Perspective
As I was proof-reading my last post, I received a phone call from a good friend of mine. She was calling from Long Beach, Mississippi, where she is visiting with her daughter, who has moved to be near her boyfriend who works there in building construction. He is helping to rebuild homes and businesses lost to Hurricane Katrina.
My friend knew a call describing her experience would be of special interest to me, since Mississippi is my home state and the place where I spent the first thirty years of my life. I've known this particular friend for most of the remaining years that I've spent here in Virginia. We both found it ironic when her daughter told us she would be going to the Gulf Coast after graduating from college this past summer.
She says her daughter is somewhat depressed, and she was not directly effected by the devastation. She has not found a job, go figure, and that even though she would like to be of help to those in need around her, it is difficult to determine exactly what to do. The government is not doing enough, but has set mandates on what can and cannot take place without their intervention. It sounds as though most are in a kind of limbo...well, those that chose to remain. What she described to me in the first few minutes of our conversation was a 'ghost town.'
She began by telling me that she was looking out the window of the house her daughter had leased, one of the few houses that was still standing, but that surrounding the house were lots of concrete slabs where other houses used to stand. Many of the vacant houses remaining that were not leveled by the storm, were dark and hollow, marked by a big red X to signify that they were condemned. She had no idea where the former occupants were now.
While she mentioned that some clean-up had taken place, she described what she saw scattered around the concrete slabs and remaining houses. There was a random VCR with a tape strung out across the ground from it. There were other such identifible objects but the general feeling was bleak. No one had bothered to pick up the items strewn about. The owners were no longer present and besides, where would one put these destroyed possessions?
Long Beach is just a small town that is part of the long stretch of beach that is considered the Gulf Coast. It is not being rebuilt so quickly, and all shopping must be done in nearby Ocean Springs, which is a town that is a bit larger and has residents who were wealthier to begin with, and could afford to rebuild and remain where they were before.
Many of the residents of Long Beach are no where to be found, and the few that stayed, seem too poor, too devastated to determine what to do next. They seem to be waiting, biding their time, hoping for something better to happen in their lives. In the meantime, they exist on the meager monies (One such person shared that she'd received $14,000.00, which sounds like a lot of money, but we are talking about replacing a lifetime of possessions, including a house. In perspective, I recall viewing the renovation of a bathroom on a recent episode of a television program on 'HGTV'. The couple had saved enough money to turn their bathroom, deemed 'the ugliest in the neighborhood,' into the 'most elaborate and impressive they could afford.' Their budget was $45,000.00.) they've received from FEMA, which is just enough to keep them going, but not nearly enough to rebuild their broken homes and lives.
My friend did not mention the beach except to say that in this particular location, a huge cargo ship was docked in the Gulf at Long Beach just before the hurricane hit. It was full of crates of frozen chicken (yet another irony, because my ex made his fortune exporting chicken overseas), tons of chicken if my guess is correct. Concerned citizens inquired if the cargo could be moved before the storm hit, but there were no answers to their pleas to have it removed. Thus the reason for the condemnation of so many of the homes in the area was because of the pollution created by the vast amount of spoiled and rotting chicken scattered everywhere.
Needless-to-say, the description my friend provided of the coastline was of the sight of miles of nothing but debris and chicken bones for as far as she could see. She indicated that she would like to go out with garbage bags out and begin collecting the aftermath, but she had no clue where she would place it all afterwards.
While we were talking, one of the neighbors walked over to tell my friend that she was putting out some garbage, but that it was already full of maggots. She wanted to let her know she was aware of this situation, but that she had no clue what to do about it. My friend assured her she would add some Clorox bleach to the can, since she fortunately had some on hand. I could hear the lady respond with gratitude. Like my friend's daughter, I am sure she has become exhausted and overwhelmed, and therefore, despondent, considering the magnitude of work before her.
My friend went on to ask her what could be done with all the remaining trash that was continuing to be part of the ongoing problem, and this is when she learned that she and most residents were still waiting for word from 'officials', because they were told the situation needed to be assessed as it was in order for them to receive the proper assistance for their particular situation. Apparently they have been waiting for a long time, with no one appearing, so when threatened with maggots or worse, one has to do what one can do, I suppose, whatever that is.
A year later, these people seem to be forgotten, though their lives are far from being restored, now, if ever. At the end of our conversation, we were 'wondering,' as I have wondered this morning about other things, what we can do to change this situation. I will begin by passing this story on to all of you. My friend told me she had taken lots of pictures to share with me, because she knows I have a fondness for photography, and so I asked her to have her daughter send copies of the photos to me. I will share those with you, as well.
I can't do much more at the moment. But as I ponder the things I've heard, and eventually will see, I am challenged to do more than just sit and wonder....
...to be continued......
My friend knew a call describing her experience would be of special interest to me, since Mississippi is my home state and the place where I spent the first thirty years of my life. I've known this particular friend for most of the remaining years that I've spent here in Virginia. We both found it ironic when her daughter told us she would be going to the Gulf Coast after graduating from college this past summer.
She says her daughter is somewhat depressed, and she was not directly effected by the devastation. She has not found a job, go figure, and that even though she would like to be of help to those in need around her, it is difficult to determine exactly what to do. The government is not doing enough, but has set mandates on what can and cannot take place without their intervention. It sounds as though most are in a kind of limbo...well, those that chose to remain. What she described to me in the first few minutes of our conversation was a 'ghost town.'
