To the residents of the Yorkshire Mobile Home Park, all of them families displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency crews offered answers that were uncertain and sometimes contradictory. As residents spilled out of their homes to meet their similarly bewildered neighbors, the adults wondered where they would be sent next, and how far they might wind up from their jobs. Some began sobbing. Then the children, seeing their parents' tears, began crying, too. A woman fainted, and an ambulance came.
"It was like shock and awe," recalled Ron Harrell, 40, a tenant. "We called it Hurricane FEMA."
Then my anger and disgust spread to our government who has allowed this to continue, to Congress who hasn't done anything and to the President. To the State of Louisiana who has spent too much time debating and not enough time getting things done and directed at the presidential candidates who can send me email after email asking me to donate to their already multi-million dollar campaign chests while we have this going on in our Country. This disgust extends even to myself, because I haven't done anything to help either, the majority of these people were renters, and if were they used to live was even rebuilt, chances are they now couldn't afford it...
"People say we shouldn't still be living in a FEMA park," said one former Yorkshire tenant, a Wal-Mart worker who wanted to be identified only as "P.""P" is right, they shouldn't be, however exactly where in the blue hell are they supposed to go?
It's way past the time for solutions...My first suggestion is each one of these multi-million dollar Presidential campaigns demonstrate that they care about the actual people of the US and help some of these residents. My next would be that FEMA, the Federal Government and the State Governments need to figure out how to really assist people who were renters that obviously don't have the income to escape the FEMA trailers. We are creating a situation where the only alternative these people has is the FEMA trailers or homelessness...That's not right...
4 comments:
Obviously, I agree with you on this. After going down there, the Katrina effected areas have become the cause I write about most. If we can't take care of the basic needs of our citizens, than what good is our government and all of its departments? As a Republican president once said, "We will be judged by how we treat the lesser among us." That is why I like President T Roosevelt
Yes, reading what you've written was in my mind when I wrote this, you are trying to make a difference and help though.
I couldn't agree more! I've been heartsick and angry about this for a long, long time. You're so right - if those running for President want to show they REALLY care about the people, then let them give some of those millions to help!!
Lisa,
"My next would be that FEMA, the Federal Government and the State Governments need to figure out how to really assist people who were renters that obviously don't have the income to escape the FEMA trailers."
Sometimes though, you hafta wonder how much better things could possibly if people just got up off of their butts and started helping themselves.
Sitting on your butt crossing your arms and saying, "Help me," just doesn't get it, IMO. And, neither does Uncle Sam throwing million$ of dollar$ out of a seeming bottomless source of tax dollars, I might add.
And these folks are what survived of the self reliant people who founded this country? I find that hard to believe...
We are a LAZY people, and we want/expect everything to be handed to us.
Our ancestors would be totally ashamed to see what we have become...
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