The fifth anniversary of Katrina came and went. I didn't post anything. It's not because I wasn't thinking about it. I woke up that morning and put on my fleur de lis necklace and earrings, as small tokens of my heavy heart.
It's odd not to be there. I haven't been watching news coverage. I haven't even watched the Spike Lee movie on HBO, although I am debating recording it. I'm not sure I have the heart to watch it right now.
It has been five years. It is no longer the only conversation in town. It shouldn't be. But it is so much a part of the fabric of the city. Lives were changed. When a community struggles though something like that... it changes you. Forever. It's good to stop and recognize that.
Nearly every New Orleans musician has written a song about Katrina. You really should check out the CD Feeder Bands on the Run for a small taste. Here is one of my favorites...I actually wrote about it in 2008, but this video wasn't made until last year:
Past Katrina Anniversary posts:
2009: Remember
2008: Flashback 3 Years - Hurricane Katrina an edited (but still quite long) rundown of all the e-mails I sent to family and friends during our evacuation from Katrina
2007: I Know What it Means to Love New Orleans a love letter to New Orleans, complete with pictures
Showing posts with label katrina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label katrina. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Good fences, good neighbors?
Hurricane Katrina knocked down much of the wooden fence in our backyard. When we were putting it back up we decided to put in a gate between our house and the neighbor's house. That way, we reasoned, the girls could go back and forth between the yards without going around the front. However, after we got the posts and cross beams up, we decided we rather liked having no fence there at all, and left it. It remained that way for 4 1/2 years.
We walked through the open space many, many times. For crawfish boils and Easter egg hunts. Games of hide and seek and and tag and soccer. Even a Louisiana snowball fight. The first time I ever ate raw oysters I was summoned to the neighbor's back deck.
We would see the neighbors outside playing and send the May Queen out to play, too.
Now that our house is for sale, the fence has had to be completed. A wooden wall now divides us from the neighbors. Even the area for the gate was filled in. No hinges.
They say that good fences make good neighbors. We found that no fence made the best neighbors of all.
We walked through the open space many, many times. For crawfish boils and Easter egg hunts. Games of hide and seek and and tag and soccer. Even a Louisiana snowball fight. The first time I ever ate raw oysters I was summoned to the neighbor's back deck.
We would see the neighbors outside playing and send the May Queen out to play, too.
Now that our house is for sale, the fence has had to be completed. A wooden wall now divides us from the neighbors. Even the area for the gate was filled in. No hinges.
They say that good fences make good neighbors. We found that no fence made the best neighbors of all.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Cats and parents: Daily Gratitude 1
Every November I look on in horror as bloggers all around me sign on for this whole posting every day craziness that is NaBloPoMo. Because every year I seem to be up to my neck in rehearsals and/or performances for something and I know my reader is about to explode.
This year is no exception.
And so it is that I cannot believe that I've just felt the urge to TRY.... to TRY to do it myself.
The first 15 days of November promise to be insane. Insane.
But for that very reason it seems to me that it might be a good discipline to post something that I am grateful for every day. Even if it's just a few words. So I'm gonna give it a shot. For me.
Ack.
Today I'm feeling very grateful for parents who took me to plays as a child. This afternoon I took The May Queen to see Cats... it's the triumphant return of Broadway touring shows to NOLA after Katrina wiped out all our big theatres. I first saw Cats when I was 11 or 12. I remember my mother reading us the T.S. Eliot poems the show is based on from a library book as we drove to the theatre. I remember the thrill of intricate set (the May Queen and I peered at it through binoculars and challenged each other to find certain details - "do you see the paintbrush?" - before the show), the incredible dancing, the cat that prowled so near to us in aisle. When the lights dimmed and the orchestra began today I felt that same rush I felt as a child.
I watch any show now with different eyes... trained eyes, experienced eyes. I look for what works and what doesn't... and why. But there's no denying that inside... my heart was leaping and spinning, just like the dancers on that stage. Just like it did when I first saw it. BECAUSE it did when I first saw it.
Because I had parents who took me to see it.
(and I am grateful that I have until tomorrow to come up with a Monday Mission... because even though I usually get the ball rolling on Sunday night... I am coming up dry at the moment)
This year is no exception.
And so it is that I cannot believe that I've just felt the urge to TRY.... to TRY to do it myself.
The first 15 days of November promise to be insane. Insane.
But for that very reason it seems to me that it might be a good discipline to post something that I am grateful for every day. Even if it's just a few words. So I'm gonna give it a shot. For me.
Ack.
Today I'm feeling very grateful for parents who took me to plays as a child. This afternoon I took The May Queen to see Cats... it's the triumphant return of Broadway touring shows to NOLA after Katrina wiped out all our big theatres. I first saw Cats when I was 11 or 12. I remember my mother reading us the T.S. Eliot poems the show is based on from a library book as we drove to the theatre. I remember the thrill of intricate set (the May Queen and I peered at it through binoculars and challenged each other to find certain details - "do you see the paintbrush?" - before the show), the incredible dancing, the cat that prowled so near to us in aisle. When the lights dimmed and the orchestra began today I felt that same rush I felt as a child.
I watch any show now with different eyes... trained eyes, experienced eyes. I look for what works and what doesn't... and why. But there's no denying that inside... my heart was leaping and spinning, just like the dancers on that stage. Just like it did when I first saw it. BECAUSE it did when I first saw it.
Because I had parents who took me to see it.
(and I am grateful that I have until tomorrow to come up with a Monday Mission... because even though I usually get the ball rolling on Sunday night... I am coming up dry at the moment)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
God of NOLA
We sang this song in church this morning. I managed to make it through without crying. Barely.
God of this City
by Chris Tomlin
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Remember
4 years ago today Katrina made landfall. I've been thinking and thinking about what to write about it this year. I saw a show on the Weather Channel where newsman Brian Williams talked about his time in NOLA after the storm. They showed a clip of him from shortly afterward saying that if we in the United States didn't have a serious discussion about the racism and classism exposed by the storm than the media will have failed us.
Where is that discussion now? I could write a post about that.
Last night Anderson Cooper did a special "4 years later" segment on CNN. When talking about the aftermath he actually stated as fact that the tragedy was met with "government indifference." Indeed. I could write a post about that.
I've thought about equating the problems everyone ran into with insurance to the health care crisis. Home insurance companies were exposed as phonies over and over again as they denied claims and raised costs and turned their backs on their clients. Just as health insurance companies do to the sick and dying day in and day out. I could write a post about that.
But frankly, I don't have it in me this week to craft that sort of well thought out post.
So I will just say that I am here, remembering the fear, the terror and the sorrow. I have not forgotten. I know that the recovery is not over. Not in NOLA, and not in our country. Katrina exposed deep, deep problems in the way our country is run. We need to shore up not just the levees of New Orleans, but the levees of justice in America.
*Photo taken on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain earlier this week. 4 years ago that was under water.
Past Katrina Anniversary posts:
Last year I posted an edited (but still quite long) rundown of all the e-mails I sent to family and friends during our evacuation from Katrina:
Flashback 3 Years - Hurricane Katrina
Two years ago I wrote a love letter to New Orleans. It still stands as one of my favorite posts:
I Know What it Means to Love New Orleans
Friday, May 29, 2009
Oh, you are all so lovely, taking my whole Post Show Depression thing so seriously. Truly touched. Feeling a bit sheepish, like it really shouldn't be that big of a deal, but maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to be a bit kinder to myself.
Except that I have 80 bajillion things to do to get ready for Vacation Bible School on Monday (which, you know, I'm in charge of. As always) and when I'm not doing that I'm trying to entertain my grandfather who is visiting from Florida ("I thought you said you wouldn't be too busy this week and it was a good time to visit?") and tonight we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and for some reason I had no idea there was this "looking back/present day" element to it that was all centered around Katrina's imminent arrival, and I had no idea that it would be so difficult to watch (even though I myself evacuated, and Lord knows I've watched and read and heard first hand a gazillion REAL Katrina stories) and all I really wanted to do was weep.
But perhaps making up numbers is a good sign that I'm getting over my PSD? I'm not giving numbers like 1729 (which, by the way, is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. In case you were wondering. Which you weren't.)
And there I go again...
