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New Orleans a year later
Jul. 29th, 2006 10:41 amWhile meandering around on lj, and for once away from my own correspondence list, discovered the following link: http://community.livejournal.com/neworleans/2086921.html?thread=14601225
It's in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
docbrite's journal(Professional novelist Poppy Z. Brite, who lives and works in New Orleans). Timely post, considering last night ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT told me that while they were struggling, New Orleans was undergoing a population boom and lots of babies were being born, and life was more or less okey-dokey. In the comments section, there is an argument/debate that gets a tad heated on the differences between New York pre/post 9/11 and New Orleans. Rather interesting debate. Tend to side with the folks in New Orleans, even though I live in New York - maybe because I live in New York.
What hits me reading the post is how we assume after someone has dealt with a traumatic event, after the initial period is past, life is hunky-dory. Uh. No. It can take years, decades even, for people to rebuild their lives. Every year the Mayor of New York, sometimes multiple times, pleads with the US government to give more money to the city - to help deal with the aftermath of 9/11 - mostly for the security which is costing the city millions of dollars to keep up.
To the casual onlooker, it appears life is well, hunky-dorey. But I've been to ground zero several times in the last few years and I know people who were there at the time, and the effects aren't easily swept up and put in the dust bin much as you might clean a dirty house. Also I've seen the security measures the city is taking and can only imagine the cost - undercover cops on every other subway train, cops checking bags at most stops, police cars doing patrol drills around landmarks, training volunteers to help and aid in crisises. New York City is still struggling with huge issues. In the past year over 250 terrorist threats to the city were squashed - one threat involved releasing poison gas in the cities tunnels and subways. Homelessness and crime rates have risen. The city struggles. And you can see the struggle if you look. And this is a city that has money. New York City is amongst the wealthiest cities in the US. And resides in a state that also has money. New Orleans is one of the poorest cities in the US and resides in a state that does not have a great deal of money. Both cities are rich in culture and diversity. And what happened in New Orleans does effect everyone in the US and in the world, just as what happened in New York affects everyone, if somewhat differently, because of the oil lines. The current gasoline shortage in the US can be directly linked to what Katrina did in New Orleans, which of course affects our foreign policy. It's like the homeowner who watches the tornado take out her neighbors houses and thinks, hee, pretty, but does not affect me. Of course it does. Their sewer lines are connected with yours. The destruction of their houses can decrease your property value.
It is also far easier to take measures to protect yourself from "terrorists" than it is to protect yourself from a force of nature. No one can prepare for a category 4 hurricane. Heck New Orleans may have known it was at a disadvantage, but it had been fine for decades. It's not like New York City or San Francisco are taking measures to protect themselves from similar disasters. Can you imagine what would happen in those cities if a hurricane, a tsunami, or an earthquake hit? You flee a category 4 hurricane. And a city being attacked by a hurricane is much different than an island community. Harder to evacuate and harder to rebuild. I do not want to think about what would happen if New York City had been hit by a category 4 hurricane. And yes, it is possible and no, we don't have the resources to handle it any more than New Orleans did, and NYC is a rich city.
But what can you do? Send money? Send hope? Send supplies?
I wonder sometimes if that's the problem, how do you send help? It is easier to not look. And try not to feel guilty in the not looking. (I'm speaking about myself here. I wonder sometimes...if the inability to find a way to help, is why I occassionally try not look. Life does not get easier.)
It's in
docbrite's journal(Professional novelist Poppy Z. Brite, who lives and works in New Orleans). Timely post, considering last night ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT told me that while they were struggling, New Orleans was undergoing a population boom and lots of babies were being born, and life was more or less okey-dokey. In the comments section, there is an argument/debate that gets a tad heated on the differences between New York pre/post 9/11 and New Orleans. Rather interesting debate. Tend to side with the folks in New Orleans, even though I live in New York - maybe because I live in New York.What hits me reading the post is how we assume after someone has dealt with a traumatic event, after the initial period is past, life is hunky-dory. Uh. No. It can take years, decades even, for people to rebuild their lives. Every year the Mayor of New York, sometimes multiple times, pleads with the US government to give more money to the city - to help deal with the aftermath of 9/11 - mostly for the security which is costing the city millions of dollars to keep up.
To the casual onlooker, it appears life is well, hunky-dorey. But I've been to ground zero several times in the last few years and I know people who were there at the time, and the effects aren't easily swept up and put in the dust bin much as you might clean a dirty house. Also I've seen the security measures the city is taking and can only imagine the cost - undercover cops on every other subway train, cops checking bags at most stops, police cars doing patrol drills around landmarks, training volunteers to help and aid in crisises. New York City is still struggling with huge issues. In the past year over 250 terrorist threats to the city were squashed - one threat involved releasing poison gas in the cities tunnels and subways. Homelessness and crime rates have risen. The city struggles. And you can see the struggle if you look. And this is a city that has money. New York City is amongst the wealthiest cities in the US. And resides in a state that also has money. New Orleans is one of the poorest cities in the US and resides in a state that does not have a great deal of money. Both cities are rich in culture and diversity. And what happened in New Orleans does effect everyone in the US and in the world, just as what happened in New York affects everyone, if somewhat differently, because of the oil lines. The current gasoline shortage in the US can be directly linked to what Katrina did in New Orleans, which of course affects our foreign policy. It's like the homeowner who watches the tornado take out her neighbors houses and thinks, hee, pretty, but does not affect me. Of course it does. Their sewer lines are connected with yours. The destruction of their houses can decrease your property value.
It is also far easier to take measures to protect yourself from "terrorists" than it is to protect yourself from a force of nature. No one can prepare for a category 4 hurricane. Heck New Orleans may have known it was at a disadvantage, but it had been fine for decades. It's not like New York City or San Francisco are taking measures to protect themselves from similar disasters. Can you imagine what would happen in those cities if a hurricane, a tsunami, or an earthquake hit? You flee a category 4 hurricane. And a city being attacked by a hurricane is much different than an island community. Harder to evacuate and harder to rebuild. I do not want to think about what would happen if New York City had been hit by a category 4 hurricane. And yes, it is possible and no, we don't have the resources to handle it any more than New Orleans did, and NYC is a rich city.
But what can you do? Send money? Send hope? Send supplies?
I wonder sometimes if that's the problem, how do you send help? It is easier to not look. And try not to feel guilty in the not looking. (I'm speaking about myself here. I wonder sometimes...if the inability to find a way to help, is why I occassionally try not look. Life does not get easier.)
