Hurricane Katrina

It was 2 years ago today that Hurricane Katrina came ashore and forever changed the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Everyone I know from Mississippi lost someone or something from the storm. Most everyone in the US has been effected by this storm. Please say a prayer for everyone that was affected by the storm.

Now for my rant. Last night, the CBS Nightly News started a story called Katrina + 2. This story ticked me off. There was no mention of Mississippi, only New Orleans. Yes New Orleans suffered a major loss, but it was not the only place. New Orleans loss was devastating to the local economy. My problem with it all... the majority of New Orleans that was damaged was in low income areas that homes were never supposed to be built. This land was supposed to be wasteland due to the area being so far below sea level, but it was built on because it was cheap. Now most people in that area cannot get private insurance on their homes, so the federal government is going to assist in getting flood insurance. The story also pointed out that there are several homes that still need to be torn down because they are unsafe. I did not see 1 person that was attempting to do this themselves... basically it was short of telling the government that they need to come and do it for them.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is different. The majority of homes that were damaged were in areas that no one imagined could ever be destroyed by storm surge. Many homes have been there for hundreds of years without ever being destroyed by a hurricane. Yet you do not see anything about this on the news. Why???

The majority of New Orleans is lazy. They have always had everything handed to them by the government. The majority of them blame everything on the government and they want the government to pay for everything. They want new homes built by the government. Now look at Mississippi. The majority of residents there have gotten off their asses and started doing the work themselves. They have cleaned up their yards, they have torn down unsafe structures, and they have started rebuilding. They are not sitting in line with their hand out waiting on their check. They have gone back to work. They have spent their savings to rebuild. They are trying to overcome the disaster and to make their homes safe again.

I have gone to the Gulf Coast a couple of times since Katrina. I remember standing at the Palace Casino in Biloxi and thinking... This doesn't look that bad. Then I thought about it. There used to be homes and business all through here. That used to be the Biloxi Schooner restaurant. Now it is an area that looks like it has been cleared by a bull dozer. There are a few trees, a couple of trailers and some bare concrete pads.

Please get the word out. The media still thinks that New Orleans was the only place damaged. Let people remember that this damaged the entire Gulf Coast, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. NEW ORLEANS WAS NOT THE ONLY PLACE!!