tbimm Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 Many of you who have been around for a while remember the back and forth that occurred here in the tailgate about whether or not I was evacuating from Katrina. For those who don't most of it can be found In this forums pinned threads. We here in New Orleans have been getting a steady dose of Katrina memories ever since those fateful few days. This week the memories are being shown on just about every national news cast. I can tell you that having to relive it all again has taken me back a bit. Our local talk radio station has really done a good job of keeping it very positive but the despair is still so fresh in my mind. Not only was there flooding, looting and law enforcement misconduct, but afterward there were suicides and extreme mental challenges for those of us who came back. We have rebuilt. We are missing around 20% of our pre Katrina population and we will lose a congressional seat because of that. So be it we are still here. I tried to move away. I had to come back. This is home! There was an interesting interview with a local this afternoon who had stayed. He was asked at what point he was truly scared. That really made me think about when I myself was truly scared. I know where I was and the time of day. I was in rural Alabama trying to get to Orlando and as I was watching small tornadoes crossing the road ahead of me I heard on NPR that the levees had broken and the city was flooding. The tornadoes meant nothing to me. The city filling up with water scared me. My home was being submerged and I wasn't there to help save the people who were going to need to be saved. That is all I could think about was all the people who stayed behind that day. So where are we now? Anyone with any real means or desire to be here is back. There are still homes in various states of reconstruction. Our flood protection is better than it was 5 years ago. Our Saints story has really lifted us. Saints fans all over the coast laughed, screamed and straight up cried when they won the big one last season. Myself included. It was strange in a way but the Saints winning the Superbowl felt like we had finally moved from recovery and rebuilding to just growing as a city. Not necessarily growing in size but rather growing in character. The oil spill has tested us again and guess what? We are still here. Has it hurt? Yes you are damn right it has but thanks to the gulf's ability to recover it hasn't hurt as bad as it could have. I know to many of you it makes no sense why we live here. Honestly? To many of us it makes no sense why you would live anywhere else. As it has been said... Home is where the heart is and my heart is in New Orleans! Just some random thoughts on the 5th anniversary of the most difficult time in my life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Hard to believe it's been 5 years already. I will never understand what the folks went through there. All I know is when that was happening I came to this forum many times a day to make sure you guys were ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Hard to believe it's been 5 years already. I will never understand what the folks went through there. All I know is when that was happening I came to this forum many times a day to make sure you guys were ok. +1 +other forums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAYER Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Yes 5 yrs and I am so tired of the reminders and the pictures and all. It is almost 5yrs to the hour that I really thought I was going to die and maybe it wasn't a bright an idea to stay and ride it out. But as Tom said we are still here. As the song goes you don't know what it means to miss New Orleans. A special thanks to all the huddlers who were there when you needed to be. now can we move on and bring our second Lombardi Trophy home this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted August 29, 2010 Author Share Posted August 29, 2010 Yes 5 yrs and I am so tired of the reminders and the pictures and all. It is almost 5yrs to the hour that I really thought I was going to die and maybe it wasn't a bright an idea to stay and ride it out. But as Tom said we are still here. As the song goes you don't know what it means to miss New Orleans. A special thanks to all the huddlers who were there when you needed to be. now can we move on and bring our second Lombardi Trophy home this year. Yeah brother I can't wait for anniversary week to end. The images still bring tears to my eyes. Listening to WWL has been far more tolerable as they really have kept it positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 I was having dinner a couple of nights ago in San Diego and had a conversation with an older couple. When they found out where I was from they were asking me questions about Katrina and still, even after 5 years, I still had to stop mid-sentence a couple of times to keep from getting choked up. I don't think those feelings will ever go away, but still I am very, very thankful for the blessings & friendships that were made as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 You get really busy with life and forget the tragedies and just immense scope of what happened if you are not attached to the area. How much of NO has been rebuilt? I have not been down there in the five years since and probably should sooner than later. What vestiges and reminders are still there? Losing 20% of a population is pretty dramatic. Is that just lost residential areas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted August 29, 2010 Author Share Posted August 29, 