Fifteen years ago today, Katrina (followed by Rita) descended on much of Louisiana and Mississippi, with catastrophic effects in New Orleans. I recall the news reports and images of people sitting on rooftops, standing on the access roads to the double span bridge, and wading through chest deep water to get to the shelter. The homes marked by rescue and recovery workers were haunting, as were the wrapped bodies by the side of a road. Dietitian colleagues shared their experiences in hospitals where power was severely limited. One woman slept by the only freezer that made the ice needed to keep food cold. Kitchens were flooded since most are built in the basements. Food service administrators scrambled to move food items to a higher floor where emergency food provision could occur for the patients and staff not evacuated.
Nearly three years later, I attended a conference in New Orleans that dealt with the resiliency of local food systems. This was the perfect place to hold such a meeting. Tours of the area still showed the many areas still in need of clean up and rebuilding. The majority of people who had been evacuated outside the state were not returning. The anger and grief was palpable. The populace still felt abandoned and ignored. I returned two year later for a conference on rebuilding economic systems. A different attitude was present. The term 're-birth' had been adopted for the rebuilding of a city that would be smaller than it had been in 2005 -- most of the people evacuated out of state were not returning at this five year mark. Recovery at this time point included greater flood protection and infrastructure refurbishing. The east side of the city was beginning to rebuild homes. The Musicians Village was taking shape in the lower ninth ward -- a colourful cluster of houses. Other houses included a group of green buildings -- sustainably built and managed. Things were looking up, but it took several years to get there. I own a t-shirt that helped fund the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fun. It holds an image of Fats Domino's piano after being flood ravages. It brought tears the first time I saw it as I'd lost my piano in a flood. I could never bring myself to see his actual piano remains in a New Orleans museum.
The selection today is a song written based on the songwriter's personal experiences during the catastrophe. He was also instrumental in getting the Musician's Village project underway. Stay safe. Enjoy!
All These People -- Harry Connick, Jr. ft. Kim Burrell
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