5 years ago...

August 29th, 2005 was one of the most tragic natural disasters to ever grace the United States. But what made Hurricane Katrina more devastating was the aftermath and the man-made mistakes prior to and after the storm.
It is clear that the damages that happened to New Orleans and other cities along the Gulf Coast weren't just out of a natural disaster, but of the ignorance of man. Recovery is still in the distance and with the recent Oil Spill in the Gulf it will be hard-pressed to see how much longer Recovery will be.
I think you have heard me say it before: I LOVE NEW ORLEANS. It has a special place in my heart. I have spent 2 Spring Breaks in the city working on rebuilding efforts and meeting with organizations and community members throughout the area, discussing the different techniques they are all using to bring New Orleans back and better than ever.
5 years ago, however the effects of the storm were the most shocking display of pure ignorance I have ever seen. People standing on top of their roofs in stifling heat with little to no water or food are just left there for our public viewing. It was frustrating watching these women, men and children pleading for help and asking to be assisted and not receiving any assistance. It was the most dysfunctional assistance as well. How is it that people who are being transported to other places, don't know where they are going until they get there. And not only that, families are being split up. Children not knowing where their relatives are, parents not knowing what happened to their kids. More than 1 Million people were displaced due to the storm.
The storm revealed much of the corruption and ailments of the city. It allowed the rest of the world to have a sneak peek into the world that many lived in for years. Low wages, horrible education system, a jacked up justice system, a jacked medical system, a class based, race based community that was just getting by.
And what happened now 5 years later. Well 5 years later, we have people still dying from the mismanagement of the FEMA trailers, we have people dying from the PTSD that they are suffering from after the storm. We have an education system that is still fractured, buildings that are still not opened. Communities that are empty. Race and class issues are still prevalent and severely fractured. New Orleans was one of the first cities that had a Public Housing Facility created out of FDR's New Deal. And now, with the effects of the storm and people's greed- we have a "free" lead into Gentrification. All of the Public Housing Facilities are now closed, housing facilities that could have been restored for families to return to New Orleans. But instead you still have meager living wages and now high prices in the housing market- so my question is "What type of community are you rebuilding?" Because obviously it isn't the same one that left.
Now with this Oil crisis, it seems that New Orleans can't catch a break, but you know what I hope that during this 5th year Remembrance period, we the American People and Public realize that a city like New Orleans can't be erased from our history. And that we use New Orleans as a case study and continue to demand that things change. For me New Orleans lives in my blood. I caught the NoLa bug and would eventually love to settle in that great city and help it to rebuild itself, so that the culture and the people can return.
New Orleans serves as a case study for me in regards to what will become of Haiti in 5 years. Much worse than the corruption in New Orleans, Haiti has a Long fight ahead of them, but I think we have begun to see some strides happening in New Orleans that makes me that much more hopeful for the future of Haiti.
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