Hurricane Katrina
the Lower Ninth Ward, not far from where the levee failed.
As we are all well aware, this country is beset with many problems, not the least of which is our severely troubled economy, and we are faced daily with new challenges that arise with steady increases in our cost of living, ravaged financial markets, increasing foreclosure rates, and a staggering, relentless rise in unemployment. The big bear of the recession has settled on our front steps, and steadily claws at our door. Though angered, saddened, frustrated, and even frightened by this, we remind ourselves of the blessings of family, friends, and home, and we commit to carry on. This is what we have done as Americans, through the hardest of times, since before our country was born. Together, and as individuals, we prevail.
The remnants of the teacher's lounge of the Louis Armstrong Elementary School
In August, 2005, a rare, catastrophic event magnified a different kind of problem, no less serious, and over time the emergence of its symptoms has reminded us to once again focus on those very blessings we have built this country on. Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast, leaving countless families across six states homeless overnight, yanking their lives from under them. The storm came onshore barely before dawn on August 29, 2005, just east of New Orleans, and as the levees failed, and the flood waters rose, the world watched in stunned horror and disbelief as people clung to the roofs of what were once their homes. Two communities were left hardest hit in Katrina’s wake: The Lower 9th Ward, and the St. Bernard Parish. These neighborhoods were besieged by rapidly rising floodwaters which remained at heights of over 20 feet above sea level, in many cases for well over two weeks. After the surge had retreated, their homes left uninhabitable, all of the residents were scattered with the wind, sent scrambling for high ground in search of somewhere, anywhere, they could settle and begin again. They travelled in buses, by car, and on foot to homes of relatives and strangers, temporary trailer parks in cities across the South, and to parts unknown.
The Volunteer Crew
As a country, we began to forget. Within months, the government, insurance companies, most of the media, and the majority of Americans, had virtually moved on, leaving the people of this wounded city to face the overwhelming task of rebuilding their homes on their own. They began by taking small steps down the long road back to the lives they once knew, as the burden of regaining what they had lost was laid full in their laps. Responding to news of the plight of the many troubled and desperate families who once lived in New Orleans, many of us joined in with helping hands, and as time passed, organizations like the St. Bernard Project distinguished themselves by performing remarkable, selfless, life-changing work in helping those displaced by this devastating storm to rebuild their homes.
Whether a hurricane submerges New Orleans, or wildfires reduce Southern California to cinders, or a tornado levels Greensburg, Kansas, everyone is affected by the losses suffered by others. We are, after all, fellow citizens of this country, members of the American community, brothers and sisters in a neighborhood of 300 million; distance and geographic lines have no relevance in human suffering. In this light, I ask for your support of The St. Bernard Project, so that they may better assist the families who wish to return home. By lending a hand, you will speed the recovery of an irreplaceable, vital city, so vibrant and pulsating with music and life. Together, and as individuals, we can prevail against the tragedies wrought by Hurricane Katrina, and we can bring New Orleans back home.
