A Reflection

I can still recall where I was and what I was doing on August 28, 2005 when I turned on the television and watched images of Hurricane Katrina. I stayed tuned everyday, hoping and praying lives had not been lost and that the damages were not as severe as the images seemingly portrayed. And then Rita developed, canceling the reopening of New Orleans and initiating the re-evacuation of the city. Rita slammed into Louisiana on September 24, 2005.

Katrina and Rita were the second and third Category 5 hurricanes of the 2005 hurricane season. They were deadly and costly to communities throughout the Gulf and particularly destructive to Louisiana. More than 1,800 people lost their lives in Louisiana; approximately 18,000 businesses were destroyed; roads, schools and public facilities were washed away; and many thousands of people were forced to relocate.

More than four years later, SCU's Alternative Spring Break gave me a real life glimpse of those images I had once seen splattered across the news. Though much progress has been made, much progress still remains. For instance, we toured the Make-It Right building grounds, a project aimed to building green affordable housing on a large sale to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Each home is evaluated based on strict Cradle to Cradle criteria for human and environmental health, recyclability, durability and performance. Needless to say, a great idea with a praiseworthy mission. Yet, touring the Lower 9th Ward we also readily noticed the many uninhabitable homes that remain, boarded up with ominous X's on the doors and gigantic holes on the rooftops.

On Bourbon Street, we spoke to a waitress we had just returned to New Orleans. Granted, she smiled, seemingly happy to have finally returned to the city after being forced to relocate. At the same time, however, her eyes spoke the truth, filling up with tears as she reminisced about those months of despair.

At the Southwest Louisiana Legal Services, I was placed in the housing unit where I worked with low income tenants who had benefited from recovery public funds, such as the Small Rental Repair Program. This program aimed to provide financial assistance for the repair and/or reconstruction of small-scale rental properties. Before the disaster, a large portion of low income and other working families lived in these small scale rental properties. Many of the properties had been underinsured or uninsured and no longer available for occupancy. Thus, in order to enable the return of small rental properties to the market, the program provided financing to qualified owners who agreed to offer apartments/housing at affordable rents to be occupied by lower income households. Another great plan with a noteworthy purpose. However, in one of the cases I handled, a landlord under the program was charging our client above the proscribed capped amount, pocketing the extra amount (our client had no idea) and still refused to fix electrical problems. So, in essence, a program meant to serve the public, particularly lower income households, is being undermined by unscrupulous individuals.

Indeed, much progress has been made but, even after more than four years, much progress remains. Going to New Orleans last week further raised my awareness of the problems still faced by New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward in particular. I loved the city and enjoyed the experience, and I hope to remain engaged in becoming part of the solution.