Three years later and I once again find myself on a Sunday night watching CNN and scared to death about what I see. A hurricane is once again bearing down on New Orleans and I am waiting with baited breath to see what will happen tomorrow.
I’ve mentioned on this blog a lot about my love for New Orleans. Throughout my entire job search I would constantly look for jobs there and even applied for a few, though nothing ever came out of them. I’m probably one of the few people in my situation from a career standpoint who would willingly relocate to New Orleans. Yes, the city is being rebuilt and had crime and infrastructure issues. But every time that I am there it just feels like home.
What I love about New Orleans is that it is its own place. The architecture is its own, the food, the music, the art, it is all uniquely tied to this one place. So much of America is cookie cutter. I was talking to a friend today about her cross country road trip and she said that she hated highways in which she looked out the window and couldn’t tell what state she was in. Everything was just the same. You can’t say that about New Orleans. It is its own little world.
I was there a few months before Katrina, back when life was free and easy. I sat in my apartment and cried watching the aftermath of Katrina. It was tough to explain to people. I would watch the news coverage and see places where I had walked submerged. I’d see the people suffering at the Superdome and know that someone I had met on my travels was there at that moment. It was like seeing all of your dreams being destroyed in front of your eyes with no one bothering to stop to help.
A year later I was back to help with the rebuilding efforts. I only spent a few days volunteering but I helped to gut a couple of houses and get them ready to be rebuilt. I was proud to do the work and gladly took vacation time to do it though I will still say that when you need me to swing the crowbar to get things done the government is doing things really badly. I was happy for the rebuilding but the city wasn’t the same. It was quiet and empty and more than a little sad. The life just wasn’t there.
When I came back last year though the Quarter had at least returned to its old self. The population was slowly coming back and while you could still see the devastation and the FEMA trailers at least the vibrancy of the city had return. A lot of the joy was back. Times were still tough but the people were making it work. I left feeling really happy about what I had encountered.
From people I know who have been there recently things have only gotten better. That is why I am scared tonight. I don’t know what will happen if the levees fail again. It has taken three years and the city still isn’t rebuilt. I don’t know if people will have the energy to try again.
I am going to say a prayer tonight for the people and the city that I love. I hope you do the same.
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