The Office of Community Engagement

Service-Learning Stories

Reflections from New Orleans Intercession- January 2008

The Restoration of New Orleans: A Global Responsibility

By Lauren M. Starcher

“Driving through the parishes made the tragedy real, a tangible, definitive occurrence, not simply images I could glance at for a moment on TV. The Lower Ninth Ward, what a realization. These were homes that people raised children in, developed communities in, and came home to. They lost so much, a concept of safety and security that is a basic need of human beings. After Katrina, they couldn’t depend on that home to come home to. Instead they faced the unthinkable, the destruction of most they hold dear or worse, the loss of a loved one. My heart hurts for them because these are good people.” Journal excerpt, January 7, 2008.

Most people can look back on their lives and remember moments when everything changed, that distinct time that will forever etch their future onto a new path. That day for many in the city of New Orleans was the day that Hurricane Katrina swept ashore, and into their lives for much longer than the damaging winds and rain. As residents of a city unfortunately engineered for a disaster, New Orleaneans were faced with an arduous task: to rebuild their lives. Yet the city, with its poorly designed levee systems, receding coastline, and an immense amount of work to be done, has yet to be rebuild completely or even restored to its previous glory (Dyson, 2006; Grunweld, 2007). The question remains, should the city of New Orleans even be rebuild? Does an area set up for disaster serve any purpose if it is to be someday torn down again? In light of the arguments set forth, all the evidence claiming that New Orleans is a bowl ready to be filled once more, that the new levee system is not much of an improvement, that the city full of hateful crime and drug use, and the evidence of poor schooling, these examples neglect to recognize the utter uniqueness, and unbelievable passion of the city, and the most importantly, the country’s responsibility to restore New Orleans.

“This town could be my town, these people could be my family, those houses covered in sewage and overwhelming water could be my house. I kept imagining the darkness of that day, when the hearts of many wept. The image of homes completely submerged astonished me; people begging for help upon their roofs, the pain their eyes, the feeling of abandonment and savage treatment, the look in a child’s eyes who lost a parent, the ripping off of many roof just to escape the treacherous water, the stench of urine and sewage in the Superdome where so many sought refuge. More than anything, I saw the dead bodies floating, those who didn’t make it. Why them? Why them?” Journal Excerpt, January 8, 2008

The United States of America, the land of opportunity and individualism, is supposed to represent a beacon of light, a place where people feel protected, safe, and taken care of in times of need. A place that looks after its people fiercely, responding when necessary with compassion and hard work. After Katrina, however, “the poor had been abandoned by society and its intuitions” and most of us “remain blissfully ignorant” of this very important fact (Dyson, 2006, 3). The people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were in a desperate state of need, striving for basic requirements for survival. Many argued, “Why didn’t they leave?” Like most in this country, the masses of people outside the disaster-ridden city immediately “blamed the victims,” in a sense, impressing upon them that it was their fault they were drowning, had no food or water, or that rescue boats could not come for them. Most proclaim they should have left is a way to remove blame upon themselves, their own consciences. Regardless of what circumstances got them there, and most were there because they could not evacuate, did not have the means to, or simply mistrusted the government (Dyson, 2006), they were people who needed to be saved, people deserving a safe haven to reassure them of their situation, a place where even in light of terrible tragedy, their basic needs could be taken care of, a place where their family could be together. The resulting situation couldn’t have been farther from a save haven. In fact, the people of New Orleans were forgotten like garbage on the side of the street. Once again, they were abandoned and ignored, instead of reassured and uplifted. And this was the United States of America, a place of supposed light in times of darkness.

