protecting New Orleans were supposedly rated by the Army Corps of Engineers to withstand a category five hurricane which is what Katrina was at one point before landfall. But the thing about Katrina was that even though it was a category five hurricane while it was a living storm, by the time it had reached land it had decreased back down to a category three hurricane. Some of the levees that had broken, more specifically the Mister Go, were damaged do to levees and such being barraged by things such as barges. Also with the natural part was that of just the land itself. One big thing that could have helped with hopefully preventing what happened on as large a scale as it did would be the wetlands. The wetlands down there are huge weather blocks that help prevent hurricanes from doing as much damage as they could if they weren’t there. But lately they have dwindling down to nothing. A lot of factors can be played into how this is happening, like man made destruction for land development, harvesting trees or what not; another reason would be for global warming. This was one of the main points that they had made in the IMAX showing of Hurricane on the Bayou. Global warming is a major factor in a lot of weather related occurrences lately; but in the case of the Louisiana wetlands that have disappeared at a rapid rate, it has caused the water to be warmer and also more and more chances for the ground to erode away even with the vegetation that is supposed to help prevent that from happening.
As far as the unnatural parts of this disaster that had occurred this was a lot of political interaction that was going on between Bush, Blanco, and Nagin. I remember reading in either The Great Deluge or Come Hell or High Water that they were in a battle of political prowess. For instance bush did not want to deal with Blanco because The main dispute they had was about the Louisiana National Guard. Governor Blanco was not willing to release the control of them to the federal government. Also with the federal government the FEMA branch, who is in charge of the homeland response to disasters, when it came to the rescue effort seemed to take a back seat and not bother to try to help out with it as soon as people were able to be rescued. Another issue that came up when talking about differences between each other was that of Nagin and Blanco. The thing that was between them was that they were both in the same party but Nagin switched sides before he was elected as mayor. How he was involved with this was because of how she had told him to do a mandatory evacuation from the city well before he finally did. This really only happened because he was more worried about the business aspect of everything then the residents of his city. Also another thing that was unnatural about this disaster was how the city was not really ready for something like this to happen. Nothing was done to help prepare them for this even though they knew that it was going to happen someday.
As far as race and socioeconomic standings are in this country, New Orleans was no different except for the fact that there was more in that city then in any other city in the country. As to why this, there are different reasons. For instance, New Orleans was not built in a really good location, it was built in a swamp area that is lower then the sea level so there were more chances for people to get very sick and die very easily. Another reason is that it was started with criminals and prostitutes as the first citizens of the area. Also when the slave trade ended, a lot of the freed slaves had moved into the city looking for jobs no matter how much the pay and things haven’t changed very much since then. As to the rest of the country a lot of that has to deal with people not wanting to continue their education so they can get that degree in order to succeed and also with all the tax cuts that the government creates which makes it so the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
What is disaster you ask? Disaster to me is where something happens to a person or a group of people that has devastating results. Different responses that have occurred to the disaster in New Orleans have all been made towards helping the city out. From celebrities doing charities and fundraisers as well as actually going into New Orleans and actually helping out, to people like Niem and his dad Clifton who randomly come down and pitch in some hours with organizations like ACORN and groups like ours who either are there as a class or just a bunch of people who got together and decided to go help. Each with their own reasons as to why they decided to go down to New Orleans and help out. So far I have yet to hear of someone going down as a publicity stunt except for the president who had a press conference and said that progress was being made when there really hasn’t been any.
Some of the things that Katrina again made this country realize is that of how we are not vulnerable unlike other countries. Just like what happened during 9/11. Also Katrina made us realize that our government is full of bureaucrats that are more worried about the economy then its people. It had also made us realize that only people of the same race or socioeconomic status only care about the same people. These need to be addressed to one make the people in this country to help them gain confidence in the leaders instead of having doubts about what they do.
Over the course of this semester, through out all the readings and such my outlook on New Orleans was the disbelief that there was a lot left to do. I went from not believing that there was still as much to do as there is to understanding why there was. Also with the readings that we had throughout the beginning of the semester I was very frustrated with some of them like with Dyson. The way he initially came across to me was very frustrated with how the blacks were being treated, as time went on and after I continued to read his book he seemed to become more and more clearer of everything and not as frustrated with what was going on. Even from what I thought that it was going to look like when we got down there, I was surprised to see as much water as I did. I was not expecting to see all that there. But this was a growing and learning experience not only for me but I’m sure for everyone else in the class. Of course we all will be having different responses to this. Even to this day I am still in shock over how much is still left to be done. I can say that I went into this class thinking what is there left to be done, not realizing that there was still so much to do. This has really taught me that to go into some as major as this was to go in not expecting anything.
One thing that still gets me is how there is still so much left to get done and it is slowly getting done. It still amazes me that the government took so long to respond in New Orleans unlike how long it took to respond to other areas on the gulf coast, each having as much destruction as the next.
Throughout the course of this semester I have been shocked and amazed at everything that has happened in New Orleans. I have learned a lot of things about how it all happened that I never even realized could have even been the cause of so much damage as well as all the politics involved. If I had the chance to redo this class I would definitely do it just for the trip to go down and help. I am grateful to have taken this class not only for what I did and learned but also the camaraderie that was created with everyone in the class.
Patrick Manrique
It has been 18 months since Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath made their way into the history books as a national disaster that has come to define New Orleans. “The Big Easy,” “The Crescent City,” the city at the end of “Old Man River.” New Orleans was already known for its rich jazz music history, its importance within the national economy as a major shipping port, and as the best place to enjoy Mardi Gras. For many Americans, the luster that was New Orleans has faded into dismal impressions of racism, poverty, and one of the worst leadership failures in the nation.
In the last 18 months we have all but forgotten New Orleans. The only time the American public gives any attention to the reconstruction efforts is when the media publishes a report describing how poorly reconstruction efforts are being handled or how the crime level of New Orleans is driving away returning citizens. Because very few Americans in 2007 continue to see and feel the effects of August 29-September 06, 2005, our own lives and daily concerns eclipse the road home for residents of “The Big Easy.”
The tragedy that unfolded on television screens across the country brought renewed attention to a national debate about race and socio-economic class. Although the current debate calls to mind the struggles of African-Americans, the questions of race and class in America can be applied to Irish-American immigrants, Polish-American immigrants, Filipino-American immigrants, and many other contributors to the “North American melting pot.” When the “Crisis in the Bayou” captured our attention, the media was both praised and condemned for its endless 24-hour coverage. Although they gave us the “live updates” we demanded, the media was also criticized for its portrayal of the conduct of New Orleanians. In the same roll of film, in the same general vicinity, a photograph of Caucasian-American survivors would read, “…searching for survival items,” while the photograph of African-American survivors would have the caption, “…looting out of control in New Orleans.” It is disparities such as these that have colored many of the discussions that examine how a national tragedy of this magnitude came to be in the first place. As the reconstruction of New Orleans moves forward it is argued by many that the plans and efforts of local, state, and federal authorities aim to exploit and widen the racial and socio-economic gap that was brought to the national stage by the media.
