Keeping our area up front

If you look deep enough, you'll find a lot of awareness about this area across the country. Here is one article written by a senior at Whitworth University in Washington State

OPINION: The hurricane of coverage is no more, but New Orleans remains

Karla Rose, Staff Writer
link to this editorial


Maybe it's because the average American has an attention span of eight seconds.

Whatever the reason, "out of sight, out of mind" is probably a fair assessment of the state of New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina.

While media coverage and promises to rebuild were rampant in the first months following the storm, nearly three years later, those promises are still unfulfilled and we've all but forgotten - we being America at large.

Though thoughts of Katrina and its victims are less prevalent today, for six Bonner Leadership Scholars who spent this past Spring Break rebuilding on the Gulf Coast, the reality of Katrina victims' continued devastation will not quickly be forgotten.

Witnessing the influx of refugees in her Texas hometown prompted sophomore Katie Petitt to volunteer in New Orleans.

"I am from Texas and so we got a lot of refugees after Katrina, so the storm was more of a real thing to me than maybe others. [In New Orleans] we saw a lot of devastation and hopelessness. The city is still not rebuilt, and there were countless houses gutted out, rotting, or just turned into rubble by bulldozers," Petitt said in an e-mail interview.

Despite claims of progress, much of New Orleans and the surrounding area remain uninhabitable.

Katrina left 80 percent of New Orleans flooded, took over 1,800 lives and displaced over 800,000 people.

While some have returned to New Orleans, many residents of lower-class neighborhoods lack the means to rebuild and have been permanently displaced. Unlike low-income areas such as the 9th Ward, wealthy neighborhoods such as Lakewood have been reconstructed using private funds.

During the 2008 State of the Union Address, President Bush commended the effort that has gone into rebuilding the Gulf Coast and announced plans to convene the 2008 North American Summit of Canada, Mexico and the United States in New Orleans.

Scheduled for April 21-22, the impending Summit places government leaders in the very place they have been accused of abandoning.

In April 2007, the New Orleans Office of Recovery Management released the Unified New Orleans Plan, which outlined intentions to begin rebuilding throughout 17 "Target Areas," including the Lower 9th Ward.

To date, rebuilding of these areas has yet to commence.

Junior Skye Staley recalled her experiences in New Orleans.

"One of the most poignant memories I have of New Orleans is a sign we passed in the Lower Ninth Ward, the neighborhood literally right next to the area of the levee that broke.

"Nearly three years later, most people have not even returned to the area, and the few houses standing are still in complete disrepair," Staley wrote in an e-mail.

Part of the sign's message read: "We want our country to love us as much as we love our country."

At one point America did love the Gulf Coast.

Within a month after Katrina, American charities raised over $1 billion, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

In recent months, American citizens have proved less charitable, less concerned.

And while the federal government has provided over $144 billion to assist reconstruction, little of that money has made its way to those who need it.

Professor of theatre Rick Hornor accompanied the student volunteers during the Spring Break trip.

"I was stunned at how bad the situation still is. It's interesting to see where the money has gone. The casinos and hotels, those are back. But all along the coast there are still piles of bricks. In between Bay St. Louis and Biloxi you can count on maybe two hands the number of beach front homes. Police departments and the city hall are still in FEMA trailers," Hornor said.

With the third anniversary of Katrina approaching, it would be nice to know we have made progress in returning survivors to a state of normalcy and stability.

It would be nice to know that as a country, we have not forgotten our neighbors. With attention divided between politicians and their intentions for the country, Iraq, healthcare and so on, we must remember to remember those in our own land.

If a national crisis is not met with appropriate concern, what of foreign policy?

No, we can't all rebuild in New Orleans or donate thousands of dollars.

But what we can do is keep talking, keep reading and keep remembering.

Maybe those in charge will take notice if we can make Katrina the "Most Popular" story on Google.com.

It's a start.

