Five years ago Hurricane Katrina (and about a month later Hurricane Rita) hit the Gulf coast and wreaked destruction on the entire region. Those who have been working to rebuild are taking stock this weekend and reflecting on what happened, how people responded and what still needs to be done.
The Rev. Bo Jackson, quoted in an Episcopal News Service reflects:
“‘It’s kind of hard to start commemorating [recovery from the hurricanes] when, not only are large numbers of places not recovered, but with people sitting here waiting for no telling what may happen if we should get a storm that is going to take all the oil that fortunately for right now is still sitting out in the gulf [and] all of a sudden washed it up on the gulf beaches,’ said Roberts in a telephone interview with Episcopal News Service.
Diocese of Louisiana Bishop Morris Thompson agrees. ‘There’s been very little conversation in [New Orleans] or among other people about remembering [Katrina],’ he told ENS. And, as Thompson said, ‘there’s still anxiety when a storm approaches … A lot of scars of Katrina are emotional.’
‘You can see how it’s made them a little jittery and of course the oil spill hasn’t helped out either,’ he said.”
Full article here.