For 21 Winona State University students, the opportunity to explore the many complex issues surrounding the rebuilding and reconstruction of New Orleans was a challenge well worth investing their effort in. It was only natural for them to enter the spring semester’s course, “Insights and Implications: New Orleans in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,” with many of their own preconceived notions. Six weeks of preparation and research expanded the students’ perspective surrounding the many issues that have challenged the residents of New Orleans in the past and what ongoing obstacles face the “Crescent City” today.
There are many daunting statistics that overwhelm the public perception of a post-Katrina city. It seems hopeless when you read that, “…99 of 117 high schools remain closed,” and, “…approx. 130,000 of 480,000 downtown and French Quarter residents have returned.” Any reader would assume that unsanitary conditions plague the land because, “… only 8.7 million tons of the 22 million tons of debris,” have been removed from the New Orleans Area. The nation comprehends that the city’s citizens seem desperate and lost when figures appear stating that, “…only 25.4 Million of 42 Million in FEMA aid has been spent,” and, “…only $1.7 billion of $17 billion in Department of Housing and Develop funds has been distributed and spent.” There have been many opinions on how to distribute these funds. Should it be a lump sum payment of a “no-strings attached” $26,000 grant to all households or should it be a $150,000 per household reconstruction loan with an involved application and verification process? It was only natural that students would experience frustration and many heated debates just sorting through these statistics. It was also stressful to deal with the misconceptions and lack of knowledge held by the rest of the nation. In the end, 6 weeks of preparation and research were helpful, but could not substitute for their March 2007 trip to New Orleans.
The nine day service learning trip was an emotional experience, one that helps build and define individual character for a lifetime. Working with The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) volunteers from other states, of various socio-economic and racial backgrounds, reinforced a belief in the generosity of American society that is blind to social issues. Listening to the simultaneous optimism and frustration of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contractors, one saw the human side of a well-meaning but embattled federal agency. They displayed a sense of hope and connection to the Gulf Coast communities they serve. After 18 months and 2 failed rebuilding plans, members of the Louisiana FEMA office are excited to move forward because they finally have a city rebuilding plan that a majority of residents are motivated to complete.
There was a myriad of emotions to be experienced from gutting a house and witnessing its transformation in less than 8 hours of work. One can only stand at the entry way in overwhelming disbelief that the structure and contents before you was once an American home. It requires a transformation of emotional maturity to accept that the debris items that were being carried out were once the happy memories of a family. Tragically, they are now sad reminders of an emotionally traumatic period of time better left in the past. Words cannot even describe the emotional roller coaster of setting foot in a home that has an ominous man-made hole in the roof. A brief moment in this crawl space adds reality to the feelings of abandonment experienced in 2005 by so many and to the images that were vividly displayed on millions of television screen hundreds of miles away.
It is impossible to be in New Orleans and not experience all that it has to offer. These 21 Winona State students were more then volunteers, they were contributors to the local economy as American tourists. After a physically and emotionally challenging week, Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and Café Du Monde were just a few of the many respites and locations that demonstrate that the spirit of New Orleans lives on. The happy memories of taking a relaxing swim in Lake Pontchartrain or tossing beads to a crowd from a balcony on Bourbon Street contrast with the emotions of working in the Ninth Ward, Gentilly, and Meteri.
It is true that many factors frustrate the reconstruction efforts in New Orleans, but the pace of rebuilding continues to increase. From a vantage point in the French Quarter, students observed over 60 large vessels traveling the Port of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta during the length of the service learning trip. Two of those ships included the Carnival Cruise ship “Fantasy” and the newly commissioned USS New Orleans. In addition to the open industrial sea port, the rail yards were a constant line of activity. Hundreds of rail cars traveled through the New Orleans industrial area carrying products from all over the world bound for cities throughout the United States including St. Louis, Chicago and Minneapolis. The most encouraging sign that New Orleans is open for business was the bumper to bumper traffic flowing into the city every morning, while at the same time small convoys of volunteers headed out to residential areas to further the rebuilding process at local homes.
Rebuilding New Orleans is a large undertaking. Many residents who are serious about rebuilding understand that this process will take time, 5 to 10 years of hard work and patience. Under the recently accepted Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP), the rebuilding of the “Big Easy” will take into account the desires of those residents serious about returning. It will also focus on executing plans that work to protect both residents and the environment in the unique geography that surrounds New Orleans. This will require mature leadership from serious leaders and the contribution of Americans who believe in restoring New Orleans to its former glory.
As for the selfless volunteers from Winona State University, they came away with both knowledge and a common experience that can only be shared by a few of their peers. In 5 days of volunteer work: 4 homes were gutted in 630 hours of volunteer labor, amounting to $60,000 in savings for New Orleans residents. As a group, they spent a total of over $14,000 in the local economy as tourists, walked over 210 total miles in the French Quarter, and took over 4,000 photographs of their experiences. Although these students will go their own separate ways, the message that they spread will be the same, “New Orleans is being rebuilt.”
As Americans we often ask, “How can I help?” Monetary donations are always welcome, but your time and support are invaluable to the reconstruction of New Orleans. Our nation allows us the freedom of travel. So why not spend a few days in “The Big Easy?” During the day volunteer for several hours, take a driving tour to Bay St. Louis and see the importance of our Nation’s Coastal Wet Lands, and in the evening participate in all the fun that Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and New Orleans have to offer.
Patrick Manrique participated in the 2007 Service Learning Trip to New Orleans as a Graduate Special Student at Winona State University. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001 and was recently on active duty for four years with the United States Army. As a Captain in the Medical Service Corps, Patrick’s service assignments included the Korean Peninsula and a tour as a paratrooper with the famed 82nd Airborne Division. While with the Airborne, he served in Iraq and was part of the US Army’s Joint Task Force Katrina (JTFK) in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Rachel Christienson
I do not know if I have a specific reason for why I went to New Orleans; the most obvious reason is that it was the only course study that I could actually afford. I would have loved to go to St. Croix or Mexico. There are many reasons though that I chose to go and those became more apparent when the class actually started. I have always enjoyed traveling and meeting new people, but most importantly I like to be able to help those that are in need. I have had that desire since I can remember and much of that is due to a very special person in my life, my mother. She is always giving of herself and speaking out against social injustices. I can not relate in every way to the people of New Orleans, but I do know what it is like not to have money. My mother raised four children on her own without a college education so there was not always a lot of money. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to go to college and I sensed that my mother thought that too because of our financial situation. However here I am getting close to graduating. Unfortunately that opportunity is something everyone will get to see especially in New Orleans where the poverty rate is high and drop out rate is high. I can’t help but wonder and feel guilty about that fact that even thought I was poor I was white. It’s hard for me to accept at times that the color of your skin still dictates the opportunities you will have in your life, and sometimes that is more blatantly obvious than at other times. When it is not so blatant is when it is hard for people to believe that racism is still so prevalent. This course has brought these issues to the forefront for me.
