Still Waiting
That is the title of the documentary I watched on PBS tonight about families in St. Bernard Parish. It's been two years since Katrina now, and there is no possible excuse at any level of government for why St. Bernard Parish is (effectively) still a wasteland.
I'm not going to get into the details of the documentary except to say that it was very good, and that it really got me to thinking. I have a tendency to distance myself from the lack of recovery in New Orleans for several reasons:
1) I didn't lose anything in the storm.
2) I didn't grow up there, I don't have family there, and the friends I do have there are all doing very well for themselves.
3) The place had HUGE problems when I moved there 3 years before the storm, so the fact that it still has problems (though they are exacerbated by poor government) is no surprise.
4) I am a cynical person, so I feel that any town that effectively prides itself on corruption, a welfare state, and doing things backwards needs to be willing to reap what it sows.
That said, I am also certain that the failed recovery in New Orleans is in fact a national tragedy, the magnitude of which has not (and might never fully) be realized. The poor response to the immediate aftermath of the storm is one tragedy, to be certain. In my view, the tragedy of the storm also created an opportunity to change for the better, start with a clean slate etc., and that would've been the best thing that could've happened to New Orleans. For some time shortly after the storm, I remained optimistic that this would happen.
At a superficial level, New Orleans is a national treasure. Its history and its culture today are unique, and worth preserving. You will not find better food, festivals, or music in any American city, period. We are a country that claims to celebrate diversity, and New Orleans could be a poster child for diversity.
At a deeper level, there are many aspects of New Orleans social life - specifically family structures and a "sense of community" - from which other American communities could learn a great deal. Just as there are certain foods and traditions unique to New Orleans, there are communities in and around New Orleans that are entirely unique, AND WORTH PRESERVING.
The fact that so many families have been mistreated down there, that we have a food and shelter crisis in our own nation that the Federal government has failed to take action on (while we dump billions into Iraq) is beyond my comprehension. The fact that this crisis has caused irreparable harm to some of the most tightly-knit families and communities in the country is appalling.
New Orleans still only has 66% of its pre-Katrina population back, and St. Bernard Parish has a mere 35% of its population back. The more time passes without significant, tangible infrastructure improvements, concrete recovery plans, and a long-overdue infusion of resources into the greater New Orleans area, the less likely it is that any recovery will meet with any success. There are some extremely patient people out there who are still waiting to return home, but as each day passes, more and more of those people join the ranks of former New Orleans residents who have found a better life for themselves in another city and have no plans to return.
I'm not going to get into the details of the documentary except to say that it was very good, and that it really got me to thinking. I have a tendency to distance myself from the lack of recovery in New Orleans for several reasons:
1) I didn't lose anything in the storm.
2) I didn't grow up there, I don't have family there, and the friends I do have there are all doing very well for themselves.
3) The place had HUGE problems when I moved there 3 years before the storm, so the fact that it still has problems (though they are exacerbated by poor government) is no surprise.
4) I am a cynical person, so I feel that any town that effectively prides itself on corruption, a welfare state, and doing things backwards needs to be willing to reap what it sows.
That said, I am also certain that the failed recovery in New Orleans is in fact a national tragedy, the magnitude of which has not (and might never fully) be realized. The poor response to the immediate aftermath of the storm is one tragedy, to be certain. In my view, the tragedy of the storm also created an opportunity to change for the better, start with a clean slate etc., and that would've been the best thing that could've happened to New Orleans. For some time shortly after the storm, I remained optimistic that this would happen.
At a superficial level, New Orleans is a national treasure. Its history and its culture today are unique, and worth preserving. You will not find better food, festivals, or music in any American city, period. We are a country that claims to celebrate diversity, and New Orleans could be a poster child for diversity.
At a deeper level, there are many aspects of New Orleans social life - specifically family structures and a "sense of community" - from which other American communities could learn a great deal. Just as there are certain foods and traditions unique to New Orleans, there are communities in and around New Orleans that are entirely unique, AND WORTH PRESERVING.
The fact that so many families have been mistreated down there, that we have a food and shelter crisis in our own nation that the Federal government has failed to take action on (while we dump billions into Iraq) is beyond my comprehension. The fact that this crisis has caused irreparable harm to some of the most tightly-knit families and communities in the country is appalling.
New Orleans still only has 66% of its pre-Katrina population back, and St. Bernard Parish has a mere 35% of its population back. The more time passes without significant, tangible infrastructure improvements, concrete recovery plans, and a long-overdue infusion of resources into the greater New Orleans area, the less likely it is that any recovery will meet with any success. There are some extremely patient people out there who are still waiting to return home, but as each day passes, more and more of those people join the ranks of former New Orleans residents who have found a better life for themselves in another city and have no plans to return.
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