Except that I have 80 bajillion things to do to get ready for Vacation Bible School on Monday (which, you know, I'm in charge of. As always) and when I'm not doing that I'm trying to entertain my grandfather who is visiting from Florida ("I thought you said you wouldn't be too busy this week and it was a good time to visit?") and tonight we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and for some reason I had no idea there was this "looking back/present day" element to it that was all centered around Katrina's imminent arrival, and I had no idea that it would be so difficult to watch (even though I myself evacuated, and Lord knows I've watched and read and heard first hand a gazillion REAL Katrina stories) and all I really wanted to do was weep.
But perhaps making up numbers is a good sign that I'm getting over my PSD? I'm not giving numbers like 1729 (which, by the way, is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. In case you were wondering. Which you weren't.)
And there I go again...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Flashback 3 years - Hurricane Katrina
If you weren't a reader of mine last August, may I humbly recommend you read my post from last year's Katrina anniversary. It's a love letter to New Orleans, and one of my favorite posts.
3 years ago I was evacuated, and getting news from my husband, still here in Louisiana, in random bursts of phone connectivity. I began sending out e-mail updates to a few family and friends, and by the time we returned home the list I was sending to was hundreds of people long - including friends of friends who wanted a first hand account. As I look back over these e-mails I remember what it was like: the uncertainty, the hope, the fear, the misinformation, the confusion. The darned car registration I couldn't renew because all the documents were in Louisiana and I was in Indiana. This is all the more haunting as we prepare for possible evacuation this weekend. Anyhow... I offer for you a glimpse of what it was like for us during our evacuation with these snippets of actual e-mail updates (I've edited and tried to shorten them up considerably, but it's still rather long, sorry):
Sun, 28 Aug 2005 4:05pm
As, you are all probably aware, Hurricane Katrina is basically making a beeline for our house. Fortunately, we are not there. The May Queen and I are safe with friends at the Fort Campbell Army Base along the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The Big Guy is still in Louisiana. When we evacuated yesterday he was on his way home from a conference in Mobile Alabama. He is now with some friends at their home north west of our town. They are in a high area that should be well sheltered, and should weather the hurricane well. The woman he is with is part of Red Cross and he is planning to work with Red Cross in relief efforts as needed after the hurricane passes. He has cleared our home of our photos, home videos, etc. (because I did not think to do this!)
I'll let you all know when I hear from him that he's OK after the storm passes, although it very well may be several days as phone lines and cell towers will likely be down.
MQ is doing well, as she doesn't really understand. This is just a fun adventure for her. I'll also let you know where we'll be, as we may not be able to return to our home right away.
Mon, 29 Aug 2005 3:56pm
Hello again. The May Queen and I continue to be safe in Kentucky. I have not heard from The Big Guy, but all lines seem to be down as I can't even get a number down there to ring. I've kept a close watch on where the hurricane was, and he should have been well away from the major force of it, and just fine. The eye made landfall along the Louisiana Mississippi border, probably 20-30 miles from our home. For those of you who don't know, our town is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which makes us a prime target for flooding, although the waters from the lake appear to have been blown south into the city rather than north up to us. If you've been watching the weather channel yesterday they were in our town before they moved out due to the danger, and today you've seen live reports from the town just north of us. I saw the damaged movie theatre where we saw a movie Thursday night. I don't know when we'll be allowed back. Our area was under mandatory evacuation, and we aren't allowed back until officials clear it. I read that in NO it may be weeks until power is back in some places. So we'll just wait and see.
Anyhow, just wanted to let you know where we are, to the best of my knowledge. Thank you all for your notes and thoughts and prayers. The hardest thing is not being with The Big Guy, but I trust that he is fine, and I'll hear from him as soon as he has access to a working phone.
Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:14am
Still no news from The Big Guy. It's looking like it will be a long time before we are allowed to go home, and perhaps even longer before it's a good idea to go home, and stores and services are restored. Therefore, The May Queen and I will likely head up to my parents house in IN tomorrow.
Tue, 30 Aug 2005 7:40pm
Hooray hooray! Good news! I talked with our friend that The Big Guy was staying with since Sunday, and this is what I learned...
THE BIG GUY IS OK. The home he was in had plenty of food and a generator, and had no damage. Today around 5:30 they chainsawed and bulldozed their way out to the main roads. He made it to our house, which has NO DAMAGE. The only thing we lost is the fence, which needed replacing anyways (and now insurance will likely pay for it, hooray!) He is spending the night at our house. We have no electricity, but we do have water (but not for drinking, as it is likely contaminated). MQ and I had planned to head to my parents in Indiana tomorrow, but will wait for more news tomorrow before making a decision. Even with an intact home, it's likely no place to take a nearly three year old.
As you can imagine we are greatly relieved. Your thoughts, kind notes, and prayers have been priceless, thank you. It's hard to know that there are still so many families who either don't know of their families whereabouts, or know bad news. The conditions in New Orleans continue to worsen. There are so many who still need our thoughts and prayers.
I'll let you know where we girls end up and more news as I hear, but... WOO-HOO. We are celebrating here tonight.
Wed, 31 Aug 2005 8:21am
Hello! My present this morning was a message from The Big Guy, with a phone number where I could reach him at someone else's house. Phone coverage is still spotty and off and on, and he's off doing work now. But I called and spoke to him. You can imagine how good it was to hear his voice. He confirmed that our fence was gone, and one screen in our brand new screened in porch... our new shed had come off it's moorings, but was only rocked a little and not thrown about the yard. He bought a generator at Home Depot, which opened this morning at 6am with a crew from Dallas. He said in our neighborhood about one in every 3 houses has a tree through it. He says we are VERY lucky, even in terms of our neighborhood, and he's been in neighborhoods that have it much worse than ours. He's hoping to work with Red Cross, but they haven't been able to organize at all - there's just no way to get around. They are hoping to start organizing this afternoon, so there may be a way to volunteer (the eastern Maypole contingent... I'll let him know of your offers of help). In the meantime he and a crew of others are going out and just helping to clear streets, etc. Yesterday he said it took 7 hours to fight their way through the debris and out to a main road. He says now you just go out and find people working and help them, taking turns with the chainsaws and moving trees, etc. He hasn't seen any of the photos or video footage of the flooding and destruction, but he talks of radio broadcasts where they basically tell people "if you have a boat get in it and come to the airport, or the Superdome, and help rescue people" He said authorities are glad to have people there helping to clear the way - they helped some of the sheriff department get out of their office!
He said it looks like "Armageddon" and to stay away. So MQ and I will be heading up to my parents house later today. Don't know when we'll head back home. We're so grateful to have a home to return to.
Thu, 1 Sep 2005 10:53am
Talked to The Big Guy again this morning. Last night he spoke with the mayor who is saying it will be a month, at minimum, until our power is back. He is also encouraging residents to enroll their students in schools elsewhere, as you probably know N.O. is doing as well.
The Big Guy continues to be well. I imagine he is getting quite a workout with the chainsaw. He spent the night with a neighbor who had a window AC unit and a generator.
The May Queen and I have arrived safely at my parents home in Indiana. Looks like we'll be here a while, and the 5 outfits of shorts and t-shirts I packed for myself is looking pretty insufficient right now. ;) That's the least of our problems, I know. I'm horrified as I see the damage online and on the news. I have friends who have lost everything, although fortunately so far I don't know of any injuries or deaths of people we know.
Some of you have asked about donations and how you can help. The Big Guy said the best thing you can do right now is send cash, and I know Red Cross is a good avenue for that.
Thu, 1 Sep 2005 10:23pm
I talked to The Big Guy again this evening. He spent the day repairing roofs. It rained today - thunder and lightening - which makes working much more difficult. He is working with several people from our congregation who are back in the area as well. They are getting ice, water and MREs (that's "Meals Ready to Eat" if you don't know - I had to ask!) from a FEMA distribution center. He continues to call the situation total chaos. So far homes are not being looted, but he said that trucks drive around after dark with their lights off, listening for generators. When they hear one they hop out, take the generator, and leave. Signs are showing up all over saying "looters will be shot on sight." Neighborhoods are organizing groups to patrol the neighborhood and try to keep them safe. I of course urged him to get out if he thought it was unsafe. He is frustrated with what appears to him to be a poor government response to the needs of the city (not our town, but New Orleans)
There will be no US Postal Service for at least a month. i don't know about fed ex or UPS, but I imagine that is similar.
the N.O. airport is closed until after Christmas. Guess my parents and brother and his family will have to change their vacation plans. They were going to visit us in October.
