Five years ago...
Aug. 29th, 2010 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nolawitch58After the wind roaring through the night, I awoke that Monday morning to a strange silence. There was no traffic on the busy street in front of my condo. There were no planes overhead bound for Louis Armstrong International. The hum and thrum of dozens of electric devices and an air conditioning unit were absent from my home. We opened all the windows for the scant breeze and waited for the Entergy trucks to restore our electricity.
While we waited, I picked up shingles from the grass and street, making neat piles for the parish trash department when they returned to work. Little by little, neighbors ventured out of their houses. We chatted amongst ourselves, welcoming those who joined our modest groups. During that time, we thought we had dodged the bullet. We had no idea that the levees had breached and water was drowning parts of the city. That afternoon, I walked around the neighborhood, seeing the roof had blown off the high school gym and a section of wall was off the furniture store. I went to Vel's to see if her place was intact. It looked fine, but looks were deceiving.
In the evening with nothing else to do, we placed chairs in the parking spot in front and enjoyed the night sky. It was still quiet by us.
The next morning, the trucks pulling boat trailers began rolling by. The helicopters began flying incessant missions. Our radio never worked properly. Neighbors said they heard there was a lot of flooding, and a shark was sighted at the Veterans abd Causeway intersection. That sounded so nuts, I didn't believe anything else. Still the boats passed and the helicopters buzzed.
By Wednesday, having no power and nothing to do got old. When the phone rang in the afternoon, it was a welcome diversion. Only then did I learn the extent of the devastation. Hubby and I talked it over and decided to leave. We gave our provisions to the neighbors, emptied the fridge, packed the car, loaded the cats and drove out Airline Highway. By the time we got to Williams Boulevard and then the I-10, I was glad we were going.
The wind had torn so many building up. Listening to the radio in the car finally brought the flooding to focus for us. As we drove away, we saw convoys of police and buses and ambulances driving toward town. I don't know where they went, but it wasn't sufficient or soon enough. That was late Wednesday, two days had elapsed since the levees broke. Everyone who had a TV knew the Superdome was full of people and there were myriad others in their homes in the affected areas.
Why wasn't the effort mounted on Monday? Why were the only responders I saw on Tuesday locals? In hindsight, I know that the federal response was purposefully mismanaged to make all government look ineffective and besides, who wanted to waste tax money on a bunch of poor riff-raff in a city known for alcohol consumption and titty bars? Being surrounded by right-wing fucksticks in Alexandria made me want to scream. I still want to scream and slap the snot out of anyone who thinks New Orleans, an American city, deserved such shabby treatment.
While we waited, I picked up shingles from the grass and street, making neat piles for the parish trash department when they returned to work. Little by little, neighbors ventured out of their houses. We chatted amongst ourselves, welcoming those who joined our modest groups. During that time, we thought we had dodged the bullet. We had no idea that the levees had breached and water was drowning parts of the city. That afternoon, I walked around the neighborhood, seeing the roof had blown off the high school gym and a section of wall was off the furniture store. I went to Vel's to see if her place was intact. It looked fine, but looks were deceiving.
In the evening with nothing else to do, we placed chairs in the parking spot in front and enjoyed the night sky. It was still quiet by us.
The next morning, the trucks pulling boat trailers began rolling by. The helicopters began flying incessant missions. Our radio never worked properly. Neighbors said they heard there was a lot of flooding, and a shark was sighted at the Veterans abd Causeway intersection. That sounded so nuts, I didn't believe anything else. Still the boats passed and the helicopters buzzed.
By Wednesday, having no power and nothing to do got old. When the phone rang in the afternoon, it was a welcome diversion. Only then did I learn the extent of the devastation. Hubby and I talked it over and decided to leave. We gave our provisions to the neighbors, emptied the fridge, packed the car, loaded the cats and drove out Airline Highway. By the time we got to Williams Boulevard and then the I-10, I was glad we were going.
The wind had torn so many building up. Listening to the radio in the car finally brought the flooding to focus for us. As we drove away, we saw convoys of police and buses and ambulances driving toward town. I don't know where they went, but it wasn't sufficient or soon enough. That was late Wednesday, two days had elapsed since the levees broke. Everyone who had a TV knew the Superdome was full of people and there were myriad others in their homes in the affected areas.
Why wasn't the effort mounted on Monday? Why were the only responders I saw on Tuesday locals? In hindsight, I know that the federal response was purposefully mismanaged to make all government look ineffective and besides, who wanted to waste tax money on a bunch of poor riff-raff in a city known for alcohol consumption and titty bars? Being surrounded by right-wing fucksticks in Alexandria made me want to scream. I still want to scream and slap the snot out of anyone who thinks New Orleans, an American city, deserved such shabby treatment.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 05:45 pm (UTC)I didn't stay. We got out then wound up over in Memphis with the hospital.