Karla Rose is a an opinions columnist and a senior majoring in English. Contact her at karla.rose@whitworthian.com.

Thanks, Karla.

nola IS rising

Katrina has changed so many lives in huge ways. One such life is Michael Dingler's; pre storm he was close to gaining certification for a legendarily well-paid job as a riverboat pilot
.
In early 2006, a creeping depression swallowed him completely. He walked away from the job, lost his marriage, left town, spent months driving around out West, searching for, himself. From nola dot com:
"I was searching for myself," he says. "At the same time, I was also running from myself, not realizing that, no matter where I ended up, I was still going to be me."
So he returned to New Orleans and - at age 34 - he was developing a purpose for his life, a reason to get back on his feet.
He gave himself the nickname of "ReX" and started NoLA Rising, a group of art emissaries who post artwork in public places as far and wide across the region as possible.


More of their work can be seen here

Now, this group faces a legal challenge from the City of New Orleans, spurred on by the activities of local anti-graffiti crusader Fred "the gray ghost Radtke , a REAL vandal and his group Operation Clean Sweep.



Here's a link to the background on Dingler's legal wrangling with Radtke



While I don't think Radtke's raison d'etre was bad before Katrina, I think he's become a little fanatical when it comes to taking on Dingler's art, which Radtke considers grafitti.


Here's a you tube video that discusses Dingler's work



There's a great article on Dingler at Neighborhoods Partnership Network
written by Angela Pate.

Funds for Ashley's Famiy

Ashley Morris' friends have worked mega hard and fast to set up a paypal account to help Ashley's wife and three kids cover the costs of his death.

From Humid City's website:
A major voice in the New Orleans blogosphere has gone silent, widowing a Rollergirl and orphaning three tiny children. As
various local groups prepare a benefit we see major obstacles looming
for the family including five figure expenses for the funeral. Please
give what you can, even a few dollar here and there can mount up. There are needs that cannot wait on the fund raising events.

Please join the efforts of HumidCity, Defend New Orleans, NOLA Rising, WTUL, Tales of the Cocktail, The Big Easy Rollergirls, The Skull Club, L’Art Noir, and many more as we show the Morris Family what community really means!

Online Donations can be made at Remember Ashley Morris

If you wish to mail a donation make the check out to Hana Morris and send it to:

HumidCity c/o
George Williams
5500 Prytania St.
PMB #417
New Orleans, LA 70115

If you wish to become involved


this website has all the details.
Thanks.

Ashley's Eulogies

Ray Shea has penned a heart wrenching tribute to Ashley Morris. It's a must read.

Here's another at Travelling Mermaid's site

Ashley Morris

I can't believe this

I'm numb, shocked, saddened

I never met Ashley in person, but feel as if I knew him. What a loss.



My prayers go out for his wife and three small children. Greg Peters created this montage. Have a kleenex ready. The music in the background is Warren Zevon, one of Ashley's musical heroes.



Although not a native, Ashley loved New Orleans with the ferocity of a native. He was a champion of recovery and gawd help anyone who got in it's way.

New Orleans Councilwoman Shelley Midura eloquently eulogized Ashley in Thursday's session

Tim of the Nameless blog remembers Ashley's generosity

Lisa at The Garden of Irks and Delights writes beautifully about Ashley's spirit.

Humid Haney has a video interview with Ashley and Your Right Hand Thief's Oyster here regarding blogging and how the two got into it.

Greg Peters mirrors the mindset of the NOLA blogosphere

Nancy Nall retells of her years of correspondence with Ashley and provides links to some of his classic FYYFF posts

At this link you can listen to Ashley read his FYYFF post. Wonderful stuff

Scout Prime discusses his fanatical love of the Saints

Farewell, Mr. Copeland

Al Copeland was put to rest yesterday. Along with a display of his larger than life toys : nine cars, eight motorcycles, a sport-utility vehicle and a dune buggy all parked in a semicircle. A motorcycle was at the gate, and Copeland's outsize speedboat, with tongues of flame on each side, was nearby.


