Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Shameful and somber Katrina anniversary


Writing this post weighs heavily on my heart. I've been dreading this anniversary, and looking over my posts from Aug 29/05, the 30th, the 31st (posts 2, and 3) thru Sept/05 were heartbreaking to re-read. The morning of Aug 29th, my husband left for work before 6am, and he kept calling me on my cell over the next several passing hrs as he made a trip to Pittsburgh b/c when he reluctantly left me at 6am, I was in tears. You see, New Orleans is a city that is very dear to me, and I had a gnarled pit in my stomach that was twisting into knots that was telling me this was going to be very, very bad. Unfortunately, I was right. Since Sept 11th, I can't recall when an event has made me wring my hands and cry so much. The time that I spent there will forever be important to me, but more so since this city will never be the same again. I am forever thankful that I went there and was able to see and live in that goregously dirty, deafeningly loud, oppressingly hot city that has humidity as thick as soup, murky danger and joyous celebration (oftentimes rolled into one) as electric as a live wire, wealth as gilded as a jeweled crown, and poverty as abominable as a 3rd World ghetto. The response to Katrina was loathsome and utterly shameful. But the lack of progress a full year later (as aptly shown via this YouTube of the coming Katrina documentary The Drive) is criminal. Shortly after midnight when I made my post for Aug 29th of 05, I asked my 2 favorite saints to wrap their arms around New Orleans and protect my beloved city from all harm. I never thought for a second that one full yr later I would still have to make that same prayer to those saints as so many still suffer.
Posted by Tina :: 1:05 AM :: 12 Comments:

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