Monday, July 19, 2010

Katrina Tour (Monday Morning)

It's hard to pick a favorite part of the trip but this was definitely toward the top of my favorites list. We took a 2 hour tour of the most heavily hit parts of New Orleans. We were able to see where the flood walls broke (not the levees, I learned) and the devastation that still is prevalent in the city.

Our tour guide was very cool. She was born and raised in New Orleans and her family was all still in New Orleans. We drove past several of her family's residences and family owned businesses, most of which were damaged and since rebuilt. It was so sad to see how many houses still looked exactly the way they did 5 years ago. Those were people's homes. Places people grew up, blocks they had parties on, places where kids took their first steps, learned to ride a bike for the first time. It was all gone. All demolished. Who knows where they are now. Maybe they found a job in the city they were displaced to, maybe they couldn't afford to come back; back home.

I was reminded of the things that were said about the people of New Orleans after the hurricane. That they were already poor, that they maybe found a better life somewhere else. After being there for a week, seeing these houses, meeting the people I highly doubt that many wanted to leave NOLA; at least not in that way. Most of us can't put ourselves in someone else's shoes. It's hard to do. Too many people have this holier than thou persona; an 'it would never happen to me' attitude. I hope it never does. If it did, I truly believe the people of New Orleans would be the type of people that would hold out their hand when the see someone down knowing you blamed them for what happened to them 5 years ago.

The things I saw on this tour were heartbreaking. I also saw hope though. We drove past about 8 men working on a house together. It didn't look like a habitat house or that they had any type of assistance but they were working together to put back their home. In a place they undoubtedly love. I saw the house of Fat's Domino, a multi-million dollar artist, who lives and stayed in the lower ninth ward even through the hurricane. He could have moved or lived in any place in the world but he chose to stay in his home town in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. I have to believe it's because of the feel of New Orleans; the loyalty the natives feel to their city. It's something a lot of people don't understand because it isn't felt in a lot of places here in the states.

Seeing these things only motivated me to do more this week. I learned throughout the trip that building houses isn't the only thing that is important in this city. It's building relationships with the community and showing the people of New Orleans that there are still people who care.


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