Thursday, September 15, 2005
Thoughts from the heart of darkness.....
I drove through Mississippi Monday night on my way to Baton Rouge. It looked as though G-d had taken a weed-wacker to the place. Lots of wood down. Road signs twisted down like discarded matchbook covers. Utter blackness where we once controlled the night. Signs of civilization in the most surprising spots. Anarchy in sporadic outbreaks.
Free-floating cluster-fuck in all the various HQs, but the work is getting done, with amazing speed and surprising efficiencies.
Working with NOLA residents is heart-breaking. There are people who have lost everything but their lives and their family. There are others who have lost family. What would you do if you had to flee with what was on your back? These are not the first refugees in history; they won't be the last. But still tragic.
Sometime in next 48 hours I may move into NOLA itself. Too late for Mardi Gras. No one to throw beads at, anyway.
Caught a little of the President's speech tonight. Steve Chapman wrote a thought-provoking article in the Chicago Trib of 9/13: "Should we even rebuild N.O.?" Looks like it will happen whether or not it really makes sense.
Talked to a worker tonight about the morgue effort. Non-stop sadness wherever you look, down here. Many workers will become psych casualties as the weeks go on. Most will not, will just soldier on. But some people manage to keep smiling. Excellent pics from the FEMA JFO by a blogger at : www.sarahbottinbatonrouge.blogspot.com.
Update 18SEP05:
The blog referenced above is down; I'm told the blogger is no longer here. For those who missed the photo of the "Church of Scientology Disaster Response Vehicle", tough luck.
Free-floating cluster-fuck in all the various HQs, but the work is getting done, with amazing speed and surprising efficiencies.
Working with NOLA residents is heart-breaking. There are people who have lost everything but their lives and their family. There are others who have lost family. What would you do if you had to flee with what was on your back? These are not the first refugees in history; they won't be the last. But still tragic.
Sometime in next 48 hours I may move into NOLA itself. Too late for Mardi Gras. No one to throw beads at, anyway.
Caught a little of the President's speech tonight. Steve Chapman wrote a thought-provoking article in the Chicago Trib of 9/13: "Should we even rebuild N.O.?" Looks like it will happen whether or not it really makes sense.
Talked to a worker tonight about the morgue effort. Non-stop sadness wherever you look, down here. Many workers will become psych casualties as the weeks go on. Most will not, will just soldier on. But some people manage to keep smiling. Excellent pics from the FEMA JFO by a blogger at : www.sarahbottinbatonrouge.blogspot.com.
Update 18SEP05:
The blog referenced above is down; I'm told the blogger is no longer here. For those who missed the photo of the "Church of Scientology Disaster Response Vehicle", tough luck.
