Lord Alfred Tennyson - "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."Becky sent me an e-mail today with an update on her best friend Janet and her husband Jimmie who fled New Orleans right before Katrina came. I have mentioned them before. I spoke to Becky again tonight who gave me permission to post her e-mail here. She said they are doing a little better today than they were yesterday, but it is so sad and scary and devastating. They both cry a lot and aren't sleeping well. Becky says they are in a campground in Louisiana that is full of displaced persons, many of them much worse off than Janet and Jimmy. Today some people in the campground who had lived in one of the hardest hit areas and who probably lost everything gave Janet a bag of ice. Their kindness made Janet weep. I wish I could do something to help them. I hope Becky will let us know if there is anything any of us can do to help Janet and Jimmy. And let's all keep them and all the others in pain in our prayers.
Becky wrote today:
"HI, they are doing okay, they are safe, but emotionally they are going
through the wringer. I think they are going to have to deal with a post
traumatic stress thing. Let alone the survivor's guilt they suffer each
time they meet a new refugee at the campground from either the harder hit
areas in and around NOLA or MS.
They happened to get through to a neighbor who is an electrician riding
around Plaqueman's Parish with the FD and when he had a 2 min. visit to
his house he heard the phone ring, he took the cordless phone next door to
jan's and said they had no evidence of water damage, and the roof was
missing a few shingles, Jimmy's shop a metal prefab thing, had some
dammage from the wind and the pool screen was totaled.
Jimmy's shop on lake Ponch. is miraculously dry. He has a client who got
Jim a natl guard pass to assess the condition of his Yacht that he'd
battoned down (and jimmy's shop). Jimmy said the stench was phenomenal,
the sights horrifying and the military somewhat intimidating (thank God).
when he and his partner got off the plane from Alexandria, they had M-16s
held to their heads as they were asked to show their papers.
Now they just have to deal with the stress of waiting to hear from their
friends who they've not been able to get through to to check their status,
wondering when they can move back (or out of) home, what will the work
situation be, and dealing with the effect the aftermath has on the
community as a whole.
Jimmy has been giving target practice to janet as going to walmart is a
risky outing. Even where they are, away from the chaos.
I am happy they are safe, but worry about their well being. Janet is
covered with hives and the tears flow frequently from both she and her
hubby. they are strong people. but I still worry for them.
thanks for the thoughts and I'll pass that on to them.
love, b
> Becky-
Love,
Suz
I am so sad to hear that Becky's friends have lost some of their possessions. But I am even sadder to read Becky's note. I happen to know some folks in New Orleans who, like Becky's friends, lost possessions (three families lost everything!! House, car, job, and even have been yet unable to contact a son, though they know he escaped the deluge!) But they are not looters! They are not criminals. Nor are they dangerous. They are gentle, good folks. So the sight of an intimidating National Guard is not for me a reason to thank God. It represents rather a sad and tragic tableau of our society. A society so blinded as to see looting and crime as the natural outcome of one's skin color or more likely, one's class. This country has so much healing to do outside the city of New Orleans! We are all truly wounded by this event. The parallels to our horrific history are painful and obvious to those who would open their eyes to see. And we must place the responsibility where it lies...in a country so insular, so arrogant, and so self-possessed that te least among us has been so marginalized and vilified that even their very rescue from peril makes us shoulder our guns and take on our most menacing stance. Shame on us!
ReplyDelete