By the time you read this, it will have already passed, but I think it’s something that we all should reflect on. Five years ago our country was devastated by a natural disaster so big that not only did it cripple the beautiful glowing spirit of NewOrleans, but took more than 1800 lives as well. It was a time when people not only questioned our U.S. government (deservedly), but also had questions about their faith. Five years later, where do we stand and what have we learned? Isthere hope? Have we learned from our mistakes and built the levies up so nothing of this proportion could ever happen again? Would we be prepared for something of this magnitude if it happened again? According to New Orleans a topemergency management official, the effort was called a “national disgrace”. My first thoughts when I sit back and think about where New Orleans stands after the hurricane is nothing to smile about. The city is still struggling due to the economic downturn produced after the hurricane. The crime rate is still one of the highest in the U.S.. Not to mention there was an oil spill that just happened in the region, which didn’t make it easier. Being able to go to New Orleans a couple times a year due to work has given me a first hand look at everything there. It has let me meet people
that were there during the hurricane and pry information from them about the disaster. One thing that I have learned is their hope and love for the city hasn’t faded. Even with all the trials and tribulations that they have gone through, theirbelief that their city will be revived and back to a cultural destination that the world has loved and cherished has notfaded. More than that, they still have the belief and love for their city to stay there. Hope is a word that is thrown around a lot without a lot of meaning behind it. Hope is a word that is so precious that the minute people have lost it, their world has turned upside down. Hope is a word that I think enlightens and capitalizes the city of New Orleans. Being down and out and left with nothing is something no one ever wants to experience. It is something that I can not directly relate to. I can, however, provide hope. Even though the hurricane is five years in our past, there are still people who need help. Sometimes we forget how blessed we really are when you have never been through a devastation like this. With our help, though, we can continue to aid the recovery process and help illuminate this once vibrant, beautiful, jazz-oriented town. If it’s time, money or talent, please do whatever you can to help. Then you will be doing something bigger than most do. You’ll be giving hope....
JB
3 comments:
Nice. Glad to see that New Orleans is still in our consciousness; it should be even more now with the BP disaster.
Nice work, JB. Happy to see that NOLA is still at the forefront of peoples thoughts. I traveled from Portland to NOLA to spend a week there, building houses with Habitat for Humanity earlier this year and was absolutely devastated to see the amount of destruction that still has not been rebuilt, 5 years later. To know that the levees still haven't been built properly is a disgrace to the people of NOLA and our country as a whole. I hope with people like you continuing to pass on the need for assistance that the city of New Orleans (and the entire Gulf Coast) that the region can eventually be repaired cosmetically which will help the beautiful folks who are full of hope repair emotionally and spiritually. Good luck with the upcoming season.
Goo
I can't believe how badly the government responded. It still makes me mad. I don't think they've learned anything from it either because they took so long to react to the BP disaster. I'm glad you brought this subject up because it is something we still need to address. It's almost as if people are ignoring what happened there, and that just isn't right.
Good post.
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