Here's a video

"Al did everything in life big," said television anchor Eric Paulsen, a friend. "He's going out big."

At the cemetery, where about 300 friends and relatives brandished small black-and-white-checked finish-line flags.

His Obit in the Times Pic reveals some interesting facts about Mr. Copeland, such as


his secret Santa program that went on for a number of years. "I want to give 1,000 children a real Christmas," he said. "Santa and his elf should ring the doorbell after dark on Christmas Eve," he specified, "They must have a sack of presents, wrapped and labeled by name-a big gift and some small ones and a stocking for each child. The elf must have a camera, to take two photographs. One for the family and one for me." That meant more than 3,000 gifts, 1,000 Christmas stockings, cameras, elves, and Santas complete with costumes. He inspected every gift, discarding some as not big enough, exciting, or special. An entire floor at Popeyes headquarters was dedicated to a massive corporate "wrap-a-thon" between Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas. The Knights of Columbus and Knights of Peter Claver identified the families by Catholic Parish, and provided a list of names, ages, addresses, and telephone numbers to call the families in advance. Al refused media coverage for the event.

After the famous war of words with author Anne Rice, he threw garlic from his converted boat during the Mardi Gras parades.

....every time one of his grandchildren was born, Al would bring Popeyes chicken to the entire floor of the hospital. Even when he was ill himself, the nurses got chicken or some other extravagant meal.


Founder of the Popeye's Fried Chicken chain , Copelands of New Orleans Creole Restaurants, Copeland's story was one of "rags to riches". In his obituary from the Washington Post, some "high points" of his life are revisited.

The best part of his funeral - in my opinion - was this:


At New Orleans funerals, jazz bands always end with something upbeat.

This time, the selection was "Love That Chicken from Popeyes."

Another New Orleans character passes on.

Jazz Fest Cubes

there're here

Business for Sale

One of many business that never reopened after the storm, the Old Town Soda shop is for sale
click on photos for larger versions


It has some neat ice cream themed stained glass windows....





From Fox News

Olde Town Slidell Soda Shop owner Frank Jackson stayed in his house next door on August 29, 2005 and rode out the monster storm. He watched the floodwaters — which covered the town in a massive, tsunami-like wave after Lake Pontchartrain overflowed — engulf the little company he and his wife built from scratch in 1988. He saw Katrina take down friends’ and neighbors’ businesses all around him.

“You just watch it go and move on,” said Jackson standing near the rusty old soda fountain in what’s left of his shop. “You watch your friends’ businesses go, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You figure life will be different.”

And it was different for Jackson and his wife, Carla — totally different. He knew almost right away that the quaint old Slidell Soda Shop was gone for good.

For almost two decades Frank and Carla Jackson, both 53, had poured their hearts and souls into their popular restaurant, which Frank characterizes as an “intense” but fun business.

They hosted about 4,000 birthday parties — Polaroid snapshots of the kids still line the walls — and served homemade ice cream, as well as standard fare like burgers, hotdogs and fountain sodas.

There were no weekends off, and their days were long. But because they ran it together, close to home, they were able to spend time together and with their children.

After Katrina left, the water slowly drained and Frank got his wife and sister-in-law safely out of town. He then set to work hauling out the spoils of his shop. The 800 gallons of souring ice cream and other perishables were the first to go.

“The storm came and took it all, and I just put it out on the curb, little by little,” he said. “I put about $200,000 of junk out on the street.”

The original intact menus still hang above the interior destruction. A handwritten sign advertising dollar-off banana splits was also untouched by the six-foot floodwaters. Jars of multicolored candies line high shelves; an inflatable, grinning jellybean spins from a ceiling fan.

This section of Olde Town is slowly reawakening, 2.5 years post Katrina.

The former Slidell Cleaners will soon reopen as an art gallery.