Entergy, the energy company in N.O. (who also supplies all the energy to our energy company) pulled workers from the city after they were shot at - saying they won't return until order is restored. The Big Guy knows someone who works for Entergy who says that they are considering cutting their losses and abandoning N.O.
I'm trying to readjust my thinking and settle into the idea of being displaced for quite a while. My mother worked fabulously by contacting a local Lutheran church which has agreed to take The May Queen into their preschool on a per week basis. She will start school on Tuesday. It will be good for her to play with other kids and have a bit of a routine here. She is enjoying being here at Oma and Opa's house - playing with Opa's trains, trying out roller skates, reading books. She is doing well. Thankfully she's good at adjusting to new situations. Plus, Oma and Opa have lots of toys. ;)
It's amazing to think that tonight I will sleep in a bed, while tens of thousands of people will sleep in the Superdome, or the Convention Center, or other shelters. It continues to break my heart.
Sat, 3 Sep 2005 4:55pm
The May Queen and I continue to be well in Indiana. She keeps telling me that "Daddy is cleaning up the trees." Several people here, as well as some friends from afar, have helped us by giving or loaning clothes, so we are fine in that regard. Many of you expressed concern about our funds. I just received news that The Big Guy's pay will be wired directly into our bank accounts. We should be fine.
When i spoke to The Big Guy today he said they have checked on 110 homes of members of our congregation, and there is much devastation. The church will hold one service tomorrow morning. When they visit homes to assess them they are leaving notes on doors, giving info on what other church members are up to, etc. There is a drop box at the church for messages, and that is one way they are keeping in touch through all the spotty phone service.
He also said that last night as he and others were keeping watch on our neighborhood, a pick up truck with it's lights off pulled up. When it saw that the road was blocked, and several armed men were guarding it, they put the truck in reverse and left. Hopefully the looting will continue to be thwarted - how horrible that some people take advantage of others in a time of such devastation and despair.
Sun, 4 Sep 2005 7:33pm
Our church held a worship service today with 90 people in attendance. I enjoyed worshipping with my parent's congregation this morning. The pastor (my dad!) spoke to the only thing that can make sense out of all this - Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection. We know that our Lord understands the pain. He did not send this hurricane and it's aftermath to us, but he is with every one of us as we struggle to comprehend it and survive it. God is greater than Hurricane Katrina.
Mon, 5 Sep 2005 3:50pm
I talked to The Big Guy Sunday night, and he was battling a cold. He, and others he has been working with, have decided to take tomorrow (Tuesday) as a sabbath, to rest and take care of themselves and their own homes. He says that people there are really struggling with what he called "the end of life as they know it." For people in our area, many of them have lost their jobs. It means a loss of income, the possibility that they may have to move their families, etc. There's also a lot of uncertainty as to whether a job will be there or not. I think people are tired, sad, and confused. I was, however, heartened by the pictures on the website of their worship yesterday. The community is really pulling together and helping each other out.
Speaking of community, so many of you have asked how you can help. I've pulled together a few resources, and will continue to share others with you as I can. The rescue and repair and restoration process will last many, many months, and as someone said to me, this is not a race, but a marathon. There will be lots of opportunities for you to help in the coming months. I know that we will have lots of personal stories from our friends and church members.
Wed, 7 Sep 2005 9:19pm
The Big Guy says that a couple of neighborhoods near ours have electricity, so it may not be long before ours does as well.
The Big Guy continues to help clear trees and stabilize damaged roofs and homes. He has also located a friend's cousins who live in a nearby town, and is helping with the search for a friend of a friend's mother who is missing after being evacuated from a New Orleans hospital. Otherwise, there is not a whole lot of new information.
The May Queen started preschool here yesterday. She loved it, and is very excited to go back tomorrow. She'll go two days a week. She was scheduled to start school this week at home, so it is good for her to have this as a chance to interact with other kids and have some regularity in her life.
Thu, 8 Sep 2005 8:47pm
The Big Guy is feeling much better after getting antibiotics. Thank you all for your prayers.
He said that in our neighborhood the trash is not getting picked up, and it is getting pretty rank. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon. Other trash services are picking up in other neighborhoods, so there is hope.
The Parish where we live is officially "reopening" tomorrow at 8am. Although according to The Big Guy people have been coming and going all along. I'm sure he is thrilled that today they lifted the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages. The curfew (9pm-7am) is still in place.( In case you haven't figured it out, a "Parish" in Louisiana is the same as a "County" anywhere else in the US) Power is restored to 36% of the Parish, but as of this afternoon not yet to our home or church. Official word is that they are hoping to open the schools Oct. 3, but The Big Guy heard that it may not be until January, particularly if they wait until they can get the whole parish up and running, as several schools are severely damaged and a high school is being used as a shelter.
Sat, 10 Sep 2005 3:20pm
As of 10:33am on Saturday, Sept 10, WE'VE GOT THE POWER! The Big Guy is thrilled. He has the air conditioning running and has the downstairs of our home in the 70s (down from 95, pant, pant) Also, trash was picked up today, AND mail was delivered! Still no phone service, and no cable or internet. Grocery stores, Walmarts, Kmarts, drugstores, etc are open. Restaurants are starting to open. Other businesses will likely be close behind.
In our Parish, five of 51 schools are too damaged to be use, but school officials said the 2,600 students who attend those schools will be enrolled in the parish’s other schools. Officials said schools will reopen Oct. 3 (MQ's birthday!) Our preschool is hoping to open at the same time.
So, now we're starting to talk about when The May Queen and I head back down. Probably within the next week or two. We'll figure that out.
Mon, 12 Sep 2005 3:57pm
Hello! Tomorrow morning The May Queen and I are heading back to Louisiana, and my mom is going to travel with us. We'll leave after MQ goes to school in the morning, and drive into the evening, hoping to land somewhere south of Nashville. We plan to get home Wed. night.
It will be good for our family to be back together, and to figure out as a team how we move forward from here. I'm sure that much of our lives for quite some time will be helping with restoration in our immediate area and beyond.
Sun, 18 Sep 2005 3:47pm
Hello! The Maypole family is back together in our home. Hooray! I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to still have a home, and that it doesn't have a blue tarp on the roof.
We are back online - sort of. Our cable internet is still out, and will be for the foreseeable future. We hear that the office and all the equipment that gets internet to our area was destroyed, and it may be months. We'll see. In the meantime we are using dial-up. I had forgotten how painfully slow this is. So, please hold off on sending us attachments and forwards until we have a highspeed connection. In the meantime, I'll try to get things done while I wait for a new window to open - like maybe read War and Peace. ;)
My mom graciously made the drive down with The May Queen and I. About 20 miles north of Tuscalusa, Mississippi we began to see the effects of the hurricane - trees snapped in half, signs torn and blown over, piles of debris that had been cleared to the side of the road to make the highway passable. We would see these here and there, and more consistently the further south we got. It's odd to me how a hurricane will take one tree and not the next.
We did a brief tour of the area before sending Mom back on the train on Thursday. Our community is slowing getting back on it's feet. And I say slowly, but things are moving much faster than first predicted. Many businesses are open, but often with shortened hours and services. Cardboard signs are posted out by the road proclaiming "open" for local stores and national chains alike. There seem to be an unusual amount of "now hiring" signs as well. Most neighborhoods, including our own, have piles of chainsawed trees lining the road, waiting to be removed (who does this and when, I don't know). This makes our narrow roads even more narrow, and often you have to take turns driving down the road. Our neighborhood is filled with the sounds of chainsaws, tractors, and cranes. Our neighborhood still has piles of garbage and torn out carpet/drywall, etc. along the road. The only garbage they have collected is what has been in trash cans.
We went down to the area in our town that got flooded - water came up about 1/2 mile from the lakeshore. We stopped at a local social service agency that we usually work through that gives assistance to people in need and runs a thrift store. They had flooded, and had to throw out most of their inventory, and redo their building. They were closed and not taking donations. We visited the home of a member who had flooding on their first floor up to about 3 feet. Fortunately, their first floor is entirely garage and storage. We could see where the water had shattered the glass in sliding glass doors and bent the frame. Everything in the garage had been pushed into a big pile in one corner of the garage by the water. We visited another home where a tree had hit the home, puncturing the roof. There are still downed wires in a lot of places, and it was a bit unnerving to drive over them with my car!
