A Tragedy Remembered
One year ago last night Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the gulf coast to wreak havoc on the lives of many - the damage caused by the powerful winds could only be surpassed by the breach of the levees which allowed Lake Pontchartrain to flow into the city. Though the flood waters have now dried up and many repairs have been made, life in New Orleans will never be the same as it was before this momentous, life-changing storm.
Some residents will never return to the Big Easy and those who have survived this tragedy and found their way back home once again are forever changed by the experience. I have wandered through the streets of the Ninth Ward and seen faces wrought with devastation and despair. Many homes are still in shambles with the hurricane season upon us once again. I have heard the whispered prayers to Notre Dame de Bon Secours. These people - the very heart and soul of this city - live in constant destitute and fear.
Though I was born in France, my family immigrated to Louisiana when I was a very young child and I have remained here ever since. I travel often, sometimes taking my leave of this place for decades at a time yet I always return to the one city I call home.
I have been witness to many of the events which have shaped New Orleans into what it is today. I was there that fateful morning in March when news of the Good Friday Fire spread from the city the to outlying plantations. More than eight hundred homes and buildings were reduced to ashes in a matter of hours. I watched the revered St. Louis Cathedral rise from those ashes - made strong by the faith of the people who prayed to the Saints in it's sacred vestibule.
I have stood by this city throughout the years as it has been ravaged by fires, floods, hurricanes, plagues and epic battles. I have witnessed unspeakable destruction and loss of life over the passing of the centuries - the kind that may have easily destroyed a weaker place, leaving it in empty ruin. Those who have lived out their mortal lifetimes here have been forced to relocate and rebuild time and time again. It is this often tragic history - this endless struggle - which has helped the people of New Orleans to overcome one of the most destructive hurricanes the U.S. has ever experienced.
These past few nights have been marked with traditional jazz funerals, candlelight vigils and church services to remember the thousands of lives lost and to bring together those who remain to pick up the shattered pieces left in Katraina’s wake. Despite the constant reminders - white trailers lining residential driveways where debris is still being hauled away by the truckload, abandoned homes and buildings now overtaken by weeds and vines, the many schools and hospitals still closed twelve months after this horrific natural disaster - the heart of New Orleans beats stronger than it ever has before.
"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival."
Some residents will never return to the Big Easy and those who have survived this tragedy and found their way back home once again are forever changed by the experience. I have wandered through the streets of the Ninth Ward and seen faces wrought with devastation and despair. Many homes are still in shambles with the hurricane season upon us once again. I have heard the whispered prayers to Notre Dame de Bon Secours. These people - the very heart and soul of this city - live in constant destitute and fear.
Though I was born in France, my family immigrated to Louisiana when I was a very young child and I have remained here ever since. I travel often, sometimes taking my leave of this place for decades at a time yet I always return to the one city I call home.
I have been witness to many of the events which have shaped New Orleans into what it is today. I was there that fateful morning in March when news of the Good Friday Fire spread from the city the to outlying plantations. More than eight hundred homes and buildings were reduced to ashes in a matter of hours. I watched the revered St. Louis Cathedral rise from those ashes - made strong by the faith of the people who prayed to the Saints in it's sacred vestibule.
I have stood by this city throughout the years as it has been ravaged by fires, floods, hurricanes, plagues and epic battles. I have witnessed unspeakable destruction and loss of life over the passing of the centuries - the kind that may have easily destroyed a weaker place, leaving it in empty ruin. Those who have lived out their mortal lifetimes here have been forced to relocate and rebuild time and time again. It is this often tragic history - this endless struggle - which has helped the people of New Orleans to overcome one of the most destructive hurricanes the U.S. has ever experienced.
These past few nights have been marked with traditional jazz funerals, candlelight vigils and church services to remember the thousands of lives lost and to bring together those who remain to pick up the shattered pieces left in Katraina’s wake. Despite the constant reminders - white trailers lining residential driveways where debris is still being hauled away by the truckload, abandoned homes and buildings now overtaken by weeds and vines, the many schools and hospitals still closed twelve months after this horrific natural disaster - the heart of New Orleans beats stronger than it ever has before.
"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival."