Topic : 08/28 Hurricane Katrina: One Year Later

I just returned from New Orleans on a mission trip with my church.  We stayed in the French Quarter which was not affected by Katrina.  We did tour the area of devastation which was awful but we had to look hard to find it. 

It seems half the people of NO are removed and have no desire to return. The people who are there are dealing as best they can.  We had many people tell us that as bad as the worst area tooked, Mississippi had it a lot worse. These are the people in the French Quarter who now have rajor wire around their homes.

It really frustrates me that everyone focuses on New Orleans when Mississippi had the worst part of Katrina.  New Orleans was spared except for the levees breaking. and the people with their hands out waiting for the government to bail them out. 

Apparently Houston has twice the crime rate it had before Katrina (murders are up 18% which Houston police have atrtributed to evacuees from NO) while New Orleans has half the crime rate it had.  Although the night our church group pulled out from Vieux Carre Baptist Church,  there were  eight people murdered no more than 2 blocks away.  The National Guard had been obvious everywhere we went.  Apparently they had been called out the week before we arrived because of previous murders. 

So...if half the people have left and now live in elsewhere and are committing crime there - what does that tell you?  Of course. with a mayor like they have - who can't even see the difference between September 11th and the levees breaking in New Orleans and doesn't know how to MAKE the people leave, what could we expect?

Those people are accustomed to staying in bars and partying whenever a hurricane hits so they disregard what anyone says.  Then when their rental property is flooded they expect someone to bail them out.

 I had never been to New Orleans before the last week of July (although I voluneered with the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross after Katrina hit) the architecturet impressed me,  and  I saw the areas of devastation, I still see no reason for the hoopla especially when here are people in Mississippi who have not received the attention and help they deserved althogh they were more devastated than NO.  They helped themselves and didn't beg. That's the differemce betweem the mentalities of the two states and  the people who run them..

Thanks!

Cathy Pritchett

The Red tape is to prevent scammers from using their FEMA money for playstations, porno dvds, HUGE widescreen TVs, cruise ship vacations, gambling in Vegas, etc. which unforunately seems to be rather common (the previous are all examples I know or have heard about.) It's too bad so many abuse the system that is designed to help them (biting the very hands that feed them), as it only makes it harder for people who really DO need the money to get it. Red tape is very annoying, but it's necessary otherwise who knows how many more billions would be wasted on new leather sofas and 64" TVs (I guess some could argue that TV is a necessity but 64 inches? give me a break!) New Orleans and the feds need to find the right balance between being helpful and being overly generous.

First of all, I want to say my heart goes out to the Katrina victims.  Compared to their losses, the hurricanes that hit Florida were a walk in the park, HOWEVER...a few things must be made known.

Our President Bush took the blame for what happened in New Orleans.  But you know what?  When a hurricane is out in the gulf of Mexico, it isn't the President of the United States who knocks on doors telling people to evacuate.  It's local officials, not govenors, not even mayors, it's local people like firemen and police. 

First to evacuate are the barrier islands, and it isn't done when you're under the winds of a hurricane, it's done when it's an approach of a hurricane, perhaps during the warning time.  Then the low lying areas, mobile homes, elderly, hospitals, etc.  In an order!  With a plan.  I can't believe hospital officials didn't take it in their own hands for the safety of their patients!

The govenor of Louisiana though, should be blamed for much for not having not only a plan in place, WAY ahead of time, but put into action in an organized fashion.  Florida is very lucky to have Govenor Bush when a hurricane hits.  The difference in pre-action is amazing.  The television reports are alarming to residents, evacuation routes are already signed in advance on the roads, stores are stocked with supplies you need, local preventative measures in the way of brochures are given to people ahead of time in grocery bags.  There are pages in the phone book of what to do in case of severe weather.  The difference is prevention.

I was only 3 miles away from the eye of Hurricane Charley.  Hurricane Charley for those of you who don't know is the one who was supposed to hit Tampa, but instead took a severe, quick turn onto Sanibel Island and went up the Charlotte Harbor, which is only minutes from my house.  We had VERY little warning.  What about all the planning I was writing about?  Well, it was all in place for TAMPA.  TAMPA was majorly evacuated, we had the warnings to put in outside furniture, be prepared for some high winds, have supplies handy, have pets secured, barrier islands (like Sanibel Island which was hit BAD) were evacuated ahead of time (thank God). 

So for what we thought as per our weather reports, we were prepared.  But weather reports can be wrong, we are dealing with a force of nature here!  A hurricane can be like a butterfly.  It can go one way, be on a path, and then suddenly turn course. 

I remember August 13, 2004.  I was on my computer, but had the tv on for coverage.  When I heard it hit Sanibel Island, (it still wasn't even raining outside our place) I took my dogs out to do their business and then prepared thier area.  I then put blankets and pillows in the only closet we had which had no outside walls. 

Then the news hit that it was heading up to the Charlotte Harbor.  And onto Edgewater Drive, which is only four blocks from my home.  Could we leave in time?   NO!  You had to hunker down the best you could.  Bridges were already closed.  No way out.  Trapped?  We didn't know for sure how hard it would hit.