We had a full worship service this morning, and next week will return to three services. Sunday School, Confirmation, etc. will start up in Oct.
Here at our home our phone is now working! We also have cable again, sort of. Some local channels aren't broadcasting (PBS, NBC) and, inexplicably, we get some movie channels and not others. But we now have access to CNN and Nickelodeon, so life is good. ;)
A lot of people in our community are having to work elsewhere, either temporarily or permanently, as their New Orleans offices are destroyed, or at least inaccessable. Our neighbors, who already have 4 kids, have taken in 4 children and 3 adults - all family who have lost their homes on the "South Shore."
We are all humbled by the generosity of our church, friends, and the rest of America as offers of help continue to arrive. We look forward to the arrival tomorrow of my cousin and his father in law - who will be here this week helping clear debris, patch roofs, etc.
When The Big Guy described what it was like during the hurricane, he said it sounded a lot like a tornado, only it lasted 24 hours! He said several hours before the first rains began it was eerily quiet - no birds, etc. He watched trees snap in half, and the upper halves fly 200 yards before spiking into the ground
A guy is here from our insurance - gotta run!
3 years ago I was evacuated, and getting news from my husband, still here in Louisiana, in random bursts of phone connectivity. I began sending out e-mail updates to a few family and friends, and by the time we returned home the list I was sending to was hundreds of people long - including friends of friends who wanted a first hand account. As I look back over these e-mails I remember what it was like: the uncertainty, the hope, the fear, the misinformation, the confusion. The darned car registration I couldn't renew because all the documents were in Louisiana and I was in Indiana. This is all the more haunting as we prepare for possible evacuation this weekend. Anyhow... I offer for you a glimpse of what it was like for us during our evacuation with these snippets of actual e-mail updates (I've edited and tried to shorten them up considerably, but it's still rather long, sorry):
Sun, 28 Aug 2005 4:05pm
As, you are all probably aware, Hurricane Katrina is basically making a beeline for our house. Fortunately, we are not there. The May Queen and I are safe with friends at the Fort Campbell Army Base along the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The Big Guy is still in Louisiana. When we evacuated yesterday he was on his way home from a conference in Mobile Alabama. He is now with some friends at their home north west of our town. They are in a high area that should be well sheltered, and should weather the hurricane well. The woman he is with is part of Red Cross and he is planning to work with Red Cross in relief efforts as needed after the hurricane passes. He has cleared our home of our photos, home videos, etc. (because I did not think to do this!)
I'll let you all know when I hear from him that he's OK after the storm passes, although it very well may be several days as phone lines and cell towers will likely be down.
MQ is doing well, as she doesn't really understand. This is just a fun adventure for her. I'll also let you know where we'll be, as we may not be able to return to our home right away.
Mon, 29 Aug 2005 3:56pm
Hello again. The May Queen and I continue to be safe in Kentucky. I have not heard from The Big Guy, but all lines seem to be down as I can't even get a number down there to ring. I've kept a close watch on where the hurricane was, and he should have been well away from the major force of it, and just fine. The eye made landfall along the Louisiana Mississippi border, probably 20-30 miles from our home. For those of you who don't know, our town is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which makes us a prime target for flooding, although the waters from the lake appear to have been blown south into the city rather than north up to us. If you've been watching the weather channel yesterday they were in our town before they moved out due to the danger, and today you've seen live reports from the town just north of us. I saw the damaged movie theatre where we saw a movie Thursday night. I don't know when we'll be allowed back. Our area was under mandatory evacuation, and we aren't allowed back until officials clear it. I read that in NO it may be weeks until power is back in some places. So we'll just wait and see.
Anyhow, just wanted to let you know where we are, to the best of my knowledge. Thank you all for your notes and thoughts and prayers. The hardest thing is not being with The Big Guy, but I trust that he is fine, and I'll hear from him as soon as he has access to a working phone.
Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:14am
Still no news from The Big Guy. It's looking like it will be a long time before we are allowed to go home, and perhaps even longer before it's a good idea to go home, and stores and services are restored. Therefore, The May Queen and I will likely head up to my parents house in IN tomorrow.
Tue, 30 Aug 2005 7:40pm
Hooray hooray! Good news! I talked with our friend that The Big Guy was staying with since Sunday, and this is what I learned...
THE BIG GUY IS OK. The home he was in had plenty of food and a generator, and had no damage. Today around 5:30 they chainsawed and bulldozed their way out to the main roads. He made it to our house, which has NO DAMAGE. The only thing we lost is the fence, which needed replacing anyways (and now insurance will likely pay for it, hooray!) He is spending the night at our house. We have no electricity, but we do have water (but not for drinking, as it is likely contaminated). MQ and I had planned to head to my parents in Indiana tomorrow, but will wait for more news tomorrow before making a decision. Even with an intact home, it's likely no place to take a nearly three year old.
As you can imagine we are greatly relieved. Your thoughts, kind notes, and prayers have been priceless, thank you. It's hard to know that there are still so many families who either don't know of their families whereabouts, or know bad news. The conditions in New Orleans continue to worsen. There are so many who still need our thoughts and prayers.
I'll let you know where we girls end up and more news as I hear, but... WOO-HOO. We are celebrating here tonight.
Wed, 31 Aug 2005 8:21am
Hello! My present this morning was a message from The Big Guy, with a phone number where I could reach him at someone else's house. Phone coverage is still spotty and off and on, and he's off doing work now. But I called and spoke to him. You can imagine how good it was to hear his voice. He confirmed that our fence was gone, and one screen in our brand new screened in porch... our new shed had come off it's moorings, but was only rocked a little and not thrown about the yard. He bought a generator at Home Depot, which opened this morning at 6am with a crew from Dallas. He said in our neighborhood about one in every 3 houses has a tree through it. He says we are VERY lucky, even in terms of our neighborhood, and he's been in neighborhoods that have it much worse than ours. He's hoping to work with Red Cross, but they haven't been able to organize at all - there's just no way to get around. They are hoping to start organizing this afternoon, so there may be a way to volunteer (the eastern Maypole contingent... I'll let him know of your offers of help). In the meantime he and a crew of others are going out and just helping to clear streets, etc. Yesterday he said it took 7 hours to fight their way through the debris and out to a main road. He says now you just go out and find people working and help them, taking turns with the chainsaws and moving trees, etc. He hasn't seen any of the photos or video footage of the flooding and destruction, but he talks of radio broadcasts where they basically tell people "if you have a boat get in it and come to the airport, or the Superdome, and help rescue people" He said authorities are glad to have people there helping to clear the way - they helped some of the sheriff department get out of their office!
He said it looks like "Armageddon" and to stay away. So MQ and I will be heading up to my parents house later today. Don't know when we'll head back home. We're so grateful to have a home to return to.
Thu, 1 Sep 2005 10:53am
Talked to The Big Guy again this morning. Last night he spoke with the mayor who is saying it will be a month, at minimum, until our power is back. He is also encouraging residents to enroll their students in schools elsewhere, as you probably know N.O. is doing as well.
The Big Guy continues to be well. I imagine he is getting quite a workout with the chainsaw. He spent the night with a neighbor who had a window AC unit and a generator.
The May Queen and I have arrived safely at my parents home in Indiana. Looks like we'll be here a while, and the 5 outfits of shorts and t-shirts I packed for myself is looking pretty insufficient right now. ;) That's the least of our problems, I know. I'm horrified as I see the damage online and on the news. I have friends who have lost everything, although fortunately so far I don't know of any injuries or deaths of people we know.
Some of you have asked about donations and how you can help. The Big Guy said the best thing you can do right now is send cash, and I know Red Cross is a good avenue for that.
