Jamala Rogers
I would be derelict in my duties if I did not remind you of another Katrina-related anniversary that is guaranteed to slide under the radar, unless folks like me point it out.
On September 15, 2005, your president slithered down to New Orleans for his first on-the-ground visit to one of this country’s worse domestic disasters. Bush chose not to go the epicenter of the destruction. He couldn’t stand the dramatic, indescribable imagery of human pain and suffering. Instead, he chose to do his photo opportunity at one of the breached levees.
Bush stood there in front of the world, probably pushed by aides who know presidents must do this kind of thing, and made promises that we know today were absolutely as empty as his heart. If we thought the slow and negligent response of the federal government in the wake of Katrina was a fluke, the recovery and restoration efforts a year later drowned those beliefs like Lake Pontchartrain submerged the Lower Ninth Ward.
“Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind,” Bush said. “Our second commitment is to help the citizens of the Gulf Coast to overcome this disaster, put their lives back together, and rebuild their communities … our goal is to get the work done quickly. And taxpayers expect this work to be done honestly and wisely.”
Worker Recovery Accounts would be established, Gulf Opportunity Zones, an Urban Homesteading Act would be passed, etc. There were a bunch of other babbling promises but you get the picture. The point is the picture then is not much different than the picture now.
In New Orleans, like much of the Gulf Coast, very little of the promises have been actualized or even moved on.
Six of the nine hospitals are still closed. Public transportation is dysfunctional. The city’s water supply is not up to speed. There are still areas without electricity. Decent-paying jobs are still elusive.
Even though billions were allocated for their repair, the levees have not been restored to withstand a Category 5 hurricane like a Katrina. Half of New Orleans’ population has not returned, and it’s not because they don’t want to. They have deliberately been put in a place worse than purgatory.
One “immediate” need is housing. Expensive FEMA trailers were slow to get distributed and at $75,000 a pop were not the best use of our dollars. Very little federal housing money has been released, and there has been no sanctioning of insurance companies who have weaseled out of paying legitimate claims.
It saddened me to see two or three homeowners on a block struggling to repair their homes without government assistance. Their grit and perseverance was no assurance of their home’s survival in the new New Orleans. I fear they were operating ignorant of the rebuilding plans that probably will level their block for condos.
There’s no doubt that the disaster opened the door for plans long on the back-burner.
Take public housing. The feds have long been trying to get out of the housing business. This summer, HUD announced demolition of 5,000 of the 7,100 units, many barely touched by the waters. A class action suit by a coalition of activists and residents stopped this cold.
Ditto on public education. The state had already taken over much of the failing district. With a $21 million No Child Left Behind charter school grant, a spokesperson from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education touted the city as a “national model on choice.” With 18 charter schools dwarfing the seven public schools opened, New Orleans is rightfully the most chartered school district in the country.
The battle goes on in the Gulf region between good and evil, between justice and greed. We must continue to support our beleaguered citizens there and keep a spotlight on the real criminals, the ones in the suits taking advantage of vulnerable people. On September 15, hold the Bush administration accountable to its unkept promises.