Just so we remember..

The picture above was taken shortly after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and of course the recovery has progressed a great deal over four years. But time passing has a way of softening our recollection of events, and I thought it important to share how my own awareness of the massive impact of Katrina and other subsequent storms like Gustav has been raised by this trip.

One fact I had overlooked but that is now very clear to me is how the impacts have been quite uneven for different people. There always was and still is a wealthy class of resident in this area. You will see massive mansions on the edge of the Gulf Coast that could be straight out of Gone With The Wind. But these folks are the minority, and in many cases are part time residents at best and have multiple homes to live in. The vast majority of people are living life again as before, although their circumstances have been forever altered. Perhaps they rebuilt their home on the same site, or they had limited damage that allowed for the slow repair of their house. Perhaps they started on the path to recovery only to be set back once again by Gustav, a less powerful storm than Katrina which nonetheless did damage in some of the same communities as Katrina. Perhaps they have lost their jobs and instead of the manufacturing job they had before the storm they now work for half the money at Walmart. And there are those who are still living in "temporary" housing, even tents, because they can not find a way back out of the sudden destruction of their delicate lives before the hurricane.

You can still find ways to help, either through donations to groups that give service like Episcopal Relief and Development, who help fund this camp, or other Gulf-Coast based groups you can find on the internet. I'll try to put together a list before I wrap up this blog in case you feel moved to help.

peace.. Joe