She began by telling me that she was looking out the window of the house her daughter had leased, one of the few houses that was still standing, but that surrounding the house were lots of concrete slabs where other houses used to stand. Many of the vacant houses remaining that were not leveled by the storm, were dark and hollow, marked by a big red X to signify that they were condemned. She had no idea where the former occupants were now.
While she mentioned that some clean-up had taken place, she described what she saw scattered around the concrete slabs and remaining houses. There was a random VCR with a tape strung out across the ground from it. There were other such identifible objects but the general feeling was bleak. No one had bothered to pick up the items strewn about. The owners were no longer present and besides, where would one put these destroyed possessions?
Long Beach is just a small town that is part of the long stretch of beach that is considered the Gulf Coast. It is not being rebuilt so quickly, and all shopping must be done in nearby Ocean Springs, which is a town that is a bit larger and has residents who were wealthier to begin with, and could afford to rebuild and remain where they were before.
Many of the residents of Long Beach are no where to be found, and the few that stayed, seem too poor, too devastated to determine what to do next. They seem to be waiting, biding their time, hoping for something better to happen in their lives. In the meantime, they exist on the meager monies (One such person shared that she'd received $14,000.00, which sounds like a lot of money, but we are talking about replacing a lifetime of possessions, including a house. In perspective, I recall viewing the renovation of a bathroom on a recent episode of a television program on 'HGTV'. The couple had saved enough money to turn their bathroom, deemed 'the ugliest in the neighborhood,' into the 'most elaborate and impressive they could afford.' Their budget was $45,000.00.) they've received from FEMA, which is just enough to keep them going, but not nearly enough to rebuild their broken homes and lives.
My friend did not mention the beach except to say that in this particular location, a huge cargo ship was docked in the Gulf at Long Beach just before the hurricane hit. It was full of crates of frozen chicken (yet another irony, because my ex made his fortune exporting chicken overseas), tons of chicken if my guess is correct. Concerned citizens inquired if the cargo could be moved before the storm hit, but there were no answers to their pleas to have it removed. Thus the reason for the condemnation of so many of the homes in the area was because of the pollution created by the vast amount of spoiled and rotting chicken scattered everywhere.
Needless-to-say, the description my friend provided of the coastline was of the sight of miles of nothing but debris and chicken bones for as far as she could see. She indicated that she would like to go out with garbage bags out and begin collecting the aftermath, but she had no clue where she would place it all afterwards.
While we were talking, one of the neighbors walked over to tell my friend that she was putting out some garbage, but that it was already full of maggots. She wanted to let her know she was aware of this situation, but that she had no clue what to do about it. My friend assured her she would add some Clorox bleach to the can, since she fortunately had some on hand. I could hear the lady respond with gratitude. Like my friend's daughter, I am sure she has become exhausted and overwhelmed, and therefore, despondent, considering the magnitude of work before her.
My friend went on to ask her what could be done with all the remaining trash that was continuing to be part of the ongoing problem, and this is when she learned that she and most residents were still waiting for word from 'officials', because they were told the situation needed to be assessed as it was in order for them to receive the proper assistance for their particular situation. Apparently they have been waiting for a long time, with no one appearing, so when threatened with maggots or worse, one has to do what one can do, I suppose, whatever that is.
A year later, these people seem to be forgotten, though their lives are far from being restored, now, if ever. At the end of our conversation, we were 'wondering,' as I have wondered this morning about other things, what we can do to change this situation. I will begin by passing this story on to all of you. My friend told me she had taken lots of pictures to share with me, because she knows I have a fondness for photography, and so I asked her to have her daughter send copies of the photos to me. I will share those with you, as well.
I can't do much more at the moment. But as I ponder the things I've heard, and eventually will see, I am challenged to do more than just sit and wonder....
...to be continued......
posted by Di at 12:04 PM
2 Comments:
There is a disconnect here that makes me shake my head in disbelief.
Early this Spring, the modest home of a young couple with two toddlers burned in our little Midwest town. They had no insurance. The burned out shell of the home was torn down and trucked away by the city three weeks after the fire, when it was obvious the couple couldn't afford to rebuild, and the dangerous nuisance of a shell had to go.
The lot is still empty. I don't know what happened to the young couple..... it's my hope they had family to return to.
Doesn't it seem incredible?
A large number of people were affected by the hurricanes, so the Federal government stepped in to provide financial aid and other help. I'm sure this young couple would have been overjoyed to have more than the charity that was provided to them by fund raisers in our town!
It's my belief that government should rebuild infrastructure as quickly as feasibly possible when the debris comes to a complete halt, so citizens can begin to rebuild their lives. But having my tax dollars spent to rebuild homes is just wrong. That is what insurance is for, and is why we all should "hope for the best, plan for the worst."
While it was not my intent to make a political statement here, only to paint a picture of the devastation left behind in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, you make a good point. However, I have heard a lot of sarcasm in regard to the policy-owners of certain insurance companies. I was especially disheartened to hear the joke 'Nationwide is NOT on your side' because this is my carrier.
I don't know what the solution is to this problem. It's part of the frustration I felt in sharing it. I don't know that there are any good answers. I just know I feel empathy for those left behind to deal with this situation, whether they have insurance or not.
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