Earlier this month, we returned to St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana with 28 others from our church to help the St. Bernard Project. Our group was split up to work on four homes in the towns of Violet, Meraux, and Chalmette to mud and sand the walls and get them ready for texturing and painting. These communities were flooded by up to 15 feet of water when Katrina-generated waves breached the surrounding levees on August 29, 2005.My team was assigned to the home of "Chalmettian" Ms. Karen, a former cop on disability from an aneurysm that struck her a few days before The Storm. When Katrina roared through town, despite her impairment, Ms. Karen joined her husband and son in rescuing countless neighbors from drowning by shuttling them by boat to the 2nd floor of a nearby school when floodwaters rushed down their streets. I still can't -- and don't really want to -- shake the stories that she shared with us while sitting on the aluminum steps of her trailer, where she still lives with her family adjacent to her house. Horrifying and sobering stories of the utter chaos and ugliness of human nature during a major time of crisis, and heart-warming stories of neighbors who reached out with a helping hand when no one else would.
I've certainly grown and matured -- and been jaded by -- our hurricane recovery trips these past couple of years. The memories I cherish most are from enriching interactions with the locals and long-term volunteers. Brave, resilient, gracious, inspiring, heroes. That's how I will always remember them.
2 comments:
they are brave... :) nice job -a
Here are my observations on the human situation OR "human nature."
1. The news crew covering Gustav, Hanna & Ike saw some of the devastations resulting from Katrina hardly 3 years ago. It's evident that many of those affected then have not, up to date, received any government help.
2. The rescue efforts put in by the government this time have been commendable however. The efforts in evacuating people from New Orleons was fairly well organized. Those responsible should be commended. Some residents were very keen to get back home once the news went out that the storm was over. When told they had to wait for a day or two more, their reaction was not very encouraging though. One said, "Had we known this we would not have moved here as your directed!"
3. Ignorance may not be the problem. It's a lack of awareness of one's own responsibilities and inability or unwillingness to learn or change one's way of life that is often the problem.
Readers may wish to comment on the above observations.
Y.
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