In an early blog we had a heading with the above heading and it’s something that has been going over in my head since I have been back. I mean, wow it’s been what two years since Katrina and Rita hit this coast. So one would think in that time things are back to “normal,” but as the fire chief told us, the suicide rate has tripled and that by itself says a handful.
Last night Mike and I played for some friends, Ernie and Jean at their home. We met Ernie and his wife through Jo &Terri. And Ernie brought over some of his friends who happened to be crab fishermen, Bill & Donnie.
Now Bill told us his story how he saved his boat by sailing up stream and he indeed save it but his homes were and still are flat out gone. To rebuild takes a pile of money and Bill is first and foremost a crab fishermen so he has to stay afloat. Bill, by just looking at him you would say he’s a damn hard worker and he is doing the best he can to come back to a somewhat a “normal” life. When you have worked a lifetime to build what you have and to have it taken away in a rush, well you just don’t bounce right back. And Bill’s story of insurance companies and FEMA is a story we hear over and over again. Better?
Wherever Mike and I go, we see building going on. Brand new projects are all over the place. Then right next to something that not has been touched since those terrible days that August of 2005. The scale is something that is hard to wrap one’s head around. It goes on for miles and miles, where ever you go.
When Mike and I first came down we got to our base camp and met Gordon. We asked, “Gordon how are ya doing?” He was sitting down on his deck with his head down and said under his breath, “Oh, its going ok, but Mr.
So getting back to the question, is it getting better? You bet it is, but one could feel under the surface that there is underlining pressure that in order to get this far from that mess there is also a cost.
The tragic occurrence over two years ago cost more than lives. It took away something that you can’t see. It is something inside these folks that can never be replaced, no matter how much money is spent, or how many buildings go up. Time heals wounds, but they leave scars, internally as well as externally. Some of them, we will never actually see, but they are there just the same.
Are things getting better? Of course they are. But there is still a long way to go. It’s not the time to stop coming down to help yet!
http://www.dragonfly.com/ is sending entertainers to the devastated areas in
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Too Late for Mr. Washington
WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) -
By Will Dunham
Federal health experts will begin testing for formaldehyde in trailers provided to people displaced by Hurricane Katrina after complaints of health problems, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct indoor air-quality tests for formaldehyde starting Dec. 21 on 500 of the roughly 46,000 government-provided trailers and mobile homes in Mississippi and Louisiana, officials said. Tens of thousands of people lost homes in the hurricane's onslaught in 2005.
Some trailer residents have attributed health problems to exposure to formaldehyde.
The CDC is doing the job at the request of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose response to the disaster has been criticized as slow and ineffective. Tests had been due to begin last month, but officials postponed them.
Jim Stark, director of FEMA's office in New Orleans coordinating recovery efforts, said about 3,700 people already have asked to move from the trailers due to formaldehyde fears, and have been offered housing alternatives.
"In most cases, this will mean a trip to a motel or a hotel until appropriate rental units can be found," Stark said.
FEMA will provide immediate alternative housing to any trailer residents with such health concerns, Stark said.
Formaldehyde is a chemical used widely in the manufacture of building materials. It also is used in embalming fluid. It can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat, and high levels of exposure may cause some types of cancers, the CDC said.
FEMA bought the trailers to provide temporary housing for displaced Gulf Coast residents. Stark estimated about 90,000 people are living in the trailers, mostly in Louisiana and Mississippi with smaller numbers in Alabama and Texas.
The CDC said the testing will take about five weeks. Dr. Henry Falk, head of the CDC's Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention, said officials hope disclose the results by mid-February.
During the testing, officials also will look for other "obvious problems such as heavy mold," Falk said.
"It is important not to be in an environment with high formaldehyde exposure for a very long term. We really want to try to head off the concern about those long-term effects," Falk said at a news conference in New Orleans, which was carried on a telephone link.
"The tests may all be high, they may all be low, they may vary by particular type of trailer," Falk added. "I think depending on the findings, that will help us in anticipating what we might need to do in the future."
There are no federal guidelines or scientific standards on formaldehyde levels in such trailers, officials said. (Editing by Maggie Fox and Jackie Frank)
WASHINGTON Vernon Washington Sr. Died on Friday, December 7, 2007. He was a WWII veteran. Son of the late Victor and Florence Washington. Father of Vernon Jr. and Kenneth Washington. Brother of Ida W. Early. Father-in-law of Dianne Washington. Grandfather of Danielle Washington. Also survived by a host of other relatives and friends. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral services on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 11:00am at Louisiana Undertaking Company 1449 N. Claiborne Ave. Rev. Donald Robinson officiating. Visitation 10:00am-11:00am. Interment Providence. Services Entrusted to Louisiana Undertaking Company 1449 N. Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116, 504-945-2145 Jeffery K. Jenkins / Renard A. Boissiere & Fatima B. Conner, Directors.
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