My Relief Trip™ Reflections: Part 2

Signs of America
Originally uploaded by Jules Verne.

Many times I heard people say this past week, "and this is in AMERICA," insinuating, of course, that such tragedies don't happen here in our golden country. At least, if they happen, they don't sit for so long, months later still looking like the most elaborate Hollywood set for a disaster movie ever seen. Many people I spoke to, both before and after the trip, were under the impression that things were getting pretty well cleaned up. And why should they think any differently? With the media moved on to bigger, better, and less tired news stories, many in our country are left in the dark concerning the dismal reality on the Gulf Coast. A friend of mine, who lives down there and is an active part of the restoration, shared with me the general timeline that people down there are operating under. The first phase, the emergency phase, is approximately 30 days and entails an accounting of all persons involved in the tragedy, both the living and the dead. The second phase, the clean-up phase, takes 10 times the amount of time as the first; or 300 days, or about 10 months. We are now 2 months into this phase. So why were we surprised when our group walked into houses that hadn't been TOUCHED since the disaster? It was a like a haunting perfect preservation of that day, which while squinting in the bright sunlight, was hard to even imagine. The third phase, rebuilding, is estimated to take 8 to 10 years. This is just the beginning, folks, and your fellow countrymen still need you. At the very least, they need you to not to forget about them. Keep them in your prayers. I dealt with it for 7 days; they were dealing with way before I got there and are still dealing with it. The lucky ones are living in a FEMA trailer on their property. And everyday these residents wake up and see the devastation all over again. Imagine the depression that must settle in after days, weeks and months of this. I'm asking that you remember, pray, and ask questions. If the media does not give you an accurate picture, then seek out answers, if only out of respect for these Americans. Whatever you do, don't assume that everything is getting back to normal. It couldn't be farther from it.