I didn’t know what to expect from this course, mainly because I didn’t think that there could possibly be that much material on Hurricane Katrina to take us through the semester. I knew that was still a lot of work to be done down there from things I had seen in the news or people that had been down there. I had no idea of how deep the issues surrounding the disaster were and still are. Once I began reading the assigned readings and having class discussions I realized how the subject matter was parallel with that of my social work courses. Often times we discuss the issues of race/class/gender and how it relates to the social work field. As a social worker I will be faced with these issues at every turn. The people who were victims of Katrina are the people that we talk about in our training as social workers; they are our future clients. Due to my educational background as well as my experience past experiences I soon began to realize that I had a very unique perspective that I also shared with my classmate who is also a social work student. I immediately began to think of the victims as my clients and how would I treat them if they were my clients. This allowed me to empathize and speak up on their behalf.
I struggled with this the first few weeks of the course, because there were some comments made by others in the class such as why didn’t they leave, why do they live in that area anyway. I felt like they were blaming the victims and I became upset at times. However I began to tell myself that they are just beginning to learn about the issues surrounding the disaster and that they are just as confused and frustrated as I am. We may have different issues and questions, but we are in this together and we will grow together in this course. I also began to realize that it is a good thing when there are opposing viewpoints. We would never learn anything about ourselves or our world if we agreed all of the time.
I could not have imagined the amount of information that I would take in over the course of the semester; it was very overwhelming on many levels. First it was overwhelming because of the quantity of the readings each week, but more overwhelming to me was the questions that arose because of those readings. I began to look more critically at the issues each and every week. The class discussions could also me a bit much to take because there was a certain level of passion that began to take hold of everyone. The fact that the instructors were constantly pushing us to go deeper was frustrating at times, but it made the discussions and readings much more meaningful for me. Learning about the race and class issues that have been present in New Orleans forced me to realize that this is occurring in cities all over the United States. I don’t know what it is going to take for race and class to not be an issue in how far someone is able to go in life. However knowing the history of how people of color have been treated in the United States I know that it is going to take a lot of determined individuals to break down those barriers. It is going to take people to think seriously about these issues and realize they do exist and figure how to make it different. After taking this course I know that I am definitely more conscious of these issues. I always have been to a certain degree, but it was easy for me to push it aside not think about it critically. I am not able to do that so much anymore and I see examples of it everywhere. This has a negative aspect though also, because I see it and many of the people around me may not. Then I get frustrated and sad because I feel so strongly about these issues and I want everyone to feel the same way I do.
Aside from the issues of race and gender I also learned a lot about our government and how important it is for all of the levels of government to communicate effectively and maturely. In many instances our lives literally rest in those official’s hands and if they hesitate about what to do in emergency situations it will make the difference between live and death as it did with Katrina. I think that there is a reason for everything and no one could have stopped a natural disaster like Katrina obviously, but our response system failed on so many levels. Some of the death and suffering could have been prevented, but that is how the incompetence was exposed. Hopefully we can learn from all of these things and make improvements. However there are still so many people that don’t believe that race and class played a role. I have had discussions with people who made there minds up about the people of New Orleans early on. As someone who has had the opportunity to learn about what really went on I have tried to explain these things to those individuals, but it has been very difficult. At the same time there are so many others that are open to hear what I have learned and observed about the issues surrounding Katrina and they are also supportive of what our class did down in New Orleans. I struggle with that one person who is not supportive and refuses to open their mind to a different perspective. For example a couple of days after we returned I was discussing my trip with some people at work. I was describing what we did and saw and felt. I remember commenting on how welcoming and appreciative people in New Orleans were and a woman I work with said she disagreed because she knows someone who went down soon after the storm to hand out food and water. Her friend reported to her hat people were not hospitable and they were aggressive and they did not want the food and water they were asking for money. She went further and said she didn’t know why they need other people to gut their houses for them; they should be doing it themselves. I was taken back by this because I really had not gotten this sort of response up till now. I was angry because I felt like she was saying our work down there was meaningless. I attempted to explain that people were very angry after the storm hit and they were not taken care of, and they had every right to be angry. I also tried to explain that people were evacuated and sent to different cities unable to return. On top of that it would be very difficult for people to gut there own houses, emotionally and financially. I don’t know if what I said to her made an impact, but I hope she thought about those things a little bit. I don’t know everything there is to know about the subject, but I learned a great deal and it is upsetting when someone relies on one source and one report for the basis of there opinion. Knowing the importance of searching for the truth by researching and asking those involved before I form my opinion is just another valuable lesson that I have learned as a result of taking this course. I also keep in mind that I should be flexible and be willing to see another side and it is okay to change my perspective as I gather more information.
The trip to New Orleans would not have been as valuable without all of the background information we were able to acquire the seven weeks before going. I felt that I had an understanding that surpassed others who did not take the time to educate themselves on the issues. While down there it was much more special when I was able to say to myself, I remember reading about this or I remember Joan or Tamara talking about this with us. It just enhanced the experience in a way that is difficult for me to describe, I just know that it was different than if we had not taken the time to do the readings and watch the videos and have the discussions that we did. I am very appreciative of the time that was spent doing these things even though at the time I’m sure I was complaining about the work load. I now know that it was important and well worth the time and energy that is took from me. I really cherish this experience that I was fortunate enough to have and I do not think that it was all by chance; I feel like I took this course for a reason.
In learning about New Orleans and the issues of Hurricane Katrina I learned a lot about myself and the world that I live in. Living in the Midwest I feel removed at times from the injustices of the world, but that does not mean that they do not exist. I really want to challenge myself to continue to address these issues in my daily life. I want to take them head on. I think that this course has given me the tools and insight to be able to raise questions and think critically about issues rather than just accepting them as they appear on the surface. It seems impossible that one semester and a trip that only lasted one week could change me so drastically. Actually I do not think that I have actually changed as a person it just brought out some of the things that were already there. I will take this experience with me in my career as a social worker, and as a human being. I am so grateful that I was able to be a participant in this class and the trip to New Orleans. The city of New Orleans will always have a special place in my heart and I hope to go back soon and give more to the recovery effort. The city has an infectious spirit and I hope that it will come back stronger than ever. I believe that the people of New Orleans are strong enough to bring their city back, but it is going to take a lot of work and help from their neighbors. New Orleans has such an important part of the culture of United States and the country would not be the same without this city.
