Aftermath

The aftermath of Katrina is even more devastating than the actual hurricane. As of now, 80% of our beloved city is underwater. Looting, fires, bodies floating in the water, it just never seems to end. The New Orleans mayor is saying that hundreds, perhaps thousands are believed to be dead. I look at all of this on the tv, and I just have this one line from a poem I wrote years ago repeating itself over and over in my head, "all of this chaos is killing me." It is said that the city won't be liveable for at least 4 months.

One of our teachers is now going with a group of people to aide in rescuing those still stuck in New Orleans. All of these people are going with their own boats in hopes of helping those who need it.

I can only ask of those who see what is going on to please help. Money, clothes, water, food, there is so much one can do! As my friend Clare mentioned, Mardi Gras draws people from all over the country for partying, drunken brashness, etc. etc. I can only hope that those same people give back to the city that has given so much to them, in more ways than one I'm sure.

We still haven't heard from my mother's cousin, and while we are worried, I feel that she and her family are alright. It would put us at ease though to know that for sure.

I am offering bonus points to my students who bring in food/supplies to send to those who have lost just about everything. I tell them that we need to do this, not because we can, but because we must. I reminded them that if we were in the kind of situation as everyone along the Gulf Coast is, others would do what we are being asked to do. It is our duty, as humans, to help those who can't help themselves.

I'm planning on donating money and non-perishable foods/supplies. It may not make a huge ripple in the shape of things, but it is something. And sometimes, it's the small things that count. I do believe that New Orleans will prevail. I do believe that my friends and I will walk around in the French Quarter, seeing tarot card readers, artists, musicians, and the constant flush of tourists. There will be that wide eyed wonder that I always seem to have everytime I'm there. I do believe that I will stroll the Garden District again, imagining what ghosts may haunt each and every house, while trying not to trip over the huge tree roots in the sidewalk. I do believe my friends and I will celebrate her again, whether it's a drink at Pat O'Briens, or taking in a good live show at TwiRopa or the Saenger. New Orleans will pull through, along with the rest of the Gulf Coast.