Suddenly winds really started to pick up.  We took the cat and sat in the closet.  The rain came.  But not just rain.  It sounded like an nail gun on the windows, pow, pow, pow!  We heard the tiles being ripped from the roof.  Could hear trees snapping outside.  My husband had his body placed against the closet door and he said, 'You can't imagine the force.'  I was praying.

When the eye passed, we left the closet and I told my husband to not open any outside door or window because it changes the air pressure in the house.  He went and applied his hand to the sliding glass door during this time, the calmest part before the winds rip from the other direction, and he told me, you can feel the glass vibrating.

When it was all done with, our screened lanai was torn apart, but still intact (the only one on the street.).  Trees were down all over.  A powerline was drapped across what was left of our roof, which was down to bare plywood.  The street looked like a scene from a WWII movie.  Litter everywhere.  Shingles from everyone's homes scattered.  A piece of aluminum was forced and daggered into a garage door across the street.  Palm trees were bent over.  Tree tops were gone.  The mess was overwhelming to look at.  Our grill fell into our pool.  (What a mess, I won't even go there.)

After the storm was over, we went out to the garage to check on our dogs, and they were all huddled in the smallest cage together, scared...and we comforted them.  They were okay though.  We managed to get a generator the next day from a friend a few towns away so they had fans on them at least in the 90 degree heat of the day, but it was hot.   We drove two towns away to get ice just for the dogs, and to get gas for the generator.  It was to be a daily ritual for a week until we had power.  When the national guard came in, then I got my ice there, and I put it in a large kiddy pool I had, let it melt for the dogs, and it kept the floor cool too as well.  They were okay, not spoiled as normal, but more in survival mode.  (I had plenty of food for them.)

But we were lucky...wow were we lucky.  When we finally got down to Edgewater Drive the next couple of days, we were alarmed at what we saw.  It looked like something out of a horror show.  All you could do was cry for total strangers knowing very well, it could have been you...just a few blocks.  Homes had no roofs, windows blown out, telephone poles layed on houses, cars scattered on their sides, just horrific.

But you look around you and wonder, 'Where do you start?' 

You have no power, no phone service (not even cel phones, over 300 towers went down in the storm, you had to go two towns away before they worked.)

Thank God for digital cameras.  You take pictures of the devastation for the insurance company, then you begin the awesome task of clean up.  To give you an idea, I picked up seven large green garbage bags of shingles from my front yard alone.  In the HEAT of the scorching sun.  My husband had his company put a waterproof paint filler on the roof to protect our house from further damage.  I won't get into details of all the cleanup, but it was awesome.

You do clap and put a smile on your face when you see the national guard come in.  (Not shoot at them.) 

And things change.  You see disaster relief trucks, the Red Cross and Salvation army on nearly every corner.  Temporary booths set up for insurance companies to do claims.  Twisted metal everywhere, signage blown out, no traffic lights.

Guess what?  The community rebuilds, slowly.  There are still homes untouched.  It took us six months to get a new roof.  We called from our hotel room (which you can't call any local businesses because THEY all got hit), for needed repairs and when I called to get an estimate, the girl told me we were on page 23 of legal pads full of requests, it will be weeks if not months for any action.  Patience was something you quickly learned.  See, many of the workers, lost their homes too.  Familiar frequented places of business GONE. 

Yes, we hear about Katrina, but we didn't have a tenth of the publicity they had.  I didn't see Dr. Phil come to our town.  Nor Oprah, nor T.D. Jakes.  But widespread depression hit, post traumatic depression hit, families who got along great were not in divorce mode.  It's stressful.  VERY.

But somehow, you survive.  Your mind goes into survival mode. 

We didn't have nearly the damage as Katrina had, but let me tell you, I could tell you of how my best friend and her family of four kids and her husband spent six weeks in their bedroom because it was the only useable room in the house.  When the insurance finally did kick in, her family of six stayed in a 35 foot trailer for two years while their home was being repaired, and they are STILL waiting on things.  Since 2004! 

My heart really does go out to the kids of New Orleans and surrounding areas most.  Their lives will be changed forever. 

But Dr. Phil, honestly, if you want to do a story, pick the one with the most coverage.  I won't even go into the story of another friend on the east coast who lost two homes in two hurricanes within two weeks. 

Dr. Phil, your efforts are to be commended and praised, but honestly, you should focus on ALL hurricane victims, not just Katrina, what a total insult to victims of hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jean, etc.  Do we not matter?  Do you know the numbers before Hurricane Jean hit that year is four out of five homes in the state of Florida were hit already?  THE whole state was hit that year, not just one town. 

I could only wish that you could talk to the survivors of the Florida hurricanes for equal coverage, that's all. 

I thank you for all you've done, especially for the children of Katrina.  I know I wrote you before to include my friend who has four kids who were hit from Hurricane Charley, and your audience coordinator called her with the wonderful news that your staff was flying her out there, placing her in a hotel, etc.  They received all the wonderful gifts you gave out on that Christmas show.  Let me tell you, it lifted their spirits.  You have NO idea how much it lifted their spirits.  And it's what you CAN do...so I acknowledge it. 

I truly think though, that you should focus on a DISASTER relief program, not just Katrina.  You're slighting so many people that way.  You have brought so much focus on a need, and there is so much more you could do.  Just give it some thought is all I ask. 

Thank you for allowing me to air my thoughts.

Sincerely, Kathleen of Port Charlotte