Day 7

I’m sitting in the laundry room on the last morning of our stay with Hilltop. The Sforzas left yesterday and Rob arrived to represent RUCC through the coming week. The crews have gone out for the day and this is a quiet, cavernous place. I’m trying to put this trip into perspective – wrap it up and compartmentalize it. I’m sure that as soon as pigs fly I’ll be able to do that!

I’ve learned that there are no easy answers. I find myself obsessing about the causes of this devastation, and yet there’s no going back in time. Preventing the next one (whether in Louisiana or elsewhere), and making sure that the survivors of Katrina are able to rebuild would be amazing goals to achieve.

The following is the best I can figure out…I’m sure that as soon as it’s written, something else will arise that will dispel or disprove much of what I write; however, it’s the best I’ve got so far.

Writing letters to our federal representatives to get rid of the MRGO (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet) would certainly help Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish have a more secure future. Writing to the Louisiana government asking for the levees to be reinforced would help ensure that this level of destruction would not happen again. Networking with the local government and agencies to see what is needed and how we might help and what aid is still needed would show them that we haven’t forgotten. And, as far as the future for those of us who live in earthquake and fire zones, I think we need to be addressing our own officials on each level of government to see what the disaster plan and recovery strategies are.

I’ve learned about the tangled mess that Chalmette homeowners are in as far as their insurance goes. For some, flood insurance has paid out, but many policyholders have received no money yet. Don’t we owe it to our brothers and sisters of Louisiana and Mississippi to at least question our insurers as to how they have responded to Katrina victims? Don’t the insurance companies need to know that we are watching, and will put our money with those companies who act ethically?

The other part of the private sector that I have been thinking about is who is, and who isn’t reinvesting in the area. So far we’ve seen Walgreen’s, Popeye’s Chicken, Burger King, Home Depot and Lowe’s (although both of the home improvement stores are charging more for products here than they do in California). The large chains that I know of who are not back, and don’t look like they will be are McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wal-Mart. I think I’ll be investing more of my money in businesses that are willing to take a chance and rebuild with the community than with those who aren’t. I’ll be subscribing to the St. Bernard Parish newspaper to help keep track.

And then there is us. The ones who watch disasters unfold on TV and are horrified for a week or so. And then, as soon as our ADD mentality shifts, we move on to another focus. I wonder if I will be able to keep the Katrina survivors in the forefront of my consciousness and heart? I wonder if I will respond more quickly the next time there is a disaster? I hope the answers are yes, but I can’t say for sure. I do know that through this work I have been blessed. I know I have grown and been changed for the better.

I wondered when I first got here, and still have moments of wondering where was God? Where is God in the rebuilding struggles? And deep inside I know that God is here – in the resilience of the people who continue to struggle to rebuild; in the volunteers who come in and work; in the people whose heritage and culture and resolve won’t be taken away by storms or bureaucracies; that’s where God is. God is in each of us, urging us to seek justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with God. - See you in church Sunday! Love, Barbie