Rachel Harjes
Within the last couple of months, I would say my perspectives on New Orleans have definitely changed. Before I started this class, I had the mind frame that things from Hurricane Katrina were settling down. I thought life was getting back to normal and people were happy. I guess you could say I was rather ignorant on this subject. After I started the class, reading the material, and researching further, I began to learn that this is still a very much current issue that needs to be addressed.
When I first heard about the crisis that happened at the Superdome and Convention Center, all I could think was, “Give them (the government) a break. Thousands of people were stranded and people should not have been getting all frustrated when decisions weren’t being made right away on how to cope with it. Don’t blame the lack of help on the fact that you are a poor black and claim you were left to die. Don’t use your color as an excuse.” When in reality, after studying what really happened, speaking with various individuals, and getting over some of my own personal racial discrepancies, I have felt more empathetic towards every single soul in the Superdome, the Convention Center, and those struggling in their own houses around New Orleans. After meeting Allison, our white server who is dating a black man, she insisted “That sidewalk is where thousands of people were left to die. And do you know what? They died there because they were poor, black people.” Hearing that from her really put this situation into perspective for me.
I am so fortunate to say that I was able to take part in Hurricane Katrina relief work. People ask me why I went down there, and all I can help but think is because I felt a need to. If some thing like this happened to me, I sure as hope people would do the same thing for myself. I was raised on the quote of “Treat others how you would like to be treated.”
Out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day back in Winona, I wore some of my green beads from New Orleans. I gave my friends some of them, and told them each the story of how you really get beads. When I was out at night, a guy came up to me and said, “Give me some beads---I’ll flash you!” I looked at him with my stern little face and shouted, “Ha-ha funny…but no! Let me tell you how you really get them!” And I continued on telling him you have to say “Throw me somethin’ mister” until he finally did, which was then when I gave him the beads. He probably thought I was a complete idiot or something, but it made me feel good to know that one completely random man in Winona now knows how to really get beads down in New Orleans.
After hearing the stories, living the culture, gutting 4 houses and interacting with the community, it’s hard not to think that New Orleans will be rebuilt. On my way down there, I was anxious to see what this ‘culture’ was like. After I landed into the seat of our vehicle I could tell. The town was absolutely beautiful-endless amounts of years of history were created on many streets. The rebuilt houses, especially in the Musicians Village, looked like they were part of “The Truman Show” and were absolutely perfect looking. However, it broke my heart to see the homes that once looked to be so perfect, now looking like a shack. After talking with various people and hearing their stories, and seeing their eyes light up as we told them what we really were there for, it really changed my opinion. I would invest all that I had back into a life down in New Orleans if I was from that area. Home is home, and you’ll protect it in any way you can. I give credit to the folks who are suffering down there just to maintain their lives to what they used to be.
I still have many questions in regards with Hurricane Katrina, mainly why our media is not discussing New Orleans and the rebuilding more? The media knows they have power to change people’s attitudes on issues, and I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t focus on their own countries current devastation. Almost everyone up here doesn’t know that New Orleans still needs all the help it can get. The hardest thing for me upon return is that when I tell people I went down to help with Hurricane Relief, they say in response, “Well isn’t that all cleaned up yet?” And I think to myself, ‘Wow-this was almost what I thought before I even started the class.’ Suddenly, as you educate yourself and realize what really is out there, you learn that the city is far from being rebuilt. I have faith that it will rebuild, it is just going to be a matter of time, dedication, and effort. It was not only one person that I heard this remark from, but rather, more than a handful. This makes me want to become more educated in every aspect of life.
The coolest part to me about going on Travel Studies such as this is what you take back weeks after you return home. You learn things you would have never expected to learn. For example, I learned that even though we made a small impact on the actual rebuilding efforts, we did something important. We helped 4 individual family lives by giving them a little bit of hope for their future. It’s great to think that 21 of us completed 4 houses in one week, but what breaks my heart is to know that there are still about 4,800 houses left to gut, just through A.C.O.R.N. Gutting 4,800 houses is going to take quite the amount of time, hard work, and patience. It’s very hard to foresee what is going to happen to those houses, as bacteria, mold, and mildew are going to have quite a significant amount of time to develop into further harmful, some deadly, strains. Even though we did 4 houses, that means there are roughly 4,796 houses left. However, one thing to always know about life is that it’s all about the baby steps. You can look towards the future, but don’t let that get you sidetracked from what you are doing today.
I also learned about my own personal intelligence. I know I am not educated enough with regards to politics and need to work on educating myself on that subject, along with my own understanding of American and World History. After hearing Reggie speak, it made me want to learn about anything I can get my hands on and absorb everything about my world I live in. He gave me such inspiration for learning! Pre-spring break I’ve been an avid fan of Barnes and Noble, but more so after returning home. The most recent book I bought is a general overview of world history from the start of civilization and birth of culture until present day. It looks like a wonderful book, because it has just a short little 3 page excerpt on each topic. It’s not long enough to bore me completely, but enough to put that knowledge in my head, and pursue further reading on the interesting topics.
Another major important thing I learned was that so many people are touched by people they have never met before. I think another amazing part of the trip was when we would be driving down the highway, and on random vehicles driving it would say “Thank-You Volunteers. God bless you all!” It was incredibly inspirational to me and gave me motivation to continue on with our work. Also, I thought it was very spiritual seeing signs on houses that read “We will return…do not demolish” or “We love you New Orleans…gone to Houston will return later.” It just goes to show that in order to achieve a goal, whether in life, school, or anything else, encouragement honestly really helps. Someone should hopefully always be there showing you compassion and saying “Hey, you’re doing a really great job” or whatever else. Unfortunately, that cannot always be the case. Everyone should find a little trick for themselves to encourage themselves if it is lacking in another area. I have no doubt that New Orleaneans have found that little trick, as their own government is not treating them like American Citizens. Upon return, that has really has made me more grateful for people helping me. Each different experience in life, like a trip to New Orleans, shapes you for the rest of your life. That’s what’s incredible to me is all the different paths a person can take, and how each and every decision and statement you make in your life is directly affecting your future tomorrow.
