The fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is now upon us. And this half-decade moment should not only be one of reflection on the destruction of people’s lives and property, but also one of celebration as communities like Biloxi and New Orleans defied the odds and are slowly returning to productive neighborhoods where dreams can yet again develop and blossom.
One of the strengths that’s made the United States a social success has been an ingrained philosophy of “Neighbor helping neighbor” to address times of challenge and need. If Katrina was anything it served as the vehicle to show the world – on a grand scale – the spirit of America was not dead.
Like the conference rooms for National Guard headquarters and other first responder organizations, it all started with a late night call for help. Actually, it wasn’t really a request for help, but inquires as to be the ability and capabilities to “maybe provide some assistance.” And it was from these simply questions that America’s internal humanitarian response snowballed onto a scale never before seem within the borders of the red, white and blue.
Unfortunately, this catastrophic event must also serve as a wakeup call to false realities.
How prepared were we, are we really? A lot of assumptions came into play with Katrina: assumptions the local government had executable plans in the hopper to take care of all its citizens; assumptions the state government had contingency requests for assistance from unaffected states – some did, some didn’t; assumptions the federal government had immediate response agencies waiting in the wings; and assumption plans at all levels were executable and well rehearsed. Like the event of 9-11, the disaster in the Southern States brought on a slurry of reviews and revisions of disaster plans to ensure this debacle will not occur again. But all thought we were ready on 28 August 2005.
Next, the human element must be seen as the unknown factor in any equation. In times of tragedy we look to our civic and government leaders as the authority figures who will pull us through to calmer waters. We look, we depend, we pray for their guidance to the sanctuary of safety and the return to the comfort of our “normal” lives. Using New Orleans as the example, the mayor did not provide the guidance or ensure the safety of his citizens; the extensive corruption of the NOPD quickly became evident in the wake of Katrina; and the governor had her own leadership issues that will remain forever in the history books. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on.
But the NOLA basin is also the nest of the Phoenix. Even though we must continue to pursue mitigation of the trauma from Katrina, there is a part of the human element we must never stop celebrating. All along the southern coast is alive with everyday heroes who not only pulled themselves up by the bootstraps, but also ensured their neighbors a ray of hope for the future. They shared shelter, shared food and clothing, and shared the spark to start anew. When you ask them why you get many different answers. But it all seems to boil down to this inclination of neighbor helping neighbor.