Dish On First is a wonderful restaurant serving lunch and dinner both inside and out.
Their website is currently down
but check back soon. Here's their lunch menu

Voluntourists

Observations from Spring Breakers

my perspective has sharpened. Not only am I filled with sorrow, but disappointment and anger. That our country and government would let these conditions continue in this city that I immediately fell for. How could this happen in America? to Americans? how could our government put these people in tents under overpasses, in infested trailers, and have no home or community to go back to. This is far greater than me. Although I have not made any conclusive and large strides to Kim's house, still what help I could offer I did. I am no longer concerned with my own well being while down here, I am privileged and have people who care and help me. But these people need us, need our attention, our time, and our help.



Levin also commented about the overwhelming sense of Southern hospitality and the "laid back atmosphere" that she experienced around town.

The Greeks from Chicago experienced nothing less than a delightful culture shock, Levin said, as she recounted a story of a "local ice cream parlor that we went to where there was never any question about when to pay for the ice cream. The owner told us we could pay when we wanted or come back and pay [later]. I feel that would never happen in Chicago."


The evidence of Hurricane Katrina is still real,” Lucy Sjoblom wrote in a trip journal. “Not just in the construction that is going on. There were mailboxes at the street, three stairs ascending to…nothing, the 100-year-old live oaks leaning heavily to one side, the schools holding classes, but the port-a-potties are lined up against the side walls.....Something that im­pressed me on a daily basis was the warmth and appreciation with which we were greeted everywhere we went,” she said.



I didn’t know what to expect when I booked my tickets south, but certainly not this. Certainly after the two and a half years it took me to get here, there’d be more life in the neighborhoods.

But I was not too late to collect some of the locals’ stories. I don’t know how many times they told of the Hurricane days, but when they spoke of it to me, there was still a crack of emotion and their eyes watered as they told of all they lost.

But, it will take many more nails before the city is restored.

Let yours be one of them.

I met a Londoner on holiday who came to volunteer for a few days. His story was similar to ours. We wanted to do something besides drop money on tall beers and daiquiris on Bourbon Street. We wished to bear witness to the city we ached for. We had seen the horror of people trudging through waist-high flooded streets and families stranded on rooftops, all while sitting paralyzed in front of our televisions, in our cozy, dry living rooms. The order for martial law prohibited us from going there, so we sat miles away, armed only with our checkbooks and faith that the Red Cross would wisely use the money we gave

Last Lecture

Here is a link to
Randy Pausch reprising his Last Lecture

Watch it and learn.

Buras: K plus 30

Photo courtesy of Patrisha Walker
Thirty months post Katrina and the little town of Buras finally has a watertower again.
Some may recall that Buras was the first to feel the storm's power in the Gulf south region


Photo courtesy of Weatherunderground dot com

In May of last year, I blogged about how very, very slowly the recovery was going on down there. What may not seem like a big deal to those living outside of Plaquemine Parish, something as big as the watertower IS important news when you've seen everything you knew washed away



Here's a link to a website of a Buras resident. She says Today, it is shining in the afternoon sun; the golden tower overlooks our new lives post-Katrina. In Buras there is still enormous evidence of the destruction of Aug 29th, 2005. But, there also is enormous evidence of repair and growth. Many, many are coming home to South Plaquemines. In one single morning my husband counted 4 double-wide trailers pass on highway 23 headed south. Plenty are actually building homes. And I do see growth in Buras.

It is good to be home and to have a water-tower!

Her section of town still doesn't have telephone or internet service. They may get it by the end of this month.

Last August, Charles Anderson visited Buras. In his article "Forgotton but Not Gone" he recalls being welcomed into Plaquemine parish:....a burly fisherman approaches me, reaching out one of his beefy hands..."Welcome to the bottom of the world," he booms in a playful, yet gruff voice. "Nobody comes down here. The money stops at the parish line. The government thinks we're not important enough, but we're staying."

Yeah, Forgotton but not gone. That's Buras, Louisiana. Bless them all!!!!