Some things begin to develop in your mind after you return, and this almost begins an emotional roller coaster. People back home have no idea of what you just experienced. I felt a huge desire to explain to people every little thing we did on the trip. And what I found out was in all reality, people could care less about everything we did on the trip, all my memories I have, or what impact we had on New Orleans. Sure they’ll look at the pictures and say that looks sad, but we all know pictures do no justice. You need to see the pain and joy at the same time in the faces of those in New Orleans to really know what that town is all about. The best part to cure of the ‘vacation blues’ I guess you could say is reminiscing with people who went on the trip with you.
I now understand the many different things which went wrong prior to the hurricane. There was a lousy evacuation route. There was a lack of strong leadership and communication between the city, state, and federal governments. Levees were falsely rated and built improperly. And the wetlands had been disappearing for quite some amount of time now. People in higher roles were not prepared for a disaster as great as Hurricane Katrina. Learning about a disaster as great as Hurricane Katrina makes me worried about different aspects of our government that are supposedly safe areas as of today.
I understand why the demand for a mandatory evacuation was so questionable. New Orleans has rarely been in this situation for such a severe storm. People have usually only had to deal with high winds, and never had to deal with flooding because they had levees. However, Saturday August 27th 2005 when Nagin declared a mandatory evacuation, it doesn’t sound that easy to many. Thousands were forced to stick out the storm in their home, as they had no access to cars. Busses were not running-who would honestly be bussing people out from the Lower 9th and St. Bernard Parish and various parishes? I just don’t see that ever happening. So here we are, people stuck in their homes as the hurricane hits. If the Army Corps of Engineers would have paid a little more extra detail to their levee systems and actually properly built them, they would not have failed. Due to a huge lack on nearly everybody’s part, the town that was so rich in life now faded to nothing more than a huge bath tub filled with floating people, boats, life memorizes, and random items.
It’s so hard for me to come up with a verdict on why the area still hasn’t been fully recovered yet. Honestly, New York City cleaned up very shortly after the attack on the Twin Towers, and even has a memorial created. Does it have to do with socioeconomic status, with regards to New York being one of the business capitols of the America? Or does the lack of clean up have to do with the majority of black people who the government secretly wishes to disregard and not help out? Honestly, its such a tough, complex idea, and say what you want to say, but what it comes down to I think is that the perfect storm mixed with the perfect culture and concentration of poor black people to create the perfect mystery. Racial complexities will always be an issue in this world, and I seriously wonder if and how racism will ever diminish. The best thing I can do now is to just keep New Orleans in my thoughts and prayers, continue to tell my story to people, continue to improve my own racial opinions, and continue to improve the world one human being at a time so nothing like this ever happens again.
Rondilienne Skordahl
I feel awful to admit that I can not recall where I was or what I was doing on August 29th, 2005 when the nation’s most devastating disaster struck the coasts along the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Katrina was projected to hit Florida with high winds, but then grow to be a category five hurricane by the time it wrapped around the Florida peninsula and hit both Mississippi, and Louisiana. Where was I when these news reports were being issued? Why didn’t I know that the hurricane simulation the government did showed that they levees that were currently up to par for the storm that was yet to come? I feel selfish for minding my own and probably spending my days packing up my things to move to Hampton, Virginia to start school and begin an internship/discipleship program called Master’s Commission. What could I have done to be more aware and more involved? What can I do in the future to not be so naïve to critical issues happening in the world around me?
As I said in the first paragraph, I was preparing to move to Hampton, Virginia when Hurricane Katrina struck. I arrived in Hampton on Saturday, September 10th, and even this area had been affected by the storm! My home opener, Nancy, lived right on the James River, and when she was showing me around her house and yard, she said that normally the water out back isn’t so high, but there had been flooding from Hurricane Katrina. The James River comes directly from the Chesapeake Bay right on the Atlantic Ocean, and runs through Virginia. I’m sure the Hurricane just caused some rain in Virginia, but it was affected none the less. A few other kids in the program mentioned being the rain that had came down on Virginia about two weeks prior to Master’s starting up.
Because of Hurricane Katrina actually, my year of Hampton Master’s Commission was unlike any others in its nine year past. The program officially began on Sunday, September 12th, and immediately on Monday we spent the entire day in the church parking lot accepting donations from residents, and companies of Hampton and loading them onto moving trucks to haul them out to Biloxi, Mississippi. Tuesday then, we hit the long road to Biloxi to offer our supplies and a helping hand to people in the area that were hit by Hurricane Katrina. While there, we worked in a warehouse, unloading cargo trucks, and organizing supplies. Some of our guys even met a man who needed help clearing his yard of debris, so they went over to his home one afternoon and helped him as much as they could. Being in Mississippi right after the storm was a great experience. It was neat that the kids that I was with did not know each other well, so our friendships did not hold us back from truly experiencing the trip and how the area was damaged. Our trip ended with a dinner of thanks put on by members of the church we were staying at. All the members present were so grateful with the work we had done for their city. I felt honored to have an impact on something of such great magnitude.
When I first saw posters for the New Orleans class being offered I was hesitant to be a part of this experience again. The signs themselves said something like, “Not your ordinary class experience!” and in all honesty it kind of intimidated me. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take on such passion again. Up until the point of taking the course, I had lived by Winona State life under the radar; subtle opinions, quiet expressions…The course called for more than that though! There was an initial challenge to “take the bull by the horns” and find out what I could about how New Orleans was affected, and then do something about it. It was, no doubt, a little intimidating at first. But my friend Lore and I decided to take the challenge on, and have a memorable spring semester, and exhilarating spring break. I had loved volunteering down in Mississippi a year prior, and I was anxious to see how the area had come along since then. Lastly, Lore and I were both really excited to learn about the community in New Orleans that was affected by the hurricane. People and their struggles mean a great deal to Lore and I, so to be a part of such a great act of kindness was moving for the both of us.
