New Orleans Update
It’s Hard Out There For A N.O Resident
Today is the 2-year remembrance (I started to say anniversary but somehow that word doesn’t seem quite correct) of Hurricane Katrina’s attack on America’s Gulf Coast and in particular the damage it caused for the city of New Orleans. Easily one of the most tragic events of this nations history and an undoubtedly scarring event for our generation. The post below was written by one of my best friends, Tino Pasquier. He lived through the storm and remains in the area so his viewpoint is highly valued. Thank You.
2 years and counting: New Orleans Post-Katrina Challenges
By: Tino Pasquier
This week America will once again be reminded of that fateful August 29th when everything changed down in a place known as the “Big Easy.” However, as a resident of New Orleans, things have not been so easy even two years after Hurricane Katrina struck the city. Quite frankly, it’s near depressing. That’s the feeling one would feel after watching the city’s local evening news. Two years later, it is even more evident that New Orleans still needs a lot of work. I’m not writing this blog from an outsider’s perspective or a so called “expert” being interviewed on CNN. I’d also like to add that you are not getting this viewpoint from a die-hard New Orleans native. Honestly, I’m someone who moved here just one month prior to Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the city. Regardless of my ties to the city, I still get asked the ageless question like many New Orleans residents: Why are you living there?
Can one be honestly surprised at those outside of the city for asking this simple question? I’m not, especially not after hearing a guest speaker from Nebraska (of all places) this past month during a work seminar. The speaker sarcastically threw the city under the bus for its numerous problems from crime to crooked politicians. At one point he even started to compare “fraud risk” for a company to the probability of getting mugged in the city’s French Quarter district. As this man continued to dog the city, I found myself asking…Is this what the rest of America thinks about New Orleans?
Regardless, the most important question facing the city two years after Katrina is whether the current residents of New Orleans will stick around to help rebuild the city. With a population of just over 200,000 (just about a third of the pre-Katrina population) it seems every day we are given a reason not to stay. Whether it’s front cover TIME articles discussing the bleak future of the city’s levee protection system or the staggering rise of crime crippling the city’s already tarnished image of being the murder capital of America. It seems the city of New Orleans just can’t catch a break. Just recently, one of the city’s most trusted councilmen, Oliver Thomas, was found to be involved in a huge bribery and corruption scandal. Moreover, the city’s embattled but re-elected mayor Ray Nagin can’t escape criticism these days either. Most folks have become so disillusioned with the mayor’s efforts to clean up the city that they have nicknamed him “Ray Nay-Gone”, a reference to the perception of the mayor never being around to address the huge problems of the city.
So once again this week the national spotlight will flash on America’s most unique city probably just for one quick segment on a news network. At that brief moment, those of you living outside of New Orleans will wonder how we residents are doing down here. In the end what gets us through the day is one word, faith. One thing that I’ve learned living down here is that New Orleanians love their city. They believe things will get better…they have to. As we approach the peak of Hurricane season, public officials will keep pointing the finger at one another for the many failures that plague the city. However, New Orleanians will keep their fingers crossed once again hoping that another hurricane will not happen for a long time.
15 Responses to “New Orleans Update”
Aug.29 at 11:57 am
Cheryl says:
I remember being struck by how many athletes stepped up to help immediately following the hurricane. I wonder how many are continuing their efforts behind the scenes. I will always regret never visiting New Orleans before Wilma. I’m sure it will probably never be the same. Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
Aug.29 at 11:57 am
Cheryl says:
I meant *Katrina*. Wilma hit us… duh!
Aug.29 at 12:06 pm
white hot eboy says:
Tino, we all pray that anything remotley close to resembling even a strong tropical storm doesn’t come your way. As I and thousands of others have lived through Andrew, Jean, Frances and Wilma, I know the feeling of being without power, water and fresh food for longer than it should be possible in this country. 11 days was my longest time powerless and running-waterless and while it sucked for me and my family it pales in comparison to the Big Easy’s horrors. Stay strong.
