Touching conversation with a NOLA evacuee....who knows he can't go home.

[madfloridian]

I read this just now at Annatopia's blog, and I got tears in my eyes. This man knows the reality of what is going to happen to his old home place there, yet does not sound bitter. From Annatopia's blog from Arlington, I believe.

http://annatopia.com/archives/001427.html

"We sat and talked books for a bit. Turns out he is a New Orleans refugee. His name is Tony, and he and his family fled the city as Katrina hit.

I asked him if it was ok if I asked about what was going on in his life today. He seemed willing to talk about it, even mentioned that it helps to talk. He told me an interesting tale.

He worked at the House of Blues in NO, doing security. As the hurricane approached, he loaded up his wife, kids and mom and headed north. They got stranded just outside the city at a motel. Then everything went to shit.

Tony is a well read man, African-American, a hard worker who had built a decent life for his family. His family owned a home in the city they had lived in as long as anyone could remember. Then they found themselves stuck in a motel with no electricty; no idea where to go or what to do.

He told me that the motel owner kicked everyone out the next day. Tony knew a couple of people in the DFW area, so the family loaded up and headed this way. They ended up sleeping on a friend's floor, watching the news as pictures of their flooded city flashed before their eyes.

I asked him if the trama of the situation had passed. He told me that some days were fine, but that other days he crumbled inside from disbelief that all he had worked for, all he had, was gone."

And this part tells the true reality, known by most of them.

"He told me that his family has spent the last month trying to find friends, to see who is still alive. They have no doubts about the conditon of their last home. It is in ruins. Tony said the whole place will be leveled and replaced with new houses for the rich, a new Miami Beach.

Watching, listening, I felt like crying. To see a man, a proud strong man, talking about starting over, coming to the realization that all he had worked for was gone was just tramatic. My heart and soul go out to him. "

More at the link:
http://annatopia.com/archives/001427.html

[Straight Shooter]

1. Every night when I go to bed, I wonder how it would be to lose it all.

Like Tony, I've worked so damn hard all my life for what I've got (which isn't much by many standards).

I can't imagine the pain of knowing that the white rich care more about taking the land where my home was than to restore it to its rightful owner. America has become such a disgrace of a nation.

[madfloridian]

2. We wondered that during 3 hurricane eyes last year.

Each time we felt like we could get through the storm and find out everything was gone. When each one was over we marvelled at how little damage we had. The stress is great though. Our elderly neighbor died in his home from heat and stress before the power came back on after Jeanne.

We lost two more neighbors within a few months. They were elderly as well, and lived alone. I can not attribute it to the storms, but we did know their stress was very high.

[Straight Shooter]

3. Makes you wonder how high the death toll really is from Katrina.

You have the direct deaths, and then the indirect deaths. I'm sorry you lost your neighbors. It's a fact that stress kills, and few things are as stressful as losing your home and believing you are about to lose your home.

Thanks for this article. I am reminded of a quote which goes something like, "Imagine how happy you would be if one day you lost everything you had and then the next day you got it all back." There's something to be said for counting one's blessings. I keep trying to do that, but the image of the bush administration keeps popping in my head and it's impossible to be happy while knowing they're making so many other people miserable.

[madfloridian]

4. We had just talked to the neighbor by phone.

He was very stressed because one of his oaks fell on a neighbor's home. He was worried about his insurance covering it. He knew it hurt their home badly. Then when hubby went out to look for ice for all of us, he went by there and police said he had died. Just a few hours.

[Straight Shooter]

5. That's awful.

And I can't imagine how badly the neighbor must have felt, the one on whose home the oak fell, knowing the stress inflicted on that gentleman from worrying about paying for the damage. Such a vicious cycle.

That's it for me tonight. :hi: