Share and Voice: The Old Man and the Storm

Hey everyone! For those of you who did not attend "The Old Man and the Storm," I'll fill all you in on what you missed. When I heard about this opportunity I was looking forward to it since I overlooked it in the past.
Hurricane Katrina has caused tramatic effects on the New Orlean's population. Many people lost their homes, possessions, memories, and even families. Herbert Gettridge is a 82 year old man who had been tragically affected by Hurrican Katrina. He had lost his home and was separated from his family (7 children, 36 grandchildren, and great grandchildren). He spent day after day cleaning up the wreckage the storm had caused. Herbert continually says he'll never leave even if the government comes after him. He worked too hard to leave it. Herbert's wife of 65 years was living in Madison, WI while he was fixing the house. She dreamed of returning to New Orleans even if it was crucial to her health. Herbert said even the little things he lost made a huge difference. Seeing the grass grow in the front yard and the children playing in the streets was missing. It's almost as if the life of New Orleans died.


You can see the sadness in his eyes the entire movie. He was sick of waiting for the government to intervene and help the people of the community. Herbert did not give up. He had a dream to finish the house in order to reunite his family. Herbert worked for months on his own with no shelter or electricity. After months of working on the house, he began to see results. His wife was able to return home. She was overwhelmed and sadened with what she saw.

The images in this video were breathtaking. I could not believe how much damage the storm created. Seeing the ruined schools, churches, and homes broke my heart. All the memories were destroyed with the storm and appeared like an abandoned graveyard. Many people reflected how they got married, attained jobs, and raised a family in the old New Orleans. I couldn't even imagine losing everything the way these individuals have. Mardi Gras was not the same after Hurricane Katrina. People paraded around, but it did not have the same energy it had in the past.

Politics:
Many of the citizens of New Orleans felt that the government did not care about what the conditions they were dealing with. Herbert stated that the insurance he had on the houses did not cover very much of the damages that had been made to his home. Herberts son Leonard was dealing with the same types of issues. The "Road Home Program is designed to provide compensation to Louisiana homeowners affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita for the damage to their homes. The program affords eligible homeowners up to $150,000 in compensation for their losses to get back into their homes." FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) apparently did not know the extent of hte number of homes destroyed. Then it made me wonder what would've happened if Hurricane Katrina had occured in an area with low poverty and highly educated individuals. Kathy mentioned a very interesting statement about environmental racism that we discussed in class. What if we dealt with a disaster similar to New Orleans'? If Duluth had a crisis situation happen to the whole community, how would we handle it? I'm guessing that West Duluth would be having a rougher time recovering due to the populations and conditions. East Duluth would have the advantage over the West due to education and lack of poverty. That's why I feel like Hurrican Katrina has been such a debatable topic. It has been 3 1/2 years since the storm, and the city is still under water. If it was in a more socioeconomical location, they would've recieved the aid needed and have made a lot more progress.

Shocking Facts:
500,000 families were displaced during Hurricane Katrina
200,000 homes were ruined
600 congregations were destroyed
After Hurricane Katrina: suicide rates tripled, drinking rates increased, and depression overtook the community
50% of New Orleans suffered from mental disorders of some kind after the tragedy

What can you do?
After watching this video I really reflected on my own life. I feel like a spoiled brat for even feeling sorry for myself about anything. I am blessed with an amazing family, friends, education, and future. I hope that everyone really evaluates themselves by looking at those less fortunate and really take action to help these people. I plan on traveling to New Orleans in the future during spring break to help rebuild the city with a team. I feel like it's what I'm meant to do. I think it will be a very humbling positive experience. If you haven't seen this video I would really recomment you to do so.



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