Well, another day in Ida world. If you have ever been to New Orleans (or if you are from here), you know we love her because the aromas of beignets and delicious foods that mix with the scent of gardenia, jasmine and magnolia set the mood for the sounds of music that dance on the humid breeze. Laughter rings out, spirits flow freely and to-go cups are a thing. Right now, the music has been replaced by cacophony of the hum of generators, the screech of chainsaws cutting through trees and debris, hammers mending rooftops, and the occasional siren or helicopter; the wafting aroma of good southern cookin’ has been replaced by the putrid scent of rotting food and moldy carpets waiting for trash pickup that won’t come until next week. But amid all of that, amid the heartache there’s resilence and determination. Though there are a few selfish, rude, animalistic people most haven’t lost their sense of humor and humanity.
There’s hope in the air though, as we see the massive numbers of bucket trucks rolling down our streets- amazing heroes from other states who have come to help rescue us and put us on the path to rebuilding. There’s nothing like the obvious sight of progress to restore hope and faith- which is all we want right now. We want to see that our government is doing something to get us out of this.
Going into the future, there are so many issues we need to look at- our levees held but now we need to turn our attention to burying our power lines if possible, figuring out a better redundancy for our sewerage system. We need to seriously figure out a way to get our most vulnerable out, those who absolutely cannot get out on their own. I know of so many who pled for help evacuating but due to physical and developmental disabilities, were unable to be accommodated by friends or loved ones (plus sized disabled people and those with extra medical equipment take planning and special transportation to evacuate safely). Our government failed them and even after the storm, they were forgotten. They can’t get to cooling stations, they can’t go get gas for their medically necessary generators. We need to have a better plan for this.
But my friends, in general, we ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! It’s hard to believe that last week, at this time, we were just beginning to see the severity of the situation and realize that this may be a problem for our area. We’ve come a long way but we have so very far to go. Pray for us, help us if you can. If you work at a plant (cars, tools, refrigerators) know that you are so appreciated and necessary right now.
With hope and optimism,
Your southern girl,
Lauren
Southern Girl Blogging 