Thu, 1 Sep 2005 10:23pm
I talked to The Big Guy again this evening. He spent the day repairing roofs. It rained today - thunder and lightening - which makes working much more difficult. He is working with several people from our congregation who are back in the area as well. They are getting ice, water and MREs (that's "Meals Ready to Eat" if you don't know - I had to ask!) from a FEMA distribution center. He continues to call the situation total chaos. So far homes are not being looted, but he said that trucks drive around after dark with their lights off, listening for generators. When they hear one they hop out, take the generator, and leave. Signs are showing up all over saying "looters will be shot on sight." Neighborhoods are organizing groups to patrol the neighborhood and try to keep them safe. I of course urged him to get out if he thought it was unsafe. He is frustrated with what appears to him to be a poor government response to the needs of the city (not our town, but New Orleans)
There will be no US Postal Service for at least a month. i don't know about fed ex or UPS, but I imagine that is similar.
the N.O. airport is closed until after Christmas. Guess my parents and brother and his family will have to change their vacation plans. They were going to visit us in October.
Entergy, the energy company in N.O. (who also supplies all the energy to our energy company) pulled workers from the city after they were shot at - saying they won't return until order is restored. The Big Guy knows someone who works for Entergy who says that they are considering cutting their losses and abandoning N.O.
I'm trying to readjust my thinking and settle into the idea of being displaced for quite a while. My mother worked fabulously by contacting a local Lutheran church which has agreed to take The May Queen into their preschool on a per week basis. She will start school on Tuesday. It will be good for her to play with other kids and have a bit of a routine here. She is enjoying being here at Oma and Opa's house - playing with Opa's trains, trying out roller skates, reading books. She is doing well. Thankfully she's good at adjusting to new situations. Plus, Oma and Opa have lots of toys. ;)
It's amazing to think that tonight I will sleep in a bed, while tens of thousands of people will sleep in the Superdome, or the Convention Center, or other shelters. It continues to break my heart.
Sat, 3 Sep 2005 4:55pm
The May Queen and I continue to be well in Indiana. She keeps telling me that "Daddy is cleaning up the trees." Several people here, as well as some friends from afar, have helped us by giving or loaning clothes, so we are fine in that regard. Many of you expressed concern about our funds. I just received news that The Big Guy's pay will be wired directly into our bank accounts. We should be fine.
When i spoke to The Big Guy today he said they have checked on 110 homes of members of our congregation, and there is much devastation. The church will hold one service tomorrow morning. When they visit homes to assess them they are leaving notes on doors, giving info on what other church members are up to, etc. There is a drop box at the church for messages, and that is one way they are keeping in touch through all the spotty phone service.
He also said that last night as he and others were keeping watch on our neighborhood, a pick up truck with it's lights off pulled up. When it saw that the road was blocked, and several armed men were guarding it, they put the truck in reverse and left. Hopefully the looting will continue to be thwarted - how horrible that some people take advantage of others in a time of such devastation and despair.
Sun, 4 Sep 2005 7:33pm
Our church held a worship service today with 90 people in attendance. I enjoyed worshipping with my parent's congregation this morning. The pastor (my dad!) spoke to the only thing that can make sense out of all this - Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection. We know that our Lord understands the pain. He did not send this hurricane and it's aftermath to us, but he is with every one of us as we struggle to comprehend it and survive it. God is greater than Hurricane Katrina.
Mon, 5 Sep 2005 3:50pm
I talked to The Big Guy Sunday night, and he was battling a cold. He, and others he has been working with, have decided to take tomorrow (Tuesday) as a sabbath, to rest and take care of themselves and their own homes. He says that people there are really struggling with what he called "the end of life as they know it." For people in our area, many of them have lost their jobs. It means a loss of income, the possibility that they may have to move their families, etc. There's also a lot of uncertainty as to whether a job will be there or not. I think people are tired, sad, and confused. I was, however, heartened by the pictures on the website of their worship yesterday. The community is really pulling together and helping each other out.
Speaking of community, so many of you have asked how you can help. I've pulled together a few resources, and will continue to share others with you as I can. The rescue and repair and restoration process will last many, many months, and as someone said to me, this is not a race, but a marathon. There will be lots of opportunities for you to help in the coming months. I know that we will have lots of personal stories from our friends and church members.
Wed, 7 Sep 2005 9:19pm
The Big Guy says that a couple of neighborhoods near ours have electricity, so it may not be long before ours does as well.
The Big Guy continues to help clear trees and stabilize damaged roofs and homes. He has also located a friend's cousins who live in a nearby town, and is helping with the search for a friend of a friend's mother who is missing after being evacuated from a New Orleans hospital. Otherwise, there is not a whole lot of new information.
The May Queen started preschool here yesterday. She loved it, and is very excited to go back tomorrow. She'll go two days a week. She was scheduled to start school this week at home, so it is good for her to have this as a chance to interact with other kids and have some regularity in her life.
Thu, 8 Sep 2005 8:47pm
The Big Guy is feeling much better after getting antibiotics. Thank you all for your prayers.
He said that in our neighborhood the trash is not getting picked up, and it is getting pretty rank. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon. Other trash services are picking up in other neighborhoods, so there is hope.
The Parish where we live is officially "reopening" tomorrow at 8am. Although according to The Big Guy people have been coming and going all along. I'm sure he is thrilled that today they lifted the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages. The curfew (9pm-7am) is still in place.( In case you haven't figured it out, a "Parish" in Louisiana is the same as a "County" anywhere else in the US) Power is restored to 36% of the Parish, but as of this afternoon not yet to our home or church. Official word is that they are hoping to open the schools Oct. 3, but The Big Guy heard that it may not be until January, particularly if they wait until they can get the whole parish up and running, as several schools are severely damaged and a high school is being used as a shelter.
Sat, 10 Sep 2005 3:20pm
As of 10:33am on Saturday, Sept 10, WE'VE GOT THE POWER! The Big Guy is thrilled. He has the air conditioning running and has the downstairs of our home in the 70s (down from 95, pant, pant) Also, trash was picked up today, AND mail was delivered! Still no phone service, and no cable or internet. Grocery stores, Walmarts, Kmarts, drugstores, etc are open. Restaurants are starting to open. Other businesses will likely be close behind.
In our Parish, five of 51 schools are too damaged to be use, but school officials said the 2,600 students who attend those schools will be enrolled in the parish’s other schools. Officials said schools will reopen Oct. 3 (MQ's birthday!) Our preschool is hoping to open at the same time.
So, now we're starting to talk about when The May Queen and I head back down. Probably within the next week or two. We'll figure that out.
Mon, 12 Sep 2005 3:57pm
Hello! Tomorrow morning The May Queen and I are heading back to Louisiana, and my mom is going to travel with us. We'll leave after MQ goes to school in the morning, and drive into the evening, hoping to land somewhere south of Nashville. We plan to get home Wed. night.
It will be good for our family to be back together, and to figure out as a team how we move forward from here. I'm sure that much of our lives for quite some time will be helping with restoration in our immediate area and beyond.
Sun, 18 Sep 2005 3:47pm
Hello! The Maypole family is back together in our home. Hooray! I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to still have a home, and that it doesn't have a blue tarp on the roof.
We are back online - sort of. Our cable internet is still out, and will be for the foreseeable future. We hear that the office and all the equipment that gets internet to our area was destroyed, and it may be months. We'll see. In the meantime we are using dial-up. I had forgotten how painfully slow this is. So, please hold off on sending us attachments and forwards until we have a highspeed connection. In the meantime, I'll try to get things done while I wait for a new window to open - like maybe read War and Peace. ;)
My mom graciously made the drive down with The May Queen and I. About 20 miles north of Tuscalusa, Mississippi we began to see the effects of the hurricane - trees snapped in half, signs torn and blown over, piles of debris that had been cleared to the side of the road to make the highway passable. We would see these here and there, and more consistently the further south we got. It's odd to me how a hurricane will take one tree and not the next.
We did a brief tour of the area before sending Mom back on the train on Thursday. Our community is slowing getting back on it's feet. And I say slowly, but things are moving much faster than first predicted. Many businesses are open, but often with shortened hours and services. Cardboard signs are posted out by the road proclaiming "open" for local stores and national chains alike. There seem to be an unusual amount of "now hiring" signs as well. Most neighborhoods, including our own, have piles of chainsawed trees lining the road, waiting to be removed (who does this and when, I don't know). This makes our narrow roads even more narrow, and often you have to take turns driving down the road. Our neighborhood is filled with the sounds of chainsaws, tractors, and cranes. Our neighborhood still has piles of garbage and torn out carpet/drywall, etc. along the road. The only garbage they have collected is what has been in trash cans.
