Day 6
Today was one of the longest seeming days yet. I expected that our time in the library would be a lot more information about the library in general, but was pleasantly surprised that much of our time was spent discussing Hurricane Katrina at large, as well as on a personal level. The people at the library and from different organizations throughout the city couldn’t have been more welcoming to us in their wanting to come and speak to us, and to provide us with all sorts of tokens to show their appreciation for our time we were giving to them. I was surprised with how much information I really didn’t know about Hurricane Katrina, and the massive amounts of devestation it caused to people significantly far from the actual coast. I’ve had a hard time imagining what such a place like Bay St. Louis looks like at the current time, hearing conflicting reports that the cities were up and running as normal in some places, yet still seeing pictures of nothing but rubble and house foundations where ornate neighborhoods used to stand.
The irony I felt when you could drive down a street and have a perfect pristine mansion surrounded on either side by fallen trees, metal scraps, and remaining items from houses that used to exist was kind of overpowering for me. How do you cope in a situation like this? When is it proper to move on and try to get yourself and your life and property back to normal without seeming to be ridiculous to the people who are still having to live in FEMA trailers and tents more than two years later? I really am struck with how to deal with this. It is of utmost importance at times like this to unite and help others as a means of survival physically and mentally. Yet, when is it proper to draw the line with the time and money commitment to others, and start repairing your life to the level that you used to consider normal? All of this has to do with what level people are starting from, and reflects the continued focus we have had on how social stratification manifests itself in many different situations. This town, like every place we have seen so far, as well as most places in America, is not exempt from the role that socioeconomics plays in life in general, and how citizens are able to cope and recover in a situation such as this.
I am excited for tomorrow to get to interview individuals who actually lived through this, yet hope I can be strong enough to deal with whatever impossible stories these people will have to tell. I feel much more comfortable going into this with other people so we can all work together to do a well rounded interview for ourselves and for the individuals we will be talking with.