When first starting the class and reading Michael Dyson’s Come Hell or High Water, I was extremely startled to find such controversial thoughts to how the government, FEMA, and other leaders in the community handled (or rather didn’t) handle the disaster and chaos that was caused by Hurricane Katrina. Dyson had multiple elements to badger, and he certainly was not the only one! The articles, book excerpts, pod-casts, and other forms of information all showed a taste of aversion to the government’s response to Katrina. For example, they mentioned the flyover President Bush had his Air Force 1 do to survey the damage of the hurricane, and they were disgusted that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was seen buying shoes a few days after the catastrophe. It is hard for me to be disappointed with the government’s response because I want to have faith that they will always be in a position of help and support. Yes of course there are things they could have done better, but as for Condoleezza Rice buying shoes, I have no idea what the Secretary of State could have done to help New Orleans. I think after analyzing it time and time again, I have come to the conclusion that it was a very unfortunate and complicated situation that could have been handled with more precision and care. I feel can not be upset with the lack of response when I am not fully aware of the kinds of resources the government and the community had to offer the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Another issue with the response the hurricane is whether or not race and class had a significant impact on how and when people received help. I had the same kind of conflicting emotions for this argument that I did for the previous one regarding the government’s supposed lack of assistance. It makes me upset to think that such a trivial issue could have such an impact on whether or not people received the aid that they desperately needed. I think that class definitely influenced the evacuation for the simple reason that people of a higher class had better means and resources to evacuate New Orleans. I think it is ridiculous when there are projections made regarding white verses black relief in New Orleans because the majority of the population was black residents.
There are of course several good questions raised by the event of Hurricane Katrina. So many that we could have spent the whole semester just asking questions and debating the realities that were presented somewhat bluntly when it came time to handle the situation. I think that there can not possibly be just one answer to all the questions brought to the table because of the diversity of the area, and all the elements that needed to be covered. Many of the situations seem kind of subjective, and there could not have been one way to do things. I have found it’s easiest to take one thing at a time and do what you can to get a full understanding of the situation before making assumptions or forming ideas that indeed be false.
The actual trip to New Orleans helped to shape a lot of the views and ideas regarding Hurricane Katrina that were swarming around in my head. I saw first hand the devastation that areas like the Ninth Ward and Lakeview had been subjected to. The very house we stayed in had of been flooded with ten feet of water! A few things that I drew from my experience there was the immense array of diversity, and how many forms of encouragement I saw around the city. We had been reading about the vast culture that made New Orleans, but to actually visit the city and experience everything we had learned was something else! When first thinking of topics to discuss in this paper, I considered the diversity in New Orleans and realized how hard it might be for all of those different cultures to deal with Katrina. Each of them had different views; each of them had different needs; and each of them I’m sure had different conclusions regarding the aid given (or not given) to them during the fiasco. Think of the challenge to give this city what it needs! There could not have been just one day to do things; the government needed various means of relief, and several of these needs were not met.
As for what I said about several forms of encouragement around New Orleans, I found it all to be very inspiring. To give some examples, a sign put up by a developer in Lakeview that said “Love Coming Home,” a bumper sticker in the French Quarter that said renew orleans, a large wooden sign outside of Common Ground’s distribution site in the Lower Ninth Ward said “You Can Be Involved,” and lastly, in the Riverwalk Mall there was a poster drawn by a fourth grade student from the area that had a large picture of a flower on it, and said “New Orleans Will Bloom Again!!” I loved that people everywhere were anxious to rebuild and make New Orleans what it once was. They were excited to come back and make New Orleans home again regardless of the lack of help, and regardless of the huge challenge ahead of them.
I think that while in New Orleans, and since coming back, my original perspective has not exactly changed, but rather become more clear and more me. I was afraid to form opinions in the beginning-I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes or misinterpret information I was reading. But then as the course went on, and as we traveled to New Orleans, I began to be more okay with not having an opinion about everything. I liked to rather be an observer and take in my surroundings. Did I have to have something to say about everything I learned? I sure hope not! Like I mentioned earlier, I do not think there is not a clear view to be had regarding the Katrina fiasco. I may be sweeping some issues “under the rug” but it seems to be working just fine thus far. I of course think the evacuations and relief could have been handled better, but yet am encouraged by the people trickling back and encouraging others to do the same. I prefer to look to the future to see what we can do to rebuild rather than dwell on the past. In my opinion bringing up problematic issues over and over again will not do much good at all.
As one can see, I have experienced a lot throughout this course, but even after all that, there are still some unresolved issues regarding what happened when New Orleans was hit. A first question I have is how have the other communities made room for all the people in New Orleans that were replaced? We read about people moving to Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, or Northern Louisiana, and even the people we interviewed took residence in several places before coming back and rebuilding their lives in New Orleans. Then regarding the issue of coming back and restoring New Orleans, what if the rich culture that once resided there does not again find it roots? A majority of people that I talked to seem to have strong faith that New Orleans would rebuild to what it once was, but I can not help but question this idea of hope. Not to be pessimistic, but the fact that New Orleans may not be able to restore itself is a reality that people need to be prepared for. So if New Orleans does not acquire its past culture will other surrounding areas change? Maybe ten or fifteen years from now there will be a little bit of the lush culture in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi or Northern Louisiana. The last question I have is what about next time? The simulation the government did prior to Hurricane Katrina showed that the levees would not stand up against a category five hurricane; are they going to be so foolish to not be prepared again? Since we have seen that Mother Nature is capable of destroying an entire city, I think it would be wise to assume and put plans in order that would acknowledge this bleak fact.
In conclusion, I may not remember where I was or what I was doing on August 29th when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf of Mexico, but I am now doing what I can to be more aware of this situation as the time goes on. I have deeply appreciated everything that I have learned yet far within the Insights and Implications: New Orleans in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina course. I especially liked that there was not one method of obtaining information regarding New Orleans after the catastrophe. Each different form of communication had a new light and new perspective to present to me and the rest of the class. Lastly, I loved my time in New Orleans over Spring Break. I was able to experience the rebuilding efforts that multitudes of people in New Orleans were experiencing as well. It was so neat to walk the streets of the French Quarter, or drive by the 17th Street Levee that breeched, and recall a specific story or point of information that we had learned all the way back in our class room in Winona, Minnesota. I am eager to be continually learning and doing what I can to be more involved in such a impacting event.
Tricia Veale
“Oh a really huge hurricane went through the U.S. today, is everyone alright? Is the damage really bad?” This is what I thought when I found out about Hurricane Katrina. When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S., I just thought it would be fine and we all would keep on living our lives as usual. I never thought about the schools, businesses, and homes that were wrecked in the south. It just never occurred to me how bad this storm actually was and that it really was a huge devastation. The reason I took this course was to inform me of what exactly had happened in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina. I also had never done a service trip of any kind before and this was the perfect opportunity. What I was about to learn and see was beyond anything I had heard in the news, in classes, or anywhere else.
First off, I was just as ignorant as a lot of people were to the issues and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I did not know that it was really that bad. When I started learning about all the damage that occurred in New Orleans, I started to realize that it was beyond what I had ever imagined. I mean, we hear about hurricane season every year, I just didn’t think it was any different from the years before. We began reading articles and books about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on real people like me and that is when I realized that it was so tragic. These are actually people’s homes and lives that were and are wrecked because of a natural tragedy. I cannot imagine the emotions that these people must be feeling. However, while I was watching “When the Levees Broke”, I began crying because I could finally see the damage while learning about it as well. I made my roommates come watch it with me because I felt it was important to show them what exactly happened. I learned a lot from the reading; however, the video touched me more because it was actual visual images of New Orleans. I learned so much from this course and I just wish that everyone could go through it to recognize what is going on in our own country.