We went down to the area in our town that got flooded - water came up about 1/2 mile from the lakeshore. We stopped at a local social service agency that we usually work through that gives assistance to people in need and runs a thrift store. They had flooded, and had to throw out most of their inventory, and redo their building. They were closed and not taking donations. We visited the home of a member who had flooding on their first floor up to about 3 feet. Fortunately, their first floor is entirely garage and storage. We could see where the water had shattered the glass in sliding glass doors and bent the frame. Everything in the garage had been pushed into a big pile in one corner of the garage by the water. We visited another home where a tree had hit the home, puncturing the roof. There are still downed wires in a lot of places, and it was a bit unnerving to drive over them with my car!
We had a full worship service this morning, and next week will return to three services. Sunday School, Confirmation, etc. will start up in Oct.
Here at our home our phone is now working! We also have cable again, sort of. Some local channels aren't broadcasting (PBS, NBC) and, inexplicably, we get some movie channels and not others. But we now have access to CNN and Nickelodeon, so life is good. ;)
A lot of people in our community are having to work elsewhere, either temporarily or permanently, as their New Orleans offices are destroyed, or at least inaccessable. Our neighbors, who already have 4 kids, have taken in 4 children and 3 adults - all family who have lost their homes on the "South Shore."
We are all humbled by the generosity of our church, friends, and the rest of America as offers of help continue to arrive. We look forward to the arrival tomorrow of my cousin and his father in law - who will be here this week helping clear debris, patch roofs, etc.
When The Big Guy described what it was like during the hurricane, he said it sounded a lot like a tornado, only it lasted 24 hours! He said several hours before the first rains began it was eerily quiet - no birds, etc. He watched trees snap in half, and the upper halves fly 200 yards before spiking into the ground
A guy is here from our insurance - gotta run!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Eye on the Sky
3 years ago this morning I was pulling in our yard toys and trying to buy a generator at Home Depot (they were all out). Our dear friends, the Dragonfly and The Sergeant, had arrived the night before (right around midnight) for a planned weekend with us, and a day trip into the French Quarter, on their last leave before the Sergeant would have to ship out to Iraq.
By noon we were in our cars driving back to their place.
Today we are nervously watching the weather channel and getting used to the name of a new threat: Gustav. We are straddling the line of trying to do the things we have to do in our life: attending Open House at The May Queen's school last night, work for the Big Guy, a teacher luncheon today for the preschool where I work. At the same time we are lining up potential places to stay should we have to evacuate. We are trying to make sure that our papers are in order, and ready to take with us. We are discussing whether we expect wind damage or flooding, and again eyeing the trees around our home and confirming our feeling of relative safety from a large pine tree taking out our home, as they did so many homes in our area three short years ago. Today The Big Guy is down in the city for work, and I told him to look fondly around the place, as it may not ever be the same.
Not that it's the "same" now.
We're nervous here, and rightfully so. If Gustav follows predictions it will be here on Monday as a category 3 hurricane.
So any good thoughts and prayers you can send this way would be appreciated. And maybe every hour on the hour you could look southward and blow. Maybe we can stop him in his tracks? Hey, it's worth a try.
By noon we were in our cars driving back to their place.
Today we are nervously watching the weather channel and getting used to the name of a new threat: Gustav. We are straddling the line of trying to do the things we have to do in our life: attending Open House at The May Queen's school last night, work for the Big Guy, a teacher luncheon today for the preschool where I work. At the same time we are lining up potential places to stay should we have to evacuate. We are trying to make sure that our papers are in order, and ready to take with us. We are discussing whether we expect wind damage or flooding, and again eyeing the trees around our home and confirming our feeling of relative safety from a large pine tree taking out our home, as they did so many homes in our area three short years ago. Today The Big Guy is down in the city for work, and I told him to look fondly around the place, as it may not ever be the same.
Not that it's the "same" now.
We're nervous here, and rightfully so. If Gustav follows predictions it will be here on Monday as a category 3 hurricane.
So any good thoughts and prayers you can send this way would be appreciated. And maybe every hour on the hour you could look southward and blow. Maybe we can stop him in his tracks? Hey, it's worth a try.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Disasters
About eight months after Hurricane Katrina, my family flew to California. We had a layover in Denver, and as I sat in the airport, I could feel something. Something different. I turned to my husband and said "It's weird here. These people. It's weird. You can tell they haven't been through a disaster."
The air was different. The lines of worry on people's faces were different. The way they walked and greeted each other and spoke on the phone. It was different.
When we actually touched down in California and visited with our friends there, it was even more obvious. To them the Hurricane was now nothing more than an occasional afterthought. Nearly everyone asked how things were going in New Orleans, of course, but no one really wanted to hear about it. They didn't want to hear about the lack of progress, the people still without homes, the stalling insurance companies, the stalling government. For us the recovery was front page news, everyday. It still is. For them, it was over, for the most part.
We found it very difficult.
Now I sit here half a world away from 2 natural disasters, disasters far greater than Katrina. Higher death tolls. Higher injuries. More people lost. One government who won't even accept foreign aid, or wants to control it.
My heart is breaking. For I know, in a small, small way, the pain, the confusion, and the long road ahead for the survivors and the relief givers. And yet I sit on my porch, with a glass of iced tea and my lap top. Stressed about the planning I have yet to do for Vacation Bible School. Preparing for an audition this weekend. Looking forward to a trip to visit friends and family this summer.
And half a world away things are very, very different. It is not an afterthought. It is not someone else's problem. It is very, very real. It is unavoidable. It is horrific. There will be moments of extreme grace and heroism. There will be corruption and people taking advantage. There will be no escaping it.
I feel broken, yet relieved. Powerless and hypocritical. Lost.
The air was different. The lines of worry on people's faces were different. The way they walked and greeted each other and spoke on the phone. It was different.
When we actually touched down in California and visited with our friends there, it was even more obvious. To them the Hurricane was now nothing more than an occasional afterthought. Nearly everyone asked how things were going in New Orleans, of course, but no one really wanted to hear about it. They didn't want to hear about the lack of progress, the people still without homes, the stalling insurance companies, the stalling government. For us the recovery was front page news, everyday. It still is. For them, it was over, for the most part.
We found it very difficult.
Now I sit here half a world away from 2 natural disasters, disasters far greater than Katrina. Higher death tolls. Higher injuries. More people lost. One government who won't even accept foreign aid, or wants to control it.
My heart is breaking. For I know, in a small, small way, the pain, the confusion, and the long road ahead for the survivors and the relief givers. And yet I sit on my porch, with a glass of iced tea and my lap top. Stressed about the planning I have yet to do for Vacation Bible School. Preparing for an audition this weekend. Looking forward to a trip to visit friends and family this summer.
And half a world away things are very, very different. It is not an afterthought. It is not someone else's problem. It is very, very real. It is unavoidable. It is horrific. There will be moments of extreme grace and heroism. There will be corruption and people taking advantage. There will be no escaping it.
I feel broken, yet relieved. Powerless and hypocritical. Lost.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Snow in New Orleans - Music Monday
I don't usually get a chance to participate in Allison's Music Mondays because I'm always hosting Monday Missions (see post below!)but after my time at the French Quarter Festival on Friday, this post has been brewing. So here I am... posting it late on Monday....
At the 2006 Jazzfest I heard local singer Susan Cowsill (yes, of the famed Cowsill family and The Continental Drifters)on one of the main stages. I was enjoying her folksy sound, and then she sang a song that really struck me. She wrote it after Katrina, and spoke about that experience. On Christmas Day 2004 it snowed in New Orleans. As a kid growing up in Michigan I know that snow on Christmas can be magical. I can only imagine what it was like for Louisiana children - and adults - to experience that sparkling white stuff. It was before we moved here, but I heard tales of it after I arrived. Saw the pictures. Heard the wonder. Almost exactly 8 months later another amazing feat of nature visited the city, but the awe and wonder that Katrina brought was not of the same magical quality.
I heard Susan Cowsill sing this song again on Friday, with the mighty Mississippi as her backdrop. The song is no less powerful 2 years later. It starts sweet and contemplative, sad and tenuous, and ends as a celebration of this city, of who we are and where we come from. I couldn't find a video to put here, and blogger doesn't support audio files, but if you follow this link you can hear the song at Susan Cowsill's website.
Here are the words:
(And I highly encourage you to buy the album Feeder Bands on the Run, where you'll find this song among many others written by New Orleans musicians trying to make sense of Katrina through their music.)
