This is not a bad thing. I started blogging in the dark days after Hurricane Katrina, when the city of New Orleans was still mostly deserted, when the power was not yet on in many neighborhoods and the heavily damaged parts of the city were off-limits in daytime and at night. I blogged because I had a story to tell. I knew I was living through something unique, something terrible, yes, but something people needed to know about nonetheless.
But the main reason I started blogging was for my own sanity. My mind was filled with images and ideas that I had to put into writing. My mind was screaming with despair for what had happened but also with hope for what would come.
But I guess my life is more "normal" now. I don't expect anyone will want to read about what I had for lunch, and I don't feel a need to wax poetic about the new TV we bought earlier this year. Hence, this space is left quiet.
I hope everyone remembers that just five years ago, there was talk that New Orleans should not be rebuilt. Many, in Congress, on the news and especially on the Internet said it would be "stupid" or "a waste of time and money" to rebuild New Orleans. This talk has subsided, but the sentiment remains. Just yesterday I heard myself defending the existence of New Orleans yet again, telling a Virginian my well-rehearsed line about how New Orleans is almost 300 years old--what makes you think it won't survive 300 more?
Today, New Orleans is growing and thriving. Like every other city in America we have our challenges. But we face them, head on. What kind of cowardice has taken hold of America when someone can seriously propose that a major port city should not be continued?
New Orleans is no place for cowards. We steadfastly struggle with nature, ourselves and everyone else on a daily basis. Someone wrote to The Times-Picayune a few years ago that every day in New Orleans is 24 hours long and 48 hours hard. You're damn right.
So everyone who doubts us, everyone who says or thinks we're not worthy, piss off. This is New Orleans, this is America, and WE ARE STILL HERE.
And we are moving forward into 2011 with your help or without it. Doesn't matter to me.
Peace, and Happy New Year.
6 comments:
Thanks for a great post, Tim
So what did you have for lunch?
Hey Tim,
I just forgot to look at your site. I tried writing to you a few years ago. Best of luck! Robin
Hi Tim, This is a great blog post which I hadn't read before. Most people outside of this area still have no true concept of what happened here, but they are still basically sympathetic to residents. A church group in Staten Island called me up a couple of weeks ago, asking if I would mind if they quoted from my Katrina story in their presentation on New Orleans (the teen group will be making a service trip in April.) However, on a trip to the beach recently, we came across someone from Boston who made some rude comments, and I thought that was outrageous. We're always going to have that sensitive spot. It seems to me that you still have a lot of interesting observations to make. thanks, sp
You'll be interested in this:
http://w2.uno.edu/news/UNOintheNews/tabid/169/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/52/Civil-Engineering-Students-Partner-with-Make-It-Right-on-Street-Project.aspx
Pervious concrete city streets to reduce drainage load, brought to NOLA by UNO Civil students.
More interesting notes:
http://www.usace.army.mil/History/hv/Pages/109-Mel_Brooks.aspx
Mel Brooks was in the ACoE. He defused landmines while under enemy fire. I could see how a good sense of humor could come in handy.
Also, ASME's magazine featured the Corps' New Orleans work
http://memagazine.asme.org/
(Note: main article not up quite yet)
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