Although I learned a lot of the facts of Hurricane Katrina in the classroom, I did not learn what it actually felt like to see the damage. I really enjoyed the classroom portion of the class, but I do feel like I emotionally learned a lot more from the trip. I was so excited to go to New Orleans because it was a place that I did not know much about before. When we arrived there, I thought it was going to be such a great trip with lots of happiness and fun added to it. The first two days were so much fun, but I had no idea what was going to come when we started working on the houses.
The house that really affected me emotionally was the very last house we worked on. Monday through Wednesday were strenuous working days, but not as emotional as Thursday and Friday. We ended early on the house we were working on Thursday, so we moved to a different house. When we arrived at this house, I remember feeling this eerie sensation, as if we weren’t supposed to be there. I was hesitant to walk into the house while others seemed as if it was not a big deal. As I was about to walk into the house, people started walking out telling me that you could see where the family escaped from in the ceiling. At first I thought this would be awesome to see, but I was greatly mistaken. I walked in through the house which was just a disaster with mud, mold, belongings, cockroaches, rats, and lizards everywhere. The room that was straight across from the front door was filled with brown water-damaged boxes. It looked as if the family was ready to leave, but ran out of time. I then turned left to walk into the kitchen which was also a disaster. Pots, pans, mud, water, rugs, dishes, and kitchen utensils were all over the stove and counters as well as the floor. There was so much mud, I couldn’t believe it. I then entered the living room which was immediately off of the kitchen. It is so clear in my mind what it looked like. The TV was in the corner with DVD’s and videos surrounding it, the couch was disgustingly dirty from water and mud with blankets ripped and spewed across it, the coffee table had been shifted against the couch making it hard to walk through, and there were papers absolutely everywhere. I climbed over the coffee table to see old records all over the floor that were ruined from the flood. It made me sad to see so many records ruined because music plays such a huge role in my life. I finally arrived at the hall way where you could see the hole through the ceiling to the roof. There was a rusty tan fold out chair still sitting there, unfolded, from where they climbed up to safety. I couldn’t believe it. There seemed to be clothes hanging from the attic where the family sat. I personally did not stand on top of the chair to see inside the attic, but I did have others in our group take pictures. There were two blankets lying in the attic along with a jug of water. Obviously this family was lucky that they even got to safety and had blankets and water with them. I continued walking down the small, narrow hallway into a back bedroom. I do not remember much in this room because I was too involved in my thoughts of what I had just seen. I remember there were belongings spewed all over the room with a lot of water damage and dirt as well. I turned to the right to see a brown wooden desk where a dead cat laid. You could barely tell that it was a cat anymore except that it had a long tail and was smaller than a dog. It had black fur that was mangled and destroyed as well as missing from the body. Then you could see the bones of the cat as well. Once I saw this, I decided it was time for me to walk out of the house. I went out the same route I came in. I went to sit on the curb and gather my thoughts about what I had just seen.
A few others and I sat together and we all came to the conclusion that we felt as if we were invading into a house that should never be touched. It just seemed so wrong. I thought about all the pictures I saw in class of people standing on top of houses waiting to be rescued and that is all I could see when I looked at this house. It hurt me a lot to actually see this in first person. The ACORN workers finally showed up to the house to see a lot of us sitting outside upset. We told them what we had seen and how hurtful it was to actually see this. Another thing that was addressed was the fact that some of the people in our group were going through the boxes that were packed to see if anything could be saved. Although I understand where they were coming from, I also knew that we did not have permission to go through these boxes. We decided to have a group meeting about this house, our feelings, and the rules. It was a very emotional time for all of us. We decided to end our day since it was very hard for all of us comprehend our thoughts.
Friday was very different from Thursday which was slightly surprising. We went to the same house to finish our job, however when we got there, the ACORN workers were already there working very hard. They had cleared out a lot of furniture and belongings, as well as the dead cat. I was very happy to see this, as well as enthused. I knew I could work on the house. It was much easier to walk through the house without the feeling of invasion. Friday really proved to me that I could do anything that challenges me emotionally. It was a great feeling when we actually finished the house completely. Our entire group went outside and cheered, took pictures, and talked about how proud we were of ourselves. We then stood in a circle and discussed how much work we did and how proud of ourselves we should be. We then took a moment of silence for the families that were hurt by Hurricane Katrina.
I spent so much time writing on the last house we worked on rather than what I learned from the class or what we did all week was because the last house affected me in a way that I had never felt before. It is not as if I did not learn anything from the class or from the rest of the week, it is just that I was emotionally impacted from the very last house.
Once I was back in Winona, it was hard for me to describe to people what my trip was like and how it had impacted me because I knew that they just did not understand. I also had a hard time being happy after our return. I actually ended up going home the Wednesday after we returned because I was still so upset from what I saw. I spoke with my parents about my trip and was finally able to take everything I had experienced and turn it into a positive experience. I know it was a great thing what I did in New Orleans; however, I could not see that until I took a break from reality to relax. I now know that what I did and what I learned was a lot more than many others have done or learned. I am now able to give myself the credit which I deserve for helping so many families. I am incredibly happy that I took this class, as well as the trip.
Now when I think of this trip, one song comes to mind because of its lyrics. It is called “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls:
And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again.
These lyrics are strong in meaning which makes it easy to relate to life situations, such as Hurricane Katrina and the damage and hurt it caused so many Americans. I wish them all the best in their journey of a new life.
Kayla Gaulke
Participating in the hurricane relief/recovery work in New Orleans forever affected my life. When contemplating whether or not I should take the class I knew that this would be a once in a lifetime experience. I knew that this opportunity only comes around once so I decided to take it. I did not know that this experience of helping in hurricane relief work would change my attitude about life, and in turn affect my life overall. I believe that this experience and Hurricane Katrina has also helped me and our country become more aware of the problems in the United States. Overall, my experience in New Orleans was one that I will never forget with all the sights, activities, and places that I was involved in.
In August of 2005, I was a senior in High School and I knew that Hurricane Katrina happened, but we did not hear much about it afterwards. I had heard of how bad the situation was, but I didn’t quite know until I took this course. My great aunt Ginger lived in Slidell which was very close to New Orleans so I knew about the damage that New Orleans received. During the course of the New Orleans class I learned new aspects and ways of thinking with each reading. I loved reading about New Orleans, and it was extra special learning about it because I knew that I would be helping out in New Orleans in the near future. I was very excited to play my part as a volunteer and help out our fellow citizens get their lives back.