At the 2006 Jazzfest I heard local singer Susan Cowsill (yes, of the famed Cowsill family and The Continental Drifters)on one of the main stages. I was enjoying her folksy sound, and then she sang a song that really struck me. She wrote it after Katrina, and spoke about that experience. On Christmas Day 2004 it snowed in New Orleans. As a kid growing up in Michigan I know that snow on Christmas can be magical. I can only imagine what it was like for Louisiana children - and adults - to experience that sparkling white stuff. It was before we moved here, but I heard tales of it after I arrived. Saw the pictures. Heard the wonder. Almost exactly 8 months later another amazing feat of nature visited the city, but the awe and wonder that Katrina brought was not of the same magical quality.
I heard Susan Cowsill sing this song again on Friday, with the mighty Mississippi as her backdrop. The song is no less powerful 2 years later. It starts sweet and contemplative, sad and tenuous, and ends as a celebration of this city, of who we are and where we come from. I couldn't find a video to put here, and blogger doesn't support audio files, but if you follow this link you can hear the song at Susan Cowsill's website.
Here are the words:
CRESCENT CITY SNOW
I feel like a kite without a string
Only my tail to guide me
Just paper and sticks and tattered sheets
Waiting on a friendly wind
Hold all our memories in one hand
So tight that you won't let them go
And in the other hand we pray
That the wind and the panic and the rain
Will all turn to a
Soft and quiet snow
A long time ago when
I was young
I used to know everything
And now it's today and I am sure
That I don't know anything at all
Hold all our memories in one hand
So tight that you won't let them go
And in the other hand we pray
That the wind and the panic and the rain
Will all turn to a
Soft and quiet, gentle peaceful snow
When the Saints come marchin' in
I'll be walking to New Orleans
Eating beignets at DuMonde'
Singing Joni at the Carrollton Station
Hanging out at Jackson Square
12 o'clock I'll meet you there
Down on Frenchmen with Big Chief
Trying to find a place to eat
Tailgatin' at the Dome
Man I can't wait to go home
Our precious hearts are all shattered
Scattered across the land
But I know that I am going back
To the place where I know who I am
Holding all our memories in one hand
So tight that you can't let them go
And in the other hand we pray
That the wind and the panic and the rain
Will all turn to a
Soft and quiet, gentle peaceful, N-O-L-A,
Crescent City Snow
3 a.m. at the Circle Bar
Where the hell did we park the car
6 a.m. at the Christmas Lounge
Man we got a hell of a town
A town where yourgrandma tells my grandma
While they are sitting by the fire
And we all go down to the Audubon Zoo
Where they all ax for you
And they say
Who Dat
Who Dat
Who Dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints
Who Dat
Who Dat
Who Dat say dey gonna
beat dem Saints
Oh when the Saints come marchin' in
(And I highly encourage you to buy the album Feeder Bands on the Run, where you'll find this song among many others written by New Orleans musicians trying to make sense of Katrina through their music.)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
My Husband, a Hurricane Hero
On Wednesday night I attended a concert at Grace Lutheran Church in New Orleans. Grace is located on Canal street, right off the 610 freeway, and was flooded with probably 10 feet or more of water.The last time I was there there was mold growing on the ceiling, and stacks of ruined organ pieces piled high. It was wonderful to see this church being restored.
The event was a concert of Hope and Healing given by Ken Medema, who sang several songs that he had written, and then spent the last half of his concert hearing people's stories and making up a song about them on the spot. The best song was one about Winnebagos from Minnesota bearing snow shovels. Snow shovels? Well, what better thing to use to shovel out the muck and mud from your home after it's been sitting underwater for several weeks? And you can't buy them around here!
One of the songs he sang was about the call of ordinary people to be heroes. Surely you've read stories in the news about ordinary people who behaved heroically in the days, weeks and months following Katrina's arrival. You probably didn't hear about my neighbors, who took in their family whose homes had flooded: 4 adults and 4 children (added to their own 4 children) and NEVER ONCE complained. Who refused our offers of our guest room.
You also probably haven't heard about my husband, but I think he behaved rather heroically, and I'm going to brag about him for the rest of this post.
When Katrina started making a beeline for New Orleans he was out of town, in Mobile, at a conference. He called and said "leave now." So MQ and I headed up to Kentucky with our friends who had just arrived, hoping to spend a long weekend with us before our friend shipped to Iraq. Instead, we spent a long weekend on the Army Post watching CNN and awaiting news.
My husband returned home, and did all the things I did not think to do. He grabbed the scrapbooks. He videotaped all our belongings. He took our love letters out of the back of the closet, the old yearbooks out of the attic. He helped neighbors move things in out their backyards. And then he "evacuated." He went to stay with some friends in Folsom, Louisiana. I looked at a map, and yelled at him on the phone "that's not evacuating! That's crossing the street!!!" Sure, he got out of the mandatory evacuation area, but he was by no means out of the blast of the hurricane. He hunkered down there, staying with Boy Scouts and Red Cross professionals, wanting to be of help in the days after the storm.
When the storm passed they went out with chainsaws and started clearing streets. They cleared a path so the sheriff's officers could get out of the station where they had hunkered down. He cleared out a path to our home, and to other homes. He started trying to locate the friends and people from our church that we knew had stayed behind. Then, he took the church directory, and checked the home of every single person on it. He took notes of what needed to be done, and dispatched the motley crew of workers from our congregation to cut trees off of roofs, put tarps over holes, check on missing people. He would leave notes at homes, telling people were to find them. When we were finally (and sporadically) able to speak on the phone, he would give me updates, and I would call and e-mail people to let them know the damage on their house. He would check on homes of other friends and acquaintances that I and other people passed on to him. A friend of ours contacted us when her boss could not find his mother who had been evacuated from a hospital in New Orleans. He went to local hospitals and looked for her (she was finally found in Atlanta). He took his turn as a guard of our neighborhood, keeping out looters (this is when we discovered that we are the only people in the neighborhood who don't own guns!). He helped gather food from every one's dying freezers, and at the end of the day they would gather together, this crew of 40 or so people, and feast on whatever they could find... from steak to MREs. My husband, terrified of heights, stood on roofs with a chainsaw.
In those weeks after Katrina, when MQ and I had moved on to stay with my parents until it was deemed safe for us to return, my husband was a hero. He helped many, many people. He brought a community together, and those people were heroes, too.
The event was a concert of Hope and Healing given by Ken Medema, who sang several songs that he had written, and then spent the last half of his concert hearing people's stories and making up a song about them on the spot. The best song was one about Winnebagos from Minnesota bearing snow shovels. Snow shovels? Well, what better thing to use to shovel out the muck and mud from your home after it's been sitting underwater for several weeks? And you can't buy them around here!
One of the songs he sang was about the call of ordinary people to be heroes. Surely you've read stories in the news about ordinary people who behaved heroically in the days, weeks and months following Katrina's arrival. You probably didn't hear about my neighbors, who took in their family whose homes had flooded: 4 adults and 4 children (added to their own 4 children) and NEVER ONCE complained. Who refused our offers of our guest room.
You also probably haven't heard about my husband, but I think he behaved rather heroically, and I'm going to brag about him for the rest of this post.
When Katrina started making a beeline for New Orleans he was out of town, in Mobile, at a conference. He called and said "leave now." So MQ and I headed up to Kentucky with our friends who had just arrived, hoping to spend a long weekend with us before our friend shipped to Iraq. Instead, we spent a long weekend on the Army Post watching CNN and awaiting news.
My husband returned home, and did all the things I did not think to do. He grabbed the scrapbooks. He videotaped all our belongings. He took our love letters out of the back of the closet, the old yearbooks out of the attic. He helped neighbors move things in out their backyards. And then he "evacuated." He went to stay with some friends in Folsom, Louisiana. I looked at a map, and yelled at him on the phone "that's not evacuating! That's crossing the street!!!" Sure, he got out of the mandatory evacuation area, but he was by no means out of the blast of the hurricane. He hunkered down there, staying with Boy Scouts and Red Cross professionals, wanting to be of help in the days after the storm.
