from reelrelief dot com comes the story of Buras, Louisiana"
In more than 20 months, little has been repaired. The parish (county) library is empty. The U.S. Post Office still lies in ruins. Only a few businesses have rebuilt; many people are still waiting for insurance money, grant money or to save up enough resources to rebuild.
But the desire to repopulate this town, that means so much to its residents, is still strong. EC runs a cafe, laundromat, supply distribution center, library and internet station and provides long distance service for the people in Lower Plaquemines Parish. The accommodations for volunteers are basic in Tent City: tents and army cots are available, or there is slab space to pitch your own tent. There are no walls in Tent city, just steel beams, most of a roof and inspirational quotes on the support posts. Live music is provided by musical volunteers. People work together to try to brighten up the lives of people whose options are severely limited. Individuals and groups are welcomed. It is an experience that will transform your life, as it transforms the lives of others.
thanks to Ellathebella
6 comments:
Judyb: Thanks for taking the time to research others who share your passion for the recovery efforts. My work in chronicling the work of volunteers along the Gulf Coast is designed to focus attention on those that the mainstream media has not deemed worthy. Keep doing what you're doing. These reminders to the world serve a vital purpose: The work is not done. It's 21 months later and people are still living in unsafe conditions. We can do better. And with your help, we will.
It says a lot about our govt, that a vital American city can be hit so hard and not get the attention and rapid de-tox and rebuilding it needs. I love New Orleans, friends come back from visits there feeling overwhelmed by what they see, shocked by how little our govt has done to help Americans return to their homes. We can't have people living in these conditions. I have helped out with some of the houses-in-a-box shipped to the Gulf coast by area HFH groups, but the govt needs to wake up. You can't put a home on toxic land.
Thanks, Judy, for calling attention to the little people. The National Hurricane Center says the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed right over Buras. They received the worst of the winds and storm surge. It's a vulnerable area, and it got whacked pretty hard.
But what people need to understand is that nobody lives there because of the scenery or as a vacation home. People who live in lower Plaquemines Parish are there because that's where the jobs are. That's were the shipping and oil and natural gas jobs are. These are working class, tax-paying folks who deserve so much better.
And sadly, even though Congress authorized hurricane protection for them many years ago, Bush appointee Donald Powell recently declared that it would cost too much money to fix their levees and to give them the protection Congress intended. And so the work has stopped.
I also blogged about Buras and the people of Plaquemines Parish when my work took me down there last year. Go to my blog and do a search for "Buras."
Keep up the good work, and peace,
Tim
I know you folks have been thru the closest thing to being in hell while living here on earth. I know also you have an indomitable spirit and determination to bring back your city and way of life. Someone has to tell you the truth. The farmer's almanac just issued it's 2008 forecast, it predicts three hurricanes for 2008, each one is predicted to come into the Gulf of Mexico, one in the middle of July 2008, one in August 2008, one in September 2008. Everyone knows the levees will not hold in another major hurricane. The govt. knows it, which is why they have not put out the money to repair them. There is more, there is a guy who is a psychic, his name is Gordon Michael Scanlon, he has seen the future, his website is www.matrixinstitute.com he created a map which shows the changes to come in the earth. One of the changes is that the Mississippi River will become 50 miles, yes that's right miles wide, your beloved homes will be submerged as will many other areas. I know you think what does one guy know? He's not alone. Edgar Cayce and William Hutton have written books on the matter of what is to come also. William Hutton's book explains in technical terms how earthquakes will change the face of the earth, it is full of citations from geologists and people from scientific sources. You have to read this. If you want to live, you will have to relocate. Not today perhaps, not tomorrow, but the future is that the area you live in will be under water, so will lower Manhattan which lies along the Ramapo Valley Fault line which is under Raritan Bay near Staten Island, as will parts of the Georgia, Carolina coasts etc. They could all be wrong, but they may not be. You can call it climate change with the oceans rising due to that, you can call it divine retribution for all of mankind. The resulting changes in the face of the earth will be the same. I'm sorry to tell you these things, but someone should.
Two years, 1 month and counting.
Buras is my home, after going through unspeakable hardships, I am moving back to Buras for good very shortly.
You are so right, we are a very HARD working community.
But, I have to say, we did choose to live there for the way of life and natural beauty of Plaquemines Parish. Many reasons come to my mind.
The fact that I can catch crabs, trawl shrimp and catch a fish right by my house is wonderful. I KNEW nearly everyone in town. We barely had a crime rate. In November when the oranges start getting ripe you are in "CITRUS HEAVEN"! A very short boat-ride and a tent makes for the best weekend ever had, watching the Perseids till near dawn then watching porpoises tail-walk out my tent flap when the sun was rising.
I hope Buras returns to something near what it was and is not forgotten. Sadly, 2 Years later the first place in Louisiana where Katrina came ashore is STILL suffering unimaginably.
Thank you for helping to tell our story, we need ALL the help we can get!
www.angelfire.com/la/dwalker/katrina.html
like 20/20 said plaquemines is the forgotten parish. we all love new orleans but lets not forget where katrina made landfall.. katrina had to go through south plaquemines to get to st bernard. and new orleans. people seem to forget that we r the seafood capital of the world. we ship oranges and oysters all over the world without our help new orleans wouldn't be new orleans.
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