Real Rebuilding and Real People

Yesterday I spoke with our Senator's office in D.C., I was advised that as of now, there is no relief package for the health of those in the hurricane impacted approved for Louisiana. I had contacted the Senator's office to find out how the reported request for addiction treatment, prevention, recovery support was moving along. We have not seen services increase, but decrease and yet reports earlier indicated these resources were soon to arrive. Five hospitals in the greater New Orleans area are still closed (Charity Hospital, University Hospital, Memorial Medical Center, Lindy Boggs Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center) and of course the addiction treatment they provided is also gone.

I was disappointed to find out that Addiction treatment service funds were not moving along, and apparently all monies for public health were stalled.


Partisan Politics?
It Seems politics, old and a new, are preventing an organized and necessary federal relief package for housing, healthcare, and safety/protection etc from reaching our state and her citizens in despair.

So Here we are, 3 months after the gulf's nightmare-- at leastsome of us. Some of us are gone, some have no idea(6,644 Still Reported Missing) if they are coming or going...... It is overwhelming to know how vulnerable so many were to this tragic nightmare and how little was done to deliver real hope to folks despite promises.

It seems we are facing issues that were years in the making-the hardships of people today are not on either side of political battles--in short this disaster demands a "People" focused response.

Obviously areas in and around New Orleans sustained the greatest loss as the hurricane and floods had greater impact in a city well below sea level. Congress needs to hear from all of us. Please wrtie all members of congress, tell them this is a people issue not a political issue, and we need their help. Funding programs won't be necessary if people can't move home due to a lack of committement on building levees back to withstand a category 5 storm.

Rebuild efforts should prevent future harms if residents are to find any peace in returning home. The need for levee protection can't be overlooked or swept under the rug, few people want to risk this nightmare taking place again and therefore protections of a category 5 hurricane are in order. I believe the congress can see that this happens, or they can see that it does not happen.

Many speculate that this is not a priority because it is a chance to swing voting blocks and political power. African American voters in New Orleans have long been a voting block of importance in our elections, failure to secure the levees is one way to use fear in keeping folks from returning to their city and community- it is obvious that those with the least in impacted areas face the greatest challenges in restoring their lives. I believe that the most underserved areas do have great hope with groups like Acorn, Habitat for Humanity, Common Ground Collective are looking at the core issues facing folks as far as housing, social justice, and community unity in the rebuild process.

All of the events in months gone by have many of us feeling confused somwhat off center with all the hurt and loss that continues to emerge.

Reflecting on days gone by, people, organizations wondering who is still around and who has gone never to return. What does this mean long term? Will their e-mail address work? How bout the cell phone?

What if you survived the whole ordeal, swam to safety, and now are relocated in a hotel in Texas somewhere? Will your home /apartment wait for you to find a way home? Do you want to take your kids out of school and bring them back to a city just to face all the challenges waiting for you? Can you find a place to live? A job? Have you lived under the threat of eviction and all your belongings heading for the local dump? Can you find one of these town hall meetings for those who are displaced? Will your voice be heard? Are you just too tired to fight for survival anymore? Who is in charge of all of this? Does anyone really know? Do they know you didn't want to be relocated that you miss your family, your city, your job?

Those are a few of the thoughts I have each day--feeling the blanket of worry which somehow seems to smother the hopfullness I usually am driven by each day. It is a process of surrender, realizing we can do only what we can do, and that most all I know are indeed actually "doing something" to improve the conditions for folks impacted.

The television, the newspapers, bloggers, and onling publications all seem to be in the know.
People are commenting from all over the U.S., their commentary is often combative, not healing, not supportive, and often very very partisan. Politics seem to rule, not people. Some journalist get it and are pushing for the "abc's" of getting this rebuild underway and how greatful we are for those folks.

Looking at the social ills plaguing this state, it is easy to understand what happened to thousands in New Orleans. Years of gross neglect toward social ills often rooted in untreated cycles of alcoholism and addiction make situations like this nightmare possible. The working class, working poor, people of color and those living in poverty, or generally unable walk out of this crisis with a team of attorney's, paid insurance claims, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal savings. Anyone who was at risk for this impact is today actually "living it".

It seems much is just an oversight in the bright lights and glitz of our "Party" state.

Or is it? Were these social struggles long known? Where they ignored by many? Has this state been a breeding ground for poverty, incarceration, and illiteracy? Were these plagues all well rooted in a state that has largely ignored the "elephant" in the livingroom so to speak? Alcohol and other drug abuse has long been connected to Louisiana's demise, to our struggles, to the preventable harms that surfaced during all the chaos of these storms. HopeNetworks has lead efforts to raise awareness, to begin discussions, and to move grassroots action forward for real hope in this state. What we have found is a system that did not welcome change, that accepted a portion of our population as "throw aways" and always had promises that help was on the way for alcoholics/addicts in need of treatment that was effective. Just look at our archives from legislative work in years past.

Knowing what was known, that these storms and their flooding were "bound to happen" I wonder what else is known and ignored? I wonder how the French Quarter is open, but not one detox bed? I wonder why people ignored the urgent pleas years before Katrina and in the days after.

"There's no problem here" is what seems to lead this course of "non action" in my opinion on most days, it is surreal to see the preventable harms grow and move a city, a state, and a nation to a place tremendous despair for often uninformed people.

Hurricane Season of 2005 has broughtmany of the rebuilding challenges to light, as they emerge we can also see need for real support fading.

There is talk of all sorts of problems facing those evacuated that prevent them from returning. Either no home to return to, or a very damaged home needing costly repairs.

It is no secret that Louisiana has long faced staggering rates of poverty, and that no doubt has a tremendous impact on those who have lost everything in a city where too often it is the norm, we have got to see real hope emerge in the days ahead.

Trauma? Realizing the loss of treatment services-

We know there is good research indicating that trauma and alcohol and other drug abuse run hand in hand. I don't know that much more research is needed! Take a look at the need for addiction treatment prior to the hurricanes, and realize about 1/2 of services are gone.

Mental Health, Emotional Health, and Addictions can prevent folks from focusing or engaging in this effort, from self advocating for their homes, jobs, and community, in fact we have seen this in a like way over the years in low income and underserved communities, distracted by an untreated illness and plagued with ongoing revolving door experiences related to addiction and our criminal justice system.

To sum up everything today, it appears that many of the same practices that have sedated communities into a point of failing to demand protections from this predictable storm impact are continuing today.....and that is what must change. All life has value and purpose, and we should support real people in restoring the damage sustained while rebuilding with promise of new healthy community cycles in our future.