The city of New Orleans deserves to be rebuilt because it is the country’s duty to do so. For too many years have people been ignorant to the issues of poverty, to the depths of struggle these people experience. Isn’t it our responsibility as people to look at American citizens as human beings and not pieces of garbage? Regardless of the destruction, the suffering of the poor, and the loss, shouldn’t it be our responsibility to take care of our fellow Americans? To provide a safe haven, a place to come home to, one that represents love, and community, and heart, especially in a time where everything dear is lost? One where this child can grow up, where this mother can raise her beautiful baby? It certainly is. We can no longer diffuse responsibility to government or to members of the community that seem far removed from our lives. New Orleans should be restored for the simple reason that the people of the city deserve to be treated as human beings, with basic needs and the desire to return home. Those who want to come home should not be turned away, or be continually ignored, overlooked, or told to go elsewhere. The country needs to unite behind the residents of the Crescent City, because like any one of them, we could be the next disaster victims, without a home, or a place to go, or without those precious pictures, family traditions, or even the family we hold dear. Of course New Orleans is a dangerous place, one that is destined for more heartache, yet more heartache would result if we continue to ignore our responsibility as citizens to our fellow man. The saying “it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all” never seemed more fitting: in the language of restoration and recovery, it is better to have rebuilt and lost than to have never rebuilt at all. A final thought from my journal encompasses the argument of global responsibility:

“The distinctive energy and warmth of the city was immediately eminated from the people we met here. I felt upon arriving a sense of awe from the damage, yet I also a sense of hope. The city, with its distinctive and amazing spirit, radiated. We came across a few men working tirelessly on their home in the Lower 9 th Ward, and they were friendly and thankful, strong, courageous and hopeful. What more could express what America is all about; resilience and hope. It made me proud to see the citizens of New Orleans as similar to me. We all seek a home, a place of centeredness to return to, and therefore we are all connected. I realized today, we are all responsible for the well being of each other, we must love our neighbors, and fight to rebuild what makes us human.” Journal excerpt from January 7, 2008

Let the words speak for themselves, and fiercely become what America is about. New Orleans deserves to be rebuilt. For once, let’s not turn away, accepting silently.

New Orleans Intercession

by: Trevor Wellen

After all the suspense not knowing what to expect, New Orleans was finally in sight. We had to drive over what seemed to be a never ending bridge. Crossing that bridge was like entering a whole new world, life on one side and death on the other. The entire bus got real quiet all of a sudden and I looked around and I saw what I could never allow myself to believe . My jaw dropped and I was speechless . I was so startled and struck by what I was seeing. Two and a half years later, there were neighborhoods untouched like ghost towns. I saw an abandoned Wal-Mart covered in graffiti with trash and abandoned cars left in the parking lot. A massive chain such as Wal-Mart does not just leave a building abandoned like that, it just does not happen. There are not even words to describe my frustration while trying to comprehend what I was really seeing.

Every house had a mark on it, a red X. The X told the date the house was searched, the inspectors ID code, and how many deaths. The paint used to make the X is symbolic to the catastrophe that had occurred. The paint keeps bleeding through no matter how many times you paint over it. There will always be a scar on every house just like the scar Katrina has left in New Orleans. Some houses had nothing left but foundations with concrete steps leading to what once used to be the front door. Other homes were caved in with pipes and staircases hanging by a few nails. Words and pictures will never describe the experience of walking around that neighborhood and seeing the mass destruction.

Two and a half years have now passed since Katrina hit the banks of New Orleans and everyone keeps asking this question, “Should New Orleans be rebuilt?” If there was really a definite and logical answer to this, don’t you think this question would have been resolved by now? Obviously there is some significant controversy. There was a gorgeous park that we stopped at on our way in. This park alone should motivate people to want to rebuild and make it that same peaceful place it once was. If New Orleans is not rebuilt then who is going to visit the WWII museum that stands for what thousands of American troops have fought and died for. Who is going to visit the historical New Orleans Art Museum filled with some of the most exquisite works of art. If more people realize the level of destruction that was really caused in New Orleans then maybe Habitat for Humanity will get more support rebuilding. If more people volunteer and work like Habitat for humanity then this dilemma will solve itself. There are plenty of positive attitudes that are willing to put in the work but need help to do so. I picked up my favorite saying that my dad taught me when I was young, “When you start at the bottom, you can only go up.”