Hurrican Katrina Update

Hurricane Katrina Update

A year has passed since that horrific week in and around New
Orleans. Over 150,000 people are still not home and it looks
like they may not get back home to the place they were born
in and loved.

New Orleans is different. It feels different, smells different,
sounds different, and looks different. I am not just talking
about The French Quarter. If one was to travel around the
area you would know what I am speaking of.

It is a mixture of cultures with deep roots in the rich black soil.
It is not just home, it is a way of life.

New Orleans had the most native sons and daughters of any
city in this country.

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Not many celebrities have been there to help in its regrowth.
The main celebrity to offer any assistance at all is Brad Pitt
who had a contest to see who could come up with the best
building plan for new construction in the area.

People are living in travel trailers, when they can get them.
Their lives are on hold and it is bound to take a toll on their
physical and mental health.

Many who have insurance have been told they are not
covered for "flood" or "wind". What does a hurricane consist
of if not water and wind?

President Bush made a showing on the first anniversary but
words will not a building make. The same could be said for
Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans.

New Orleans and the surrounding area needs less talk, more
action.

The Governor's office has developed a web site to easily
access information about rebuilding and living in New
Orleans and surrounding areas. Please visit
http://www.roadtoLA.org.

The Mississippi gulf coast was devastated by Katrina. What
the wind did not get, the water did. It bore the brunt of the
storm surge that is something like a tsunami. A wall of water
is built up by the winds driving it to the shore. The water
went far inland, taking many homes with it. Only the
strongest old oak trees survived, the houses beside them
did not, in most cases.

Some of the oldest homes in America were on the gulf coast.
They withstood many hurricanes and tropical storms but they
made their last stand when they faced the force of Katrina.
Gulf coast residents had not seen anything like Katrina
since Hurricane Camille in 1969.