When the floodwaters rushed in on Aug. 29, 2005, a city was swamped in sorrow and the world watched as the most catastrophic natural disaster of the 21st century ravaged one of the most incomparable cities in America.the city of New Orleans.While 80 percent of the city was left submerged under water along with lost loved ones, survivors scampered to stay afloat. Nevertheless, a president in the eyes of skeptics appeared less than anxious to revive the “Big Easy.”
Literally in a split second, Hurricane Katrina media coverage grew into the biggest media craze since 9/11. The storm’s devastation of the Gulf Coast became the hot button topic of every talk show, news story, relief fund, public service announcement, and Internet hit. Heartrending pictures of uprooted evacuees filled the media, celebrities spoke up and sang out about the issue, and it seemed like everyone either had an opinion, or empathized with the devastation of grieving victims.
Yet with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and the current lack of sensational media coverage, many may wonder if the sympathies for the victims still reside with the American public. Bluntly put, does anybody still care about Hurricane Katrina?
Erica Gordon, a business management/music junior and New Orleans native, shared her sentiments: “I still care about it, but it’s not going be anywhere near close to what it used to be-at least not in the next 10 years. It’s going to take a lot of manpower and effort to rebuild. “
The city has lost its heart and spirit, she added, “and the crime rate has gone up. People are anxious, and housing is expensive. You can go down certain streets and it looks like it just got hit yesterday.”
When asked if he still cared about last year’s hurricane, Izoe Robinson, a criminal justice sophomore, says, “Because of the friends I have encountered from New Orleans, I still care, and even if I didn’t know them I would still care.”
Criminal justice sophomore Nicosha Hall shared her feelings about her hometown saying, “Yes, I still care about it, because I’m still trying to adapt to living in Texas. If [Hurricane Katrina] had never passed, I would have never lost my grandfather whom I grew up with all my life.”
Surprisingly there are a few people who don’t care about Hurricane Katrina. “No, I don’t care,” says nursing junior Shannon Hill, “because most of those people aren’t going back home, and have started new lives in new places.”
Fifteen hundred people died last year across the Gulf Coast, and even more are still trying to return to some degree of normality. With this being the first anniversary of the Katrina tragedy, it is safe to say that the storm is nowhere close to being over. Communities are still waiting for attention, funding is still desperately needed, and the struggle continues to rebuild the “Bayou State.”
One thing is for sure, you do not have to be from New Orleans to care or even be able to relate to the loss of a loved one, friend, home, job, car, etc. As New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin put it, “Every person who has felt grief and despondency knows what we felt.” With that said, do you care about Hurricane Katrina. .And if you do or you don’t, why or why not? It could have happened to you.