Post
20 years since Hurricane Katrina
With the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I easily conjure up feelings of anger and sadness. I also am reminded that this was where my curious belief in the hyperlocal was confirmed. Today, I still resent the term, resilience, and how it has been and continues to be weaponized. I also still marvel at how inventive, quick, and determined were so many of my friends, colleagues, neighbors, and allies during those manic days, weeks, months, and then as we learned — years.
Soon after the floodgates were opened, my family and I lived in Houston, TX for four months as what we began to realize were climate refugees. We were fortunate. We secured housing, continued to work, and had each other. Within a week, we traveled back to New Orleans to retrieve one Vespa, one cat, several computers, documents, and the assignment to clean out as many refrigerators we could open. With a dawn-to-dusk passport to the city granted by the Louisiana State Police, we navigated high water and debris. We encountered very few people: One member of the Oklahoma National Guard (who appeared to be approximately 12 years of age), one rooster from the neighborhood (later named Preston), and a strange smell of diesel and rot. We filmed our experiences, and included some of the footage in the short film that my sister Catherine McCarthy made with colleague Darlene Wolnik. Entitled, "From Disaster to Dessert," the 10 minute film (link below) captures the complexity and process of restarting a network of farmers markets in a broken town with few residents remaining or returning, a decimated region with little to no infrastructure, and farmers and fishers who lost everything and others who lost some of their operations and all of their shoppers. One thing we all gained was a renewed sense that we live in a region, not a city. Our goal to create regionalism became concrete during those days.
With 20 years of reflection, not a day goes by without some moment that reminds me of the period. With little ability to sleep during those first few months, I put my nose in books, most notably dystopian science fiction: Earth Abides, and The Parable of the Sower. What else was I to do at 2 am? During this period, I lost my faith in the security of our lives. No longer did I believe that we can engineer our way out of trouble. Instead, we must learn to accept the insecurities, uncertainty, and the power of nature. Also, it was evident that we have thrown away the social contract that delivers safety, stability, and the pursuit of happiness for its citizens. By then, it was arguable that we were guaranteeing these rights for all, but this moment seemed critical. It was clear that no one was going to "make it right." In this regard, New Orleans and its Katrina disaster is prophetic at so many levels. Race and class played major roles in determining how one fairs in the face of challenges. Insurance companies, FEMA, and other faceless entities failed us, but failed some more than others. Additionally, while the city received deserved attention for its challenges, rural communities received little to no attention. This was one of the driving forces behind our work at Market Umbrella to launch the White Boot Brigade (captured effectively in Catherine McCarthy's other short film, "Go Fish: The White Boot Brigade New York City").
There were many bright spots. One of the communities that really rose quickly after the storm was the Vietnamese community in New Orleans East. We worked closely with them, recognizing the leadership in the Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church in the neighborhood. In the short film, Go Fish: The Vietnamese Community, Market Umbrella asked Father Vien Nguyen about their experiences.
In reviewing many of these (now old) short films, I am reminded of how the recovery mode lasted for years. Some would say, it is still underway. Also during the first week or two following the disaster, I flew to Memphis, TN to meet with a group of donors who were considering their investments to New Orleans. At the meeting, I was reunited with mentor and friend, Crescent City Farmers Market co-founder, Ben Burkett. I still recall just how emotional were these first reunions. One of the speakers brought to Memphis by philanthropy was a disaster expert. The film exists somewhere, but I can no longer remember who spoke. However, what we learned was shocking: Get ready for 5-10 years of recovery. At that moment, I had not had the opportunity consider just how long this will take. I had considered that it would never be rebuilt. We all had that thought, but to consider that our lives would be consumed with the single, flat note of recovery how not quite passed in my thoughts. This was disturbing to hear. Also disturbing, I noticed a giddy tone of excitement to utilize the New Orleans disaster as a laboratory to test out their theories of change, etc. I remember leaving the meetings angry. They wanted to fit the New Orleans disaster into their preconceived model of how the world can be redesigned in their images. This is not how all of philanthropy behaved, thank heavens. However, if you ask many locals engaged in the recovery process, they may likely echo this point. We were used to fulfill fantasies many with power had about redesigning the world they way they thought it should be.
What we learned on the ground, living the recovery day by day, is that it is one thing to break the world. It is quite another to put it back together. Each day involves not dozens but hundreds of little decisions that add up to recovery. Ask anyone who experienced the disruptions of the COVID 19 pandemic, and they may agree. Restarting our world takes an inordinate amount of resources. This is the danger in the world we no live. In this regard, New Orleans remains a prophetic city. So far behind, it is ahead. This is the secret that New Orleanians know. On this date, maybe they will share, or maybe they will keep it a secret. After all, what happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans.
"From Disaster to Dessert" can be viewed here on YouTube.
"Go Fish: The White Boot Brigade New York City" can be viewed here on YouTube.
"Go Fish: The Vietnamese Community" can be viewed here on YouTube.