Here is the first installment of, best picture I can paint of the area I am in. At this point, I have no idea if this is typical in the rest of Louisiana or the rest of the gulf coast. This is just the story of one small town.
Details of the work that is being done here will posted tonight.
Houma
I am in Houma, LA. Houma is located about 110 miles South West of New Orleans. When you tell people from LA that you are going down to Houma they will say, “They are really Cajuns down there.” It is the only place I have visited in the US where after 3 days I could still not understand the locals, because they still speak Cajun French. This area is the home of the kindest, gentlest people I have ever met. If you are lucky you will get them to cook and sing for you.
The loss
If you have seen any of the news coverage at all, you understand that there are so many layers to the problems that have occurred. This is going to be an over simplification, but it is the picture in very big stokes that have been painted for me.
Types of loss:
1) Life: Many have lost there lives to the storm and the stress that has followed. It will be months before this number will be known.
2) Housing: The loss of housing ranges from the homes in Mississippi that are gone (with nothing left, but a foundations) to the homes that have been damaged slightly, but can not be returned to for months because of the infrastructure problems. At this point, two weeks out, there are tens of thousands of people who do not know the condition of there homes.
3) Work: Many people are out of work because there communities are so heavily damaged or distorted. Some who work for large companies have heard from their home offices that they have been laid off indefinably, while others may never hear from their employers again. Many of the people who have evacuated to friends and family have started looking for work in there new “home”.
4) School: This seems to be one of the systems that have worked the best in meeting people’s needs. For those who have been displaced to families or shelters there have been schools with open arms. Most of the Catholic schools in the four or five state area (and really all over the US) have waived all fee. I know the kids here in the shelters have been enrolled in local schools and get bussed there everyday. Most college students who have wanted to return to school for the semester have been able to transfer with little trouble, with registration being extended in to the term.
Places people have landed
As far as I can tell, there have been three basic story lines of those who have been displaced.
1) Friends and family: There are hundreds of thousands of people who left the effected area and went right into the homes of friends and family. Some as close as a few hours away, while others have gone cross country. In talking to friends all over the region, to have 5 – 10 new house guests (for what could be months) is not uncommon. I have a friend who’s home was in Biloxi is staying with his mother. There are 15 people staying in the house.
2) Shelter to friends and family: Over the first 10 days after the storm, many people ended up in shelters and from there they were able to contact friends and family. Then, with some help, they were able to get to friends and family. (more details in the section on the work that is going on here.
3) Shelter: There are still tens of thousands who are still in shelter who have not been able to contact loved one, who at this point have no where to go.

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