We survived Katrina, we can survive anything
23rd March 2020 · 0 Comments
Hurricane Katrina was a man-made disaster. If the Corps of Engineers and the Levee Board had exercised the proper oversight and maintenance of our levees, and local, state and federal governments had acted more expeditiously, many of the 1,833 people who perished might still be alive today.
We Katrina survivors are experiencing déjà vu, as we see evidence that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak may well become another man-made disaster.
During a Feb. 28 campaign rally in South Carolina, Donald Trump likened the criticism of his administration’s response to the new coronavirus outbreak as “their new hoax.” He also compared the virus to the common flu. We all watched as he said once the weather warms up, the virus will just disappear.
Trump’s downplaying of what is now a worldwide pandemic was reminiscent of George W. Bush’s lackadaisical attitude in the wake of Katrina. First, rather than visiting the scene of the disaster, he made a flyover in Air Force One. A couple of days later, Bush’s insensitive comment to FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, showed a stunning disregard for the truth and his ignorance about the depth of the disaster’s damage.
“Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job,” he said, as Katrina survivors were without electricity, food, shelter or were boarding planes to destinations unknown, and while the dead lay undiscovered in their homes, in the streets or under the rubble of hurricane force winds.
Trump has been forced to take the virus seriously, as COVID-19 began spreading like a wildfire across the U.S. But his initial response may prove to be a day late and a dollar short. In addition to dismantling the epidemic response team President Obama had put in place, Trump’s advisors initially included people outside of the CDC.
Criticism of the feds delayed reaction to COVID-19 continues, however, as state and local governments and hospital are still sounding the alarm over inadequate medical supplies, such as testing kits, masks, protective gowns, ventilators and hospital beds.
The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting the impact of the virus daily and Governor John Bel Edwards is giving updates. At press time, 347 people had tested positive and eight had died from the virus. By the time you read this, the number of confirmed cases and the death toll will have risen, exponentially.
We’ve been here before, so we know what to do, unlike others who never experienced what it is like not to be able to access a full range of services, nor what it’s like to have money but can’t spend it, or not have the transportation to get needed supplies.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was much worse than COVID-19 is at this stage of the viral outbreak.
Unlike in Katrina, we have the time to stockpile supplies, we can still communicate with our friends and relatives, and we can control our actions and navigate through this disaster.
It has been reported that New Orleans has a rate of spread for coronavirus much higher than other cities in the country, but Katrina also was unique to the city and Katrina survivors already know how to go into survival mode.
What does that mean?
It means that each and everyone of us must stay informed; tune in and turn up. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been giving updates. Check the City of New Orleans’ website. We must share accurate information on resources. If we don’t have access to Wi-Fi, the Internet, or television, we can call 211 to get information on available resources and needed help. If we don’t have access to a phone, we can ask our neighbors to call for us.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID‑19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your doctor for medical advice or, if you don’t have a doctor, go to the University Medical Center in New Orleans, which has triage tents on its driveway.
We all should take our temperatures, wash our hands for 20 seconds frequently, and monitor our health. We should stay hydrated and eat healthy foods.
We must check on and help our neighbors (“I’m going to the store, you need anything?”) and take care of our elderly (“Grandma and Grandpa, let me take your temperature. You ok? How are you feeling?”)
It means our young adults must step up and help their parents. It was the young men in our community who helped to rescue stranded New Orleanians during Hurricane Katrina.
The millennials among us must also know that they are not immune to the virus and they must take measures to protect themselves. That means sheltering in place, if possible, and postponing partying. No passing around blunts, either.
New Orleans-based food pantries are providing free meals, as are some churches, and many schools are making school lunch and breakfast available on a pick-up basis.
If you must go out, put a bandana or scarf around your mouth and nose. That sounds ridiculous, but that’s what nurses and hospital personnel are advised to do, when they run out of masks. Better safe than sorry.
Congress and the Trump administration last week negotiated aid packages. Reportedly, $1 trillion to $2 trillion to help the economy recover from business shutdowns. Some have suggested giving at least $1,000 to individuals in the U.S.
If the past is prologue, we hope that monetary aid will filter down to the average American.
But every cloud has a silver lining. COVID-19 offers real opportunities to upgrade our economy in a way that it will benefit all Americans.
For example, wouldn’t it be great if the U.S. government and major businesses come out on the other side of this viral disaster and raise the minimum wage, have enough medical supplies stockpiled so more lives can be saved during the next pandemic, if the federal government would lend start-up capital to aspiring entrepreneurs, if major manufacturing plants would return to the U.S. and pay a living wage (so our economy would not depend so heavily on service and tourism industries), if the government would invest heavily in vocational-technical skills training, so that people with those skills can earn a decent wage or start their own businesses, if colleges and universities were tuition free, if low interest rates were made available to low-income people?
Unfortunately local, state, and federal governments are not known for dreaming big or taking calculated, proactive risks. All that to say, if we are to make a full recovery from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it’s up to “we the people.” Let’s unite and defeat this life-threatening virus. We can do this. We did it before as a community and we will do it again as a community.
This article originally published in the March 23, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
