2008 Woodie Awards
Hope Inside The Hurricane
Humberto Mendez
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: News
The death and devastation left by hurricane Katrina 4 years ago has not been forgotten, the destruction left to houses and buildings being a constant reminder. August 28 marked the 4th year anniversary, with New Orleans recently in the News again when hurricane Gustav -that luckily proved to be a dud- showed that this time the government was prepared to help those who couldn't help themselves with a speedy evacuation.
SMC student and Katrina survivor Patricia Eves recalls the horror that was Katrina: "This hurricane was a monster, it was just unbelievable. You couldn't imagine the sounds, the way the trees were bending, you had to watch out for the trees. After so many times of looking at the trees, listening to the sounds, like boom boxes in a row blowing back and forth. Every sound is like technical effect, you feel like a prisoner. You are a prisoner when you're in a hurricane, I'm glad that I'm finally released." Eves is originally from New Orleans but moved to Los Angeles when she was 5 years old. She moved back to Mississippi to lead a more peaceful and less expensive life. She was in her home when she saw on the news the evacuation orders: "When we first heard about the hurricane coming, people didn't know how devastating it would be. People in Pass Christian, Mississippi had never experienced a hurricane of this magnitude and many stayed behind even when they were told to evacuate. Those people died since the houses we lived in were low as opposed to the ones in DeLisle 7 miles away, that stood on stilts." It was in DeLisle that Eves took shelter for the duration of Katrina. But what she remember more fondly was the unity created among the survivors "It was incredible how people that didn't know each other lent a hand," Eves recounts "the was that people went out of their was to help brought tears to my eyes many times."
The slow response to send help to those in New Orleans has been the topic of many debates. When asked how long it took for help to arrive, Eves was not sure. The stress and anguish of the hurricane has affected her memory. Eves also wasn't able to sleep calmly until a year and 2 months after. But she recalls how she and others felt during the wait, "Don't they care? Does anybody care about us? Is this a dream? The government don't care about us? People don't care until they see people: We realized later that people care in the world that somebody cares once the help arrived."
SMC student and Katrina survivor Patricia Eves recalls the horror that was Katrina: "This hurricane was a monster, it was just unbelievable. You couldn't imagine the sounds, the way the trees were bending, you had to watch out for the trees. After so many times of looking at the trees, listening to the sounds, like boom boxes in a row blowing back and forth. Every sound is like technical effect, you feel like a prisoner. You are a prisoner when you're in a hurricane, I'm glad that I'm finally released." Eves is originally from New Orleans but moved to Los Angeles when she was 5 years old. She moved back to Mississippi to lead a more peaceful and less expensive life. She was in her home when she saw on the news the evacuation orders: "When we first heard about the hurricane coming, people didn't know how devastating it would be. People in Pass Christian, Mississippi had never experienced a hurricane of this magnitude and many stayed behind even when they were told to evacuate. Those people died since the houses we lived in were low as opposed to the ones in DeLisle 7 miles away, that stood on stilts." It was in DeLisle that Eves took shelter for the duration of Katrina. But what she remember more fondly was the unity created among the survivors "It was incredible how people that didn't know each other lent a hand," Eves recounts "the was that people went out of their was to help brought tears to my eyes many times."
The slow response to send help to those in New Orleans has been the topic of many debates. When asked how long it took for help to arrive, Eves was not sure. The stress and anguish of the hurricane has affected her memory. Eves also wasn't able to sleep calmly until a year and 2 months after. But she recalls how she and others felt during the wait, "Don't they care? Does anybody care about us? Is this a dream? The government don't care about us? People don't care until they see people: We realized later that people care in the world that somebody cares once the help arrived."
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Professor Sharyn Obsatz
posted 10/13/08 @ 11:57 AM PST
I think it is important to run articles like this because it shows how SMC students are connected to larger issues and challenges in our world.
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