When the storm passed they went out with chainsaws and started clearing streets. They cleared a path so the sheriff's officers could get out of the station where they had hunkered down. He cleared out a path to our home, and to other homes. He started trying to locate the friends and people from our church that we knew had stayed behind. Then, he took the church directory, and checked the home of every single person on it. He took notes of what needed to be done, and dispatched the motley crew of workers from our congregation to cut trees off of roofs, put tarps over holes, check on missing people. He would leave notes at homes, telling people were to find them. When we were finally (and sporadically) able to speak on the phone, he would give me updates, and I would call and e-mail people to let them know the damage on their house. He would check on homes of other friends and acquaintances that I and other people passed on to him. A friend of ours contacted us when her boss could not find his mother who had been evacuated from a hospital in New Orleans. He went to local hospitals and looked for her (she was finally found in Atlanta). He took his turn as a guard of our neighborhood, keeping out looters (this is when we discovered that we are the only people in the neighborhood who don't own guns!). He helped gather food from every one's dying freezers, and at the end of the day they would gather together, this crew of 40 or so people, and feast on whatever they could find... from steak to MREs. My husband, terrified of heights, stood on roofs with a chainsaw.
In those weeks after Katrina, when MQ and I had moved on to stay with my parents until it was deemed safe for us to return, my husband was a hero. He helped many, many people. He brought a community together, and those people were heroes, too.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Read this book
Thank you all for your kind words about yesterday's love letter to New Orleans. More to come on that.
But right now I have to tell you to read the book 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose. Chris Rose is a local columnist who has written so wonderfully and elegantly and heartbreakingly and honestly about life in New Orleans after Katrina, and his battle with depression. In fact, he was filmed to be on the Oprah show about post Katrina mental health issues that aired on the 29th. And was told he could not mention his book as it would appear that Oprah was endorsing it if he mentioned it. So he didn't mention the book, but he also refused to sign the form that said he would not discuss or write about the filming for her show. So perhaps he ended up on the cutting room floor. I don't know, I didn't watch.
You can read about his Oprah experience here.
And please buy his book. You will laugh and cry and see things in a whole new light. Seriously. If you think my post was good, well, I've got nothing on Chris Rose. Last winter I won a theatre award, and the award was nice and all, but CHRIS ROSE handed it to me. I think I was more excited about that. We owned the self published and shorter version of this book and made all our visitors read it. We have just mailed it to a friend. I guess now we will have to buy the new one. I'm OK with that.
***edited to add: I just checked Oprah's website to try to figure out if Chris Rose made it on or not, and his book is listed as an additional resource, and if you click on the link it says "As seen on Oprah." So maybe she decided to read it and then endorse it. I don't know. But don't take Oprah's word for it. TAKE MINE. Read it. All of you. Now.***
oh ho! and I just discovered he has a blog through the Times Picayune website. Fantastic. Here it is.
Also, please check out what Jen M over at Get in the Car! is doing to help out Habitat in New Orleans. It made me cry. She's trying to start a philanthropic movement here in blogland, and I applaud her. So hie thee to her website, please.
I've cried a bunch today. It's time for bed.
But right now I have to tell you to read the book 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose. Chris Rose is a local columnist who has written so wonderfully and elegantly and heartbreakingly and honestly about life in New Orleans after Katrina, and his battle with depression. In fact, he was filmed to be on the Oprah show about post Katrina mental health issues that aired on the 29th. And was told he could not mention his book as it would appear that Oprah was endorsing it if he mentioned it. So he didn't mention the book, but he also refused to sign the form that said he would not discuss or write about the filming for her show. So perhaps he ended up on the cutting room floor. I don't know, I didn't watch.
You can read about his Oprah experience here.
And please buy his book. You will laugh and cry and see things in a whole new light. Seriously. If you think my post was good, well, I've got nothing on Chris Rose. Last winter I won a theatre award, and the award was nice and all, but CHRIS ROSE handed it to me. I think I was more excited about that. We owned the self published and shorter version of this book and made all our visitors read it. We have just mailed it to a friend. I guess now we will have to buy the new one. I'm OK with that.
***edited to add: I just checked Oprah's website to try to figure out if Chris Rose made it on or not, and his book is listed as an additional resource, and if you click on the link it says "As seen on Oprah." So maybe she decided to read it and then endorse it. I don't know. But don't take Oprah's word for it. TAKE MINE. Read it. All of you. Now.***
oh ho! and I just discovered he has a blog through the Times Picayune website. Fantastic. Here it is.
Also, please check out what Jen M over at Get in the Car! is doing to help out Habitat in New Orleans. It made me cry. She's trying to start a philanthropic movement here in blogland, and I applaud her. So hie thee to her website, please.
I've cried a bunch today. It's time for bed.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I Know What It Means to Love New Orleans
My Dear New Orleans,
I was cautious when I met you. I knew to like you would mean to hope. To hope for a commitment. To hope for long term. The ultimate live in situation.
You welcomed us with a lush greenness, much like I was used to from my first home. The tall pine trees reminded me of summers at camp. The Live Oaks with Spanish Moss were like something out of a dream.
You shared with us your history.
That first weekend you covered me with sweetness.
Or maybe that was just the dusting of powdered sugar from the beignets. Yum.
You dazzled me with twinkling lights.
You beckoned me to come closer. You whispered promises and hope. A new home. A new life. A new chance.
We moved in. We loved our neighborhood. You shared your wide collection of animals, many of which live in our yard.
You have a reputation for being a party animal, and surely you know how to laissez le bon temps roullez.
But you are a family town. You throw parties (and beads!) for the kiddos like I've never seen before!
We enjoyed trips to the zoo, the aquarium, the Global Wildlife Center. You wowed my daughter with up close encounters with her favorite animals.
We ate food we never thought we'd eat, and we liked it!
And we must not forget. We must not let the world forget. There are lessons that must be learned. Changes that must be made
Love and joy and music that must be shared
I know what it means to miss New Orleans. And I know what it means to love you.
With all heart,
Painted Maypole
I was cautious when I met you. I knew to like you would mean to hope. To hope for a commitment. To hope for long term. The ultimate live in situation.
You welcomed us with a lush greenness, much like I was used to from my first home. The tall pine trees reminded me of summers at camp. The Live Oaks with Spanish Moss were like something out of a dream.
You shared with us your history.That first weekend you covered me with sweetness.
Or maybe that was just the dusting of powdered sugar from the beignets. Yum.
You dazzled me with twinkling lights.
You beckoned me to come closer. You whispered promises and hope. A new home. A new life. A new chance.
We moved in. We loved our neighborhood. You shared your wide collection of animals, many of which live in our yard.
You have a reputation for being a party animal, and surely you know how to laissez le bon temps roullez.
But you are a family town. You throw parties (and beads!) for the kiddos like I've never seen before!
We enjoyed trips to the zoo, the aquarium, the Global Wildlife Center. You wowed my daughter with up close encounters with her favorite animals.
We ate food we never thought we'd eat, and we liked it!
And we danced! Oh how we have danced!
I've danced to the sounds of a washboard and spoons. You know I love to dance!
It's been work.
We want to call an old friend, and they have left. And so we remember.At the Jazz Festival, the French Quarter Festival, Lundi Gras, Mardi Gras, second lines, concerts in the park, musicians on the street, WWOZ. Oh how we have danced. You taught me about Cajun music, and Zydeco, and the joy of a Brass Band.
I've danced to the sounds of a washboard and spoons. You know I love to dance!Our love was still young, our honeymoon not yet over, when Katrina came to town. She ripped us apart, this usurper. Two years ago she turned our world upside.
And the world cried with us.
And the world cried with us.
We separated, but not for long. For you were home.
It has been hard. It has certainly brought out the worst in us, and many, many others, at times. But it has also been a testament to community. 
The way people drew together to support. To rebuild. Those who have stayed even when they had no house, because their hearts needed to be home. Here, with you.
The way people drew together to support. To rebuild. Those who have stayed even when they had no house, because their hearts needed to be home. Here, with you.It's been work.
And it will never be the same, although sometimes we almost forget. When we're dancing. When we're gazing up at the trees. When we are breathing in the hot and sticky air. When we enjoy being home. But then we want to revisit some of our favorite haunts. And they are gone.
And we must not forget. We must not let the world forget. There are lessons that must be learned. Changes that must be made
Love and joy and music that must be shared
I know what it means to miss New Orleans. And I know what it means to love you.
With all heart,
Painted Maypole
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