“Nothing comes quite close to the smell of death.”

[donsu]

Desperate in Biloxi, Mississippi

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/570/desperate-in-biloxi-mississippi


I’ve been down here in Biloxi, MS, with an organization called Hands On USA.

We mostly clean trees out of cops’ yards, a worthy endeavor no doubt, but also, in my mind, a little off the mark as to where the need really is.

-snip-

A lot of the areas we’re working are slated for indescriminate bulldozing in a little bit, ostensibly to clear room for the barge-based casinoes that dominate the waterfront, so that they may move inland, preserving the oh-so-important cash influx therefrom; some of the tenants have received 5-day eviction notices. After living through Katrina, and sitting in the middle of this shithole for a month, waiting for word on what’s to happen. The water is still unsafe to drink, and most of them still don’t have electricity. There’s a strange rash people are getting from exposure to the mud that was left, and the flies are getting real bad now. Every other street you walk down, you get a waft of death. Nothing comes quite close to the smell of death. Third world conditions in the midst of this ridiculously opulent extravagance.

And the media is all on New fucking Orleans.

-snip-

And in the midst of this, Red Cross has done shit-all. FEMA, even less.

They’re nowhere to be seen.

-snip-

We’ve finally gotten people’s attention down there, and they’re starting to branch out a bit. We’ve received countless requests from doctors, nurses, etc. to act as sort of a guide to show them around, since we know the area and the people in need better than any other relief agency here. FEMA’s actually started moving trailers in, but it’s still a long, protracted process, and only available to those who own their own property. Renters are still pretty much screwed.
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lots of pictures

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. Very good link

I am hoping if the cold front from the west gets to us on the gulf coast things will get more comfortable quickly for people in tents and on the streets, and the flies will die off for a while.

What a nightmare.

[louis-t]

2. FEMA to NOLA: You're on your own.

Meanwhile, Halliburton will get billions to to nothing except line their pockets.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Thanks for posting this

[texpatriot2004]

4. Thinking about you now. Thanks for this post. n/t