Around New Orleans today

[jay]

I may never look at the letter "X" in quite the same way again. Or "blue roofs". Or "dat ain't dere no-more", colloquially.

It wasn't just the abandoned and ruined homes... it was the scale of it. Miles and miles of it.

Downtown and the Quarter aren't much affected. Outside, though... whew. tenacious_snail's childhood home has mold growing 4' up the walls. And is structurally sound. Many trailers. Many empty trailers, and FEMA's still a joke.

Still... nice lunch and dinner, met Les's family, and beignets. :)

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I read that Xs and blue roofs were big themes in this year's Carnival parades.

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I am glad folks can laugh at the Xes. One of the things that worry me is how do people cope with seeing that every day. I'm personally lucky in that all the Xes I saw (search and rescue crew marks) had a 0 in the bottom (no bodies found). Also saw notes ranging from "2 cats, SPCA" to "pit bull on loose". Happiily, a stuck dog (under the house) was rescued.

[pure-agnostic.livejournal.com]

I would feel so depressed looking at all those homes.

[elissaann.livejournal.com]

At least some of the men and women who work for FEMA are doing the best they can, given limited resources and an incompetent administration. They are frustrated as hell because they're not getting the support they need to do their jobs. I know one of them. He worked his ass off when he was there, and he still has nightmares.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

The folks in the trenches have been given poor direction and were starved of resources beforehand by the current administration. *And* have to bear the brunt of the anger and cynicism that rightfully should be pointed up the chain of command...

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

Yes. Exactly. I don't think I could move (back) to a home unless most of the neighbors were already doing likewise. There needs to be a critical mass moving towards revitalization and renewal in order to not be mired in the sadness, loss and despression.

I have been feeling "nesty", and I know some of that is because of having seen what is left of New Orleans.