2010 (edited) You get really busy with life and forget the tragedies and just immense scope of what happened if you are not attached to the area. How much of NO has been rebuilt? I have not been down there in the five years since and probably should sooner than later. What vestiges and reminders are still there? Losing 20% of a population is pretty dramatic. Is that just lost residential areas? All of the things that tourists see are back and doing well. The Lower 9th ward and New Orleans East are still struggling. That is where most of the poorest population lived at the time so it is not surprising that they were not able to rebuild. As far as reminders of the storm??? That is easy to find anywhere in the city to be honest. The level of building here is hard to miss. If you want to see left over destruction then just roll into the Lower 9. Empty lots and half gutted houses abound. As far as 20% goes... Not exact #'s but we had in the area of 500k people here in New Orleans proper before the storm and estimate around 400k (Although I think that may be inflated a bit) today. There are plenty of reasons to visit our city and all of those are back and almost all of them are either the same or better than they were 5 years ago! Thank You David for the cleanup on aisle 1. Edited August 29, 2010 by tbimm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 I hate to say it but Katrina drove so many Cajuns into my town that we can now go out for cajun food here. No Cafe Du Monde beignets mind you, but some decent restaurants popped up over the Dallas area from displaced Katrina victims. I can think of no area of the country that has such a well defined, unique and rather tasty fare than New Orleans. Mix that with drunk girls pulling up their shirts and it'll all come back in time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moss6 Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 That thread was crazy and I remember wondering about Slayer and we pretty much begged him to get the hell out. Oh and there is only a little truth to the rumor that I caused the whole thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Never saw my wife so distraught, and I'd rather not ever again. Was an incredibly heart-wrenching and emotional few months, and created wounds that have yet to fully heal. I go back to Louisiana with a good deal of frequency, although trips to New Orleans don't occur during each visit. Still, the area in whole has a feeling of rebirth.... but a lonnnng way to go. Doesn't help that the economy is in the toilet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 You know what else is good? Nawlin's got to rebuild their school system from the ground up. Maybe the poor kids will actually get something out of the mess. Five years ago yesterday, the levees broke. Hurricane Katrina flooded roughly 80% of this city, causing nearly $100 billion in damage. The storm forced us to rebuild our homes, workplaces and many of our institutions—including our failing public education system. But from the flood waters, the most market-driven public school system in the country has emerged. Education reformers across America should take notice: The model is working. Citywide, the number of fourth-grade students who pass the state's standardized tests has jumped by almost a third—to 65% in 2010 from 49% in 2007. The passage rate among eighth-graders during the same period has improved at a similar clip, to 58% from 44%. In high school, the transformation has been even more impressive. Since 2007, the percentage of students meeting the state's proficiency goals is up 44% for English and 45% for math. Schools have achieved this dramatic improvement despite serving a higher percentage of low-income students—84%—than they did before the storm. Many of these students missed months or even a whole year of school. Good on the big easy for how they've come out of this, really. They keep going like their going and the place will be better than before. Like others, I'll question the value of rebuilding in the exact spot, but the heart wants what it wants. If you're as connected to your patch of ground as I am to my WV mountains, I can certainly understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 I was having dinner a couple of nights ago in San Diego and had a conversation with an older couple. When they found out where I was from they were asking me questions about Katrina and still, even after 5 years, I still had to stop mid-sentence a couple of times to keep from getting choked up. I don't think those feelings will ever go away, but still I am very, very thankful for the blessings & friendships that were made as a result. 5 years later and I'm still numb about the whole thing. I want to thank the Huddlers that helped and gave their money, time and efforts in the aftermath. Friendships and connections were made that will never be forgotten. I know that I will always be proud to be from the Gulf Coast and we are blessed to have such great friends and caring people that stepped up when we needed to be picked up. I witnessed a lot of love and selfless deeds that made me believe in the human spirit. You all are never forgotten....as ONE we are strong. Thank you all again........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 very inspirational and wishing the area all the best. My sister moved from Rita (Beaumont) to Katrina right as this was going on (her husband's job had them relocate to NOLA). They've been there ever since and have no regrets. They love NOLA:) Good luck and peace and comfort to you all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.