Doing unto others

Famed Actor Wendell Pierce lost his family’s home in Hurricane Katrina, yet tragedy spurred him to social action. He dedicated much of the next decade to not only reconstructing for his mother’s house, but to financially helping his childhood neighbors restore to their homes as well. Following his work to rebuild Pontchartrain Park, Pierce went on to spend five years telling the story of the city’s struggles of recovery in his role as the displaced musician on the HBO series Treme, and served as the unofficial spokesperson for the city’s undefeated spirit to the rest of our nation.

Perhaps that was why the news of the destruction of his current home outside of Baton Rouge was so jarring. All of Pierce’s beloved mementos and belongings washed away in last week’s epic floods. His personal loss was once again emblematic of the second-time destruction endured by so many New Orleanians who moved to more northerly parishes after Katrina to avoid a future natural disaster, only to have floodwaters visit them again.

They know, and as countless other Louisianans in 35 parishes have learned at last count, that flooding is not a ‘Big Easy’ Bother. It’s everyone’s problem. Which is why it is good to take solace that citizens of the Crescent City have stepped up, providing food, clothing, aid, and money—sharing what little we have without hesitation.

New Orleanians of all racial and political backgrounds again took to the canoes to rescue the trapped. Those who have been spared emptied their closets and wallets in tides of generosity, remembering the helping hand they received in 2005.

On the political front, Rep. Cedric Richmond has declared that there should not be the bureaucratic delays of another “Road Home,” keeping funds away from the needy for months. We echo his call to provide immediate federal resources beyond the $33,000 cap FEMA has. That takes an act of Congress during an election season. No easy task, yet Richmond’s colleague, Majority Whip Steve Scalise, is already moving to file legislation to increase federal aid, and our editorial board commends the bipartisan spirit. We hope it lasts. During Superstorm Sandy, some of Scalise’s Republican colleagues called for cuts in other programs to pay for emergency aide, before appropriating emergency funds, keeping thousands of New Jerseyans effectively homeless for months.

Time is of the essence, a fact of which Washington must take note. Our Editors hope that the giving spirit of New Orleanians makes enough of an impression on our Solons in D.C., to hurry up and pass legislation raising the FEMA cap, so its not just on the backs of Louisianans to bail out the needy. Americans should stand together as Louisianans do to get people back in their homes.

This article originally published in the August 22, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.