Well, I have remained unspoken on this topic long enough. So, let me start at the beginning.
Since Hurricane Katrina, my heart has so felt for the people of New Orleans. I can only imagine how it was for the people who live pay check to pay check and really work for a living, have children, try to do the best for their family and still find themselves coming up short each week. Did they even have enough money to get out of the city themselves? Most probably did or had family that lived elsewhere that were able to help them...
Then we move on and look at the poor and I mean poor people of the city. Now, for them my heart went out too during Katrina. Let me make clear I am not talking about the looters toting off tv's and such. That is beyond ridiculous. But, some people are just born into the poverty level stricken part of the US society and know no other way of living. Therefore, the cycle continues. I often wonder if they even know of see the world like others not living in the poverty level -just the world that those living from pay check to pay check trying to live life right know. These city of New Orleans was portrayed so horribly by the media during Katrina and many times stooped to the level of those awful looters. Showing dead body after dead body. Looking for the worst of the worst at the Super Dome and Civic Center.
Yes, those people should have left and didn't. I have prayed those people learned from Katrina even though we are all guilty of believing those horid things will never happen to our family.
Then, we move forward three years. Last month when we went to the Kid Rock concert in New Orleans I was absolutely amazed by the rebuilding and condition of the city. We traveled along the outside edges of the 9th Ward afraid to travel in to far. There were still FEMA trailers, marked and gutted homes. Yet, there were very nice little rebuilt homes too. I truely thought I saw an amazing amount of progress considering when we all saw on the news three years previous. The Super Dome looked normal again as well as the Civic Center.
Many people around the US do not understand the impact on our cities that open and provide shelter for the evacuee's. As I have mentioned before, I live 15 minutes from Shreveport, LA and this is where we do most everything. All of our shopping most of the time. During Katrina we had FEMA trailers for a long time at the LA State Fair Grounds. S'port provided many shelters across the city. Thousands entered the city and were helped. Even in the town I work in about 20 mins further into TX. They were hanging out everywhere. For the first time ever there was security in the mall at the small town in Marshall. Our town came together and provided food, clothing, toys, water, and medical attention at the Texas Tourist Bureau here in our town. I witnessed all three of these communities reach out to the evacuee's in such a way that was unbelievable to me in this day and time.
Hurricane Gustav...
The evacuation seemed from afar to have gone very well. Much better than Katrina and seemed though a lesson had been learned. Yet again, Shreveport opened shelters to the evacuee's. I am absolutely appalled at the situations surrounding us this time. What are these people thinking??? Or are they thinking?? Now, I am not speaking of all the people from New Orleans. I do know and believe there are many backgrounds and types of people within all cities. But, S'port opened the I don't know how many shelters and these evacuee's were still on the news complaining and griping about the conditions and what the government was not doing for them. GEEZ PEOPLE-----get up off your ass and do something for yourself. The shelters I know of ranged from churches opening there doors, Hirsch (where an animal shelter was also set up if you had brought your pet), the NEW Century Tel Center building, Bossier Civic Center, and when we ran out of room and they still kept coming by the bus load the city opened some additional shelteres in vacant buildings such as the old outlet mall and the old sams club building. Then, there they were on the evening news....one lady they interviewed was griping they did not have air conditioner in the old vacant sam's club building -but did she stop to think atleast she was not in the wind of what could have been a major hurricane. Now she just continued to look for her handout.
The next person I saw interviewed on the local news was the one who really impacted my way of thinking about this whole New Orleans/Hurricane mess. I have always tried to look at the other side of the Katrina effects when people say they don't feel sorrow for them if they were stupid enough to stay or they get what they deserve, or many other even worse comments I will not post here. So this lady proceeds to tell the little news caster man something to the effect of, "They out us on a bus, sent us to this place with no a/c (the old vacant outlet mall building that was opened as a last minute shelter because they kept coming by bus and our cities were becoming full). My baby does not even have milk or pampers and they have not even given it to me."
All I could think is, What the Hell? What the Hell is this woman thinking? They told you to evacuate the city and bring the essentials. ESSENTIALS! Does your baby's formula and pampers not qualify as essentials. Come on people you have to work with us during these situations if you continue to want to live in a city where these weather conditions are possible. Many, many cities provided shelters and essentials, yet we continuously get these types of remarks?? Take some responsibility for yourself and YOUR BABY!
I was asked on a couple of occasions to volunteer at some of the shelters in Texas. I did not step up to the plate because of the autoimmune suppressent meds I am on and did not want to take the chance. Knowing I have responsibilities to my family. I did continue to pray for these people though----even after the ladies comments about her baby and many other awful situations I knew of. Then there was this one which for me pushed it over the limit...
At a small shelter housing about 150 people, there was evacuee's dealing and evacuee's having sex out in the open in front of children. The police had to be called several times to get these situations under control. I am not even going to share what I thought about this one.
My last remarks for this post is: I love visiting the city of New Orleans. I believe it has such culture and beautiful architect. I know of all the other things that I consider not to be good in New Orleans and I stay away from those as I do in any city I visit. New Orleans is truely a different experience I have not found anywhere else.
However, what I have witnessed here in our community---a community set up to help the evacuee's s pothetic on the evacuee's part.