On March 3rd, 2006 the day had come where I got to put all of my knowledge that learned about New Orleans to work. We were leaving bright and early and I couldn’t contain myself. I was a little nervous (because I usually am a little on planes) but I was really anxious. I couldn’t wait to see the city that I had been learning about for the past seven weeks. I imagined what it was going to look like using the media pictures that we had watched in class.
The first thing that I noticed about the city from the airplane was all of the water surrounding it. I couldn’t believe how much water was all around the city. I could definitely get a sense of how the city is below sea level. I started looking for signs of Hurricane Katrina right away. Once we landed and was driving to our house, I couldn’t believe that the city was still struggling 18 months later. There was still a big “X” on each building it seemed, and many houses were still damaged. This made me even more excited to help out though because I wanted to make a difference and help out the great city of New Orleans. At the sight of all the houses I was greatly overwhelmed by the condition that everything was still in 18 months later. It blew my mind when I even tried thinking of what it would have been like amidst Hurricane Katrina and all of the flooding. Each vacant house that we drove by I wondered where the residents are living now and what their Hurricane Katrina story was.
Our first day of work came very quickly. I had no problem waking up because I was so anxious to start helping and seeing what we would be doing. After hearing all of the equipment that we had to wear and the risks of gutting the houses I was a little nervous. I knew with all of the equipment that I had to wear I would be safe, but the thought of going into houses that have been untouched for 18 months still made me a little creeped out. On the way to our first house, I was feeling excitement, nerves, anxiousness, and a sense pride. I felt the pride rush over me, and I soaked it in. I think it was the fact that I knew I was helping out now and was making a difference in someone’s life and helping my country. I knew that I was one of the few that were helping other families during their spring break and I was proud to be serving my country by volunteering my time and effort. Working in the houses gave me a sense of accomplishment that I will never forget. Arriving at each house and after I looked around and saw all of the work that I had to do made it seem like an impossible task. I found out that just seven hours later with everyone working together the impossible task became possible. It was such a feeling of accomplishment knowing that the house was completely gutted and the family was one step closer to coming back to their beloved city. The fact that I was down in New Orleans doing work that our government hasn’t even done yet, was such a rewarding factor. I really learned to work hard, and to take things one small step at a time. When we took things one small step at a time we can accomplish big things like in the end we finished a whole house in a day. That taught me an important life lesson to take things a step at a time, and not look at the big picture because it will seem impossible.
While providing relief work many people were greatly appreciative. Before going to New Orleans, I was a little worried about the all the different people in the city. I have lived in a small white town with the main population being Caucasian. I was a little nervous about going into a city that was 67% black. I didn’t quite know if I would feel welcome in the city or not. However, when I arrived in New Orleans I learned that many of the citizens are no different from where I lived. When the residents found out that we were gutting houses and helping with relief work, they opened up to us more so than if we were tourists. When we would be eating our lunch at the site each day people would drive by and tell us thank you. Everyone was so appreciative of us coming to New Orleans to help their city. I could tell that it meant so much to them that we were giving up our time to help them get back on their feet again. I felt so welcomed in the city and it was a great feeling to know that people were so appreciative.
The residents of New Orleans had such a positive outlook and great optimism that I envied. When meeting the residents of New Orleans they all talked about how God is taking care of them, and how God will spare them this hurricane season. When talking to Mr. Reggie he gave a great speech on how to remember to “be human” and help people. It was very motivational for me and it moved me in a way that I felt like I wanted to just go and fix the whole world. I loved his talk about how we can be anything that we want to be and do anything that we want to do. He gave us credit that we are actually “walking the walk” and not just “talking the talk” which made me feel very appreciated. He told us to remember to help others in need like we are doing. Most people put the sorrow out of their minds because they don’t like to think about. He said if a disaster could happen here it could happen anywhere, which is very true. His talk really opened up my eyes and I felt very content at that moment. I wanted to reach out and help everyone in need. I know that God put us on this Earth to help one another out, and in today’s time we really need to work on caring more about other people. Also, meeting Ms. Jerry was also inspirational. She had so much faith in God and that everything will work out in the end. There wasn’t much progress that was made from last year in her house, but the little progress that did happen she was extremely thankful for. This taught me to be thankful for the little things in life that I usually take for granted, like washers and dryers.
Hurricane Katrina has exposed some of the United States secret problems. These are problems that we have overlooked for a long time now and they are finally getting brought to the surface. One of the main problems that Katrina exposed was the issue of poverty. I think that the United States is caring more about other countries than their own. In our country prices of everything is rising from gas to food to schooling. We need to either stop raising the prices or pay people more. In New Orleans there are many people that didn’t go to college who are working the minimum wage jobs. We need people to work these jobs, but we need to provide them with more money so they can live a decent life. Katrina has also exposed the issue of our government money. The government is still not spending enough money on to fund good public school systems, nor are they spending enough money to help the families rebuild or rebuild proper levees. Our government needs to build proper levees and water controlling.
Another problem that is brought up is saving the wetlands. I think this is a very important problem; we need to find a way to patch the wetlands that we lost in the past years. When there are more wetlands, the hurricane doesn’t hit New Orleans as hard as it would. Lastly, another issue that is brought up by Hurricane Katrina is race. This was a very big issue because people thought that the governments’ response was slow because of race. I don’t think that it was race, as much as it was poverty. It just so happened that the majority of people below the poverty line is black, so race became an issue. I think it played a part with the way the media portrayed everything, but the government just wasn’t ready for this kind of disaster. A very important aspect that Hurricane Katrina also brought up was about FEMA and how our government handles emergency situations. We obviously were not ready for this which shows we need to be more prepared in the future. We need to fix our government’s programs so they can be ready if another disaster happens.
Overall, going to New Orleans changed me for the better. It has helped me find the joys of everyday things. I try not to take the little things for granted and be satisfied with what I have. I know that I have made a difference in at least four families’ lives. I realized that there is no better time to start doing what I love than now also. I learned that if I take one step at a time, it is better than to look at the whole picture sometimes. I also learned that we can accomplish a lot more if we take one step at a time. I realized that we need to care about each other more in the world too. I felt so content after we gutted out each home knowing that we accomplished all of this in a day, and now the family can start getting their life back. I also learned so much new things about New Orleans that I would have never learned otherwise. New Orleans found a place in my heart and it will never leave me. I will definitely be going back to New Orleans in the future. Thank you for providing me with this amazing experience.