Cold Spaghetti

I am currently using Gwen’s computer and linking to you via her wireless at the King and Prince hotel in beautiful St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. Gwen’s family has several units here on the island, one of which was not being used, so it was a good place for us to hang our hats. Our neighbors from New Orleans are actually on the island as well, so tomorrow we are going to try to see them and reconnect a bit.

Unfortunately, we are without television and internet at the townhouse. And my wireless card is on the fritz. So we are back to having no connection to the outside world… this situation may not last long. We’ve been advised to not return to Mobile until the curfew has been lifted, the looting stopped, fuel is available, and stores are open. The bummer is that we don’t have a lot of options. Staying at my brothers was really a big strain on them in their apartment and not a place where Paul could work with all of us hunkered in a room with the news blaring. We can’t go to my parents right now. Affording a hotel is out of the question. But Paul’s work has been mum on what his options are (is he using vacation? what if we can’t get to a place with internet for awhile? etc.) and he is worked up about his need for internet. Perhaps if we can get cable and internet to the townhouse tomorrow we can make this work. Otherwise, we’ll have to move on early.

We had a great welcome here in SSI from Gwen and her Dad, Mike. They went grocery shopping and stocked the house (complete with everything from baby wipes, OJ, water, and Will’s favorite oatmeal). Then Gwen made me complete loose it when she showed she had made me a “me-me” to help make me feel at home… just thinking about it is choking me up again. Those who know me well will understand the great significance of this: from my earliest memory until a few weeks ago, I slept every night with a pink Strawberry Shortcake blanket I called “me-me”. Me-me has followed me everywhere… backpacking through Europe, camping, travel, overnights, it even sat on my lap while I took my AP exams in high school. I’ve often said that me-me was the most precious thing to me in times of crisis, as I child I could not sleep without it. After years of having it at my side every night of my life, I was forced to admit a few weeks ago that me-me was ready for retirement (it was about to dissolve on me). So me-me was placed lovingly in a plastic baggie and put at the bottom of a special drawer for safe keeping until those times when I really needed it. Hopefully, it is still there, because it didn’t make it out of New Orleans with us. So, Gwen sewed me a little replica — complete with Strawberry Shortcake’s little face and white edging. If that doesn’t reach a soft spot, I don’t know what does.

Continued thanks for the emails and thoughts… it is what reminds us that we actually do have a life.

There has been speculation that the relief efforts to New Orleans have been intentionally slow and limited in the interest of killing off the poorest people in the city. This talk is getting louder in public forums (see NOLA.com for examples). Some are saying that leeves were actually broken to further flooding in poor areas and that Federal efforts have been lax in an effort to allow the most vulnerable to perish.

I don’t want to believe in this type of conspiracy, but honestly, it is hard to not at least consider it in light of all that has happened. The outrage towards the Federal Government on down should be incredible: their hand in this disaster is clear.

For example:
— Where is our National Guard (the people who would normally provide the infrastructure and aid in this type of situation)? They are in Iraq. Priorities?
— Why not air drops of water and supplies to unflooded areas?
— Why were shelters not supplied with food and water?
— As one of the poorest cities in the country, 20% of the residents of New Orleans have no vehicle. However, the buses stopped running several days before the storm. People who relied on public transportation to obtain emergency supplies or to leave town were stuck unprotected.
— A significant portion of the emergency (FEMA) budget was moved into Homeland Security to support the President’s “war” in Iraq. (See more about this here.)
— Military forces were prepared to enter New Orleans as long as two days ago to help handle the violence, yet could not because they had not (and to our knowledge, still have not) been given a Presidential direction to do so.

The reality feels as if New Orleans, irregularless of its status as a vitual U.S. port, the high percentages of vulnerable Americans who live within, and high risk of disaster… despite all of this, there was little to no solid budget, plan, or action for this type of event.