NPR: After the Storm: Breaking Down Katrina

After the Storm: Breaking Down Katrina

Ryan Ervin, 3, and Alberta Townsend (r) of New Orleans are homeless. Two years after the hurricane, many shelters have yet to reopen.

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Pop quiz: What do you think you'd do if a relative showed up on your doorstep fleeing danger, carrying little more than the clothes on his or her back and maybe an overnight bag?

You'd run and open that door, right? So, what if it were, say, five relatives? You'd still open the door, although maybe when you'd closed it behind them after the hugs. You'd probably say a silent prayer of gratitude that the danger wasn't as bad as you first feared (or in other words, fatal). It might be safe to assume that their stay would be extended, but still relatively short.

But what if five became 10, 15, 30 people? And, what if it wasn't a relative, but a neighbor at your doorstep?...Accompanied by more of their neighbors? And let's say these are not necessarily the neighbors you know so well -- the ones who trim their lawns on the same schedule as you and whose kids attend private school across town with your children -- but maybe those sometimes referenced as the "raggedy" neighbors. The ones you hear so much about -- who might let their children eat potato chips for breakfast, and who aren't always so choosy about what their kids are doing, or who they're doing it with...or so you'd heard.

Tell the truth. Would you still open the door?

This is the dilemma of Hurricane Katrina. Two years after she made landfall -- as tough as it seems -- we're still dealing with difficult decisions made in crisis (some within a split second). Many choices were fueled by compassion, others by faith, often distorted by rumors and fears, tempered by reality.

We're spending some time focusing on New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf to remember the significance of the storm, and to explore its affect on how we live and think about survival.

What should this anniversary mean to us?
What should happen next?

Your thoughts?...

Michel Martin

10:06 PM ET | 08-29-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I remember seeing these aforementioned stories related to Katrina victims two years ago. I had an immense admiration for people who took in five, ten and more victims into their homes and wondered if I could ever be that selfless.

Well my answer came in a few months ago when my Uncle left me a message that his wife and their six year old twins were coming down to sunny South Florida as part of their vacation and if they could stay with me. I love my family but my first response wasn't a resounding "yes!" It was how long (or short) were they going to stay.

So I give a standing ovation to folks who've made difficult decisions in this crisis. Also, I believe that two years after Katrina, this present administration have shown that the Gulf coast is merely an afterthought. I say this because how do you justify the fact that on the eve of one of the greatest tragedies in this country, the President is trying to get congress to approve a $50 Billion budget for Iraq while many parts on the Gulf coast still lay in ruins? I just can't fathom such spitefulness in the face of photo-ops for the Katrina anniversary.

That been said, I think the rebuilding of the Gulf coast is left in the decency of the American people to give of their time and resources in volunteering or donating to worthy causes in helping their fellow man. Also, I can't forget the resilient people of New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf who exemplify everyday a hope that trumps experience.

Sent by Moji | 1:50 PM ET | 08-30-2007

How curious you never explore the role of the federal government in rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. If you had, you might have recognized this huge difference between what Americans expect of the federal bureaucracy now vs. a century ago.

Sent by Tom Emmert | 5:48 PM ET | 08-30-2007

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