Aug.29 at 1:17 pm
Captain America says:
N.O. will rise to greater heights on the backs of those committed to its success. Faster, higher, and better…please
Aug.29 at 1:58 pm
Tariq says:
I think i was in orlando around hurricane andrew…when was that…92?
Aug.29 at 5:37 pm
Metairie resident says:
Thank you Tino,white hot eboy and Captain America for your kind and positive words.
August is almost over, I pray September goes by fast.
Aug.29 at 5:55 pm
Allenp says:
That was a good post. It’s hard down here.
Aug.29 at 8:22 pm
Ben Osborne says:
An embarrassing situation for the entire country. Thank you Tino (and Khalid for delivering his message) for letting us know what’s going on down there.
Aug.29 at 10:10 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Gotta say that i’m pretty surprised by the low number of posts on this blog. Katrina overkill perhaps? Maybe but whether or not people want to acknowledge it, this situation continues on. I know we had some problems with the site earlier today so maybe people did post and it just didn’t show up. I’d rather think that.
Aug.29 at 11:47 pm
Goody says:
Great update. I was just watching something a few hours ago on the history channel and the economic effects its taken on the country not to mention the world. Pray Khalid. Pray for one another. I’m glad Brad decided to add his name to the list of those who really helped.
Aug.30 at 11:16 am
Toney Blare says:
Good post, Tino. It’s easy to feel isolated down here, where there’s nothing easy, and outsiders only mention the place when something bad happens or national politicians show up. As always, good lookin out, Khalid. Everyone should come for a visit, it’s the most important sight in America today.
Aug.30 at 4:19 pm
jbn74sb says:
Khalid - Attribute the lack of comments to the site troubles. And the fact that now that the site appears to be working again, this post is near the bottom of the main page. Great special on Nation Geographic last night about the failure of the levees, and the science of how and why NO flooded.
Sep.4 at 4:48 pm
B. Lee says:
So what, now? I know a hellva lot of stuff needs to be done, but what? I’m not down there and I’d love to visit, but what can we do. I want to help people directly and NOT just give money. Any suggestions?
Sep.6 at 1:32 pm
SLAM ONLINE | » My adidas! Basketball. Experience. Continued says:
[…] Shout out to all the kids, parents and coaches who made the trip, Peace Players International, Kristen Wise and the whole adidas staff, Ashante Simms and the people at Ochsner and last but definitely not least, my man Edward Sears. Mr. Sears is a lifelong New Orleans resident who I met when I walked around the neighborhood on my own. Born in the St. Bernard projects, he’s endured setback after setback since Katrina hit. For about two hours (I ended up missing the bus back to the hotel after the clinic; thanks for “rescuing” me, Zach and Matt) underneath a tree across from the abandoned housing complex, Mr. Sears, 59, told me about how the storm affected him personally and educated me about how the devastation went down, firsthand. Our convo was so personal and unrelated to hoops that I don’t think this is the proper forum to get into it, but like Khalid’s post from last week, hopefully this serves as a little reminder that a lot still needs to be done in the N.O. var staf_confirmtext = ‘Mail sent’ #stafBlock { position: absolute !important; z-index: 100000; display: none; width: 200px; } #stafForm { background-color:#f60; border: 2px solid #000; padding: 5px; margin:0; } #stafForm h2 { margin:0 0 4px;color:#fff;font-size:12px !important;} #stafForm input,label, h2 {font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: #222222; } #stafForm .input_text { width: 90px;margin-bottom: 5px;padding:2px; } #stafForm label { float: left; display: block; width: 75px; line-height: 16px; } #stafForm .input_submit {color:#fff;padding:0 5px;} #stafClose { float: right; margin-right: 5px; } x […]
Oct.8 at 6:04 pm
Alvaro Ilizarbe says:
Does anyone know how to get in contact with Tino?