Sunday, January 9, 2011

Driving Tour of NOLA

Today, after the scavenger hunt, we took a driving tour of certain areas of New Orleans. While I have watched When the Levees Broke, to actually be able to see the devastation that is still evident years later had a major impact on me. One thing that struck me the most was the emptiness. In the lower ninth ward in particular, we saw so many empty blocks where the most that remained of houses were its concrete steps. I cannot begin to fathom how hard it must be for people to come back and see their homes just completely gone or to come back and see that all the houses around you, all your neighbors and friends, are gone-- coming back to emptiness. Nevertheless, we also saw a sign in the ninth ward that said "Remember our past but celebrate our future." This just goes to show you the strength of the human spirit. Despite all the hardships that they have went through, they still hold fast to hope and I believe that it is this hope that will be the driving force to rebuild this city.

While I'm extremely upset about how slow progress is being made in fixing all the damage done, Britt brought up the question of "what would we do if we were in the situation of the government?" This really made me realize that it is simply not enough to be sad, it is not enough to feel for these people. We have to come up with ideas to bring about the change that we want to see occur. While I honestly don't know what I would do if I was in the position of the government, I know it is something that I must think about.

I can't wait to start working tomorrow!


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