I've done some retrospection too. You have to scroll down two and then the next several are Katrina related.
http://lauraroachdragon.blogspot.com/
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 08:20 pm (UTC)So surreal to be in NOLA it must have been - I felt the same way here in March. I was high and relatively dry on my part of the island, but my next door neighbor had water coming in, and the north end of the island, I heard, got a lot. Not to mention places in Cranston and Warwick. It was damn weird to see FEMA relief tents here in Rhode Island.
Irony: when I was in NOLA, we got our respirator masks from a company in RI. Post-flood, we had to get them from out of state, because the warehouse/hardware store was under six feet or so of water.
Made me think.
Although, in no way does our flooding compare to yours. Lady New Orleans says to me, "I'ma let you finish, but I had the biggest flood." And it's true. No one died here (except for four bunnies left in the mall by careless people, ugh), and although many roads were closed for months and some places looked like parts of NOLA, there was not the kind of widespread, all over destruction in NOLA.
And many people died in NOLA, and many were hurt, and the city is still destroyed in many places.
But the spirit of the people of New Orleans has not been destroyed, and it never will be. My favorite people, and my favorite city. I love you all. Inspirational, that's what you are.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 08:50 pm (UTC)I'm glad, that you all are okay.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 10:57 pm (UTC)Even before knowing you and other people in the area, I'd developed a strong attachment to the City of New Orleans through following the Saints up through the 90's. So even from far away, it felt close to home. Back then I was doing the consultant thing and was on a project with several others that was pretty well in hand, so I had plenty of time to scour the net for news and info.
As I remember, there was a strange lull right after the hurricane made landfall and struck at the city. As if there was a giant indrawing and holding of breath, hoping that the damage would be at least bearable. And for a brief moment, luck seemed to be holding. But then, a sort of slow-motion explosion started happening, as the waters started flowing in and people started to write that this would get really bad. And as 24 hours became 48 and 72 and more, a dreadful feeling started sinking in for me.
But also anger. As reports started coming out about violent episodes and people caught in awful circumstances, and I saw aggressions rising in several online places, anger and frustration became the dominant feeling for me. And I believe many other people. Most of all, seeing what was happening and more importantly, not happening was both astonishing and infuriating.
For several years, I'd had nothing but anger and contempt for the people in power over your way. During those day 5 years ago that turned into hate. I know it's a strong word and I don't use it lightly, but that's what it was and is, to this day. Though today it's a colder kind of feeling, but possibly even deeper. It's also not just against individual people but an overarching ideology that has wrought much harm over many decades. I could go on, but I'll take that to another post in my own journal.
In any case, dear Nolawitch, thank you for your voice, it's a priviledge knowing you. And good luck in the future to everybody in New Orleans. Oh and Geaux Saints ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-29 11:14 pm (UTC)The Interdictor LJ was the only source of useful information for some time. The normal media channels were not much help.
And I watched a first world country make a complete hash of coping.
A country that makes a big deal about telling every other country in the world how to live.
A country that has many more big hurricanes in populated areas than we do, that has FEMA which is held up as an example to all emergency services around the world ... so much more experience, people and equipment, and your government still couldnt get it right.
And you had 5 days notice that it was coming. That made it even worse.
If our government mismanaged something to that extent it would bring it down.
Honestly, Australia did it better with a city 2000 miles away from civilisation when Tracy hit Darwin completely unexpected on Christmas day in 1974 - (Darwins a bit smaller than NOLA but we had to fly in all our assistance, people leaving had to drive at least 400 miles to get to the nearest large town.) Our defence forces did a better job of helping without any previous preparation than your government managed to do with equipment and disaster plans and many more similar occurrences. We didnt have the internet and only limited satellite phones in remote areas. People still used radio to communicate in remote areas then. The government department I worked for in Perth sent staff to the state border to help people driving out - called them back from annual leave. (I just looked it up on Wiki - such a small storm to cause so much damage.)
I (and every other UFie) were so relieved that everyone we knew made it out somehow.
I am happy that you and oot and the others have managed to put your lives back together.
And I am glad to see that NOLA is slowly coming back to something resembling normal: the first Mardi Gras after Katrina was so good to see. And sad to see that District 9 is still not rebuilt. (It took 10 years for Darwin to return to anything resembling normal - mind you, there wasnt much left of the city blocks :P)
From the Dome
Date: 2010-08-30 01:57 pm (UTC)That last paragraph brought the tears to my eyes. As someone who was in the Dome, we wondered the same damn thing. Were we not American citizens? How dare they say that New Orleans should just be razed and never rebuilt. What a bunch of idiots we were to live in a bowl, they said. And where the fuck was the help our government should have sent right away? I had my little battery operated shower radio that allowed us to hear it all and I couldn't believe how easily we were ridiculed, and dismissed. The anger, heartbreak and just plain fear was almost too much to bear.
Blessed Be our city, she is truly the Queen of the South!
Melissa
no subject
Date: 2010-08-30 02:42 pm (UTC)SO glad you made it through. You AND your beautiful city.