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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5457 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed Feb 14th, 2007 01:31 am |
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Please remember in your prayers those people in New Orleans who have been struggling for 18 months to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and last night lost everything again in two tornadoes.
Some 35,000 people were affected, with one death (an 85 year old woman whose FEMA trailer was thrown against a levee), dozens of serious injuries, hundreds of minor injuries, and thousands of homes and businesses damanged. Many of them had 4-9 feet of water in their homes for up to 5 weeks after Katrina, and quite a few had just finished rebuilding, only to lose it all again.
They are in serious need of our prayers, not only for their faith and survival, but for their mental health as well. The suicide rate in New Orleans has tripled, as has the rate of violent crime, child abuse, spouse abuse, etc., and there are very few mental health professionals available to assist them. It is a dire situation.
They need your prayers now more than ever.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Darlene
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Thu Feb 15th, 2007 04:30 pm |
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Rick,
I will most certainly pray for those in New Orleans.
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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mrsbmoo
Member
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 341 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Methodist. RCA, Presbyterian, Holiness, Wesleyan... Catholic as of June ... |
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Posted: Thu Feb 15th, 2007 07:58 pm |
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| It sounds almost like you are living in a third world country. In my area the tornedos have gotten very little publicity and I have heard only one news story about communities gathering help to send. The local parishes need to have the word spread to other diocese. I am sure people in my area would help if the knew more.
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Becky
Wife of Michael(called Moo) and stay at home mom to 5 daughters between 13 months and 17
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5457 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Feb 15th, 2007 08:18 pm |
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mrsbmoo wrote: It sounds almost like you are living in a third world country. In my area the tornedos have gotten very little publicity and I have heard only one news story about communities gathering help to send. The local parishes need to have the word spread to other diocese. I am sure people in my area would help if the knew more.
Fortuantely, my area (50 miles from New Orleans) was barely affected by Katrina, moderately affected by Rita, and not affected at all by the tornadoes. I don't live in New Orleans, but is still very painful to see what they are going through. It is my hometown, and a place that I love to visit. I recognize how valuable New Orleans is to the culture in my area and to the world. It's one of the only places I know where Catholic cemetaries and churches are major tourist attractions. The culture is so thoroughly Catholic that even Protestant churches have statues!
And it's painful to know that almost 18 months after Katrina, some people still don't have electricity and running water, and many people have not been able to even begin rebuilding. Without a place to live, a job, and a school for their kids, lots of people have been kept out of the city.
One of the biggest problems now is the almost total lack of medical care. Without jobs, lots of people have lost health insurance. Charity Hospital, the primary health care provider for the poor prior to the storm, is useless and will have to be demolished and rebuilt completely, and that will take years. The list of problems seems endless, and the cyclical nature of the problems just adds to the complication.
I'll attach an editorial cartoon that appeared in Time Magazine a few days after the president's State of the Union message that might give you an idea of just how the people of New Orleans feel. And yet, it is completely possible to visit New Orleans, have a fabulous vacation, and not even know the hurricane happened. So for many people, it's "out of sight, out of mind".
Attachment: New Orleans Cartoon.jpg (Downloaded 16 times)
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Darlene
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Fri Feb 16th, 2007 01:53 pm |
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Rick,
What about the local government? Is Mayor Nagin doing anything? What about the governor of Louisiana? It is so easy to blame things on the Federal Gov't, but I think the local and state governments have failed New Orleans as well. I heard a commentator on the news quite awhile ago say that the local government in New Orleans is one of the most corrupt in the United States. Is that true?
I prayed for New Orleans' residents yesterday and will continue to do so.
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5457 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Fri Feb 16th, 2007 04:20 pm |
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Darlene wrote: What about the local government? Is Mayor Nagin doing anything?
It's hard for the mayor of a bankrupt city to do much, but I do believe he's doing his best.
What about the governor of Louisiana?
She is up for reelection in the fall of 2007, and she is currently trailing way behind in the polls, so badly that members of her own party (Democrat) are talking about dumping her. Does that answer your question?
It is so easy to blame things on the Federal Gov't, but I think the local and state governments have failed New Orleans as well.
Absolutely. Government on all levels was ill-prepared and has failed miserably. The biggest problem with the federal government now is red tape. Homeowners participating in what's called the "Road Home" program have just found out they need yet another appraisal and title search, even though most of them have already had three. Mississippi residents did not have the same hoops to jump through, and most of them already have their assistance. So the federal government is in no way blameless, but there is more than enough blame to go around.
It is necessary, however, to keep in mind that the revenue for the City of New Orleans has been reduced by about two-thirds, and it is being kept afloat only by loans from sympathetic banks. It's extremely difficult to provide everyday services with that kind of bank account, but to also fix storm damaged streets, sewers, and water lines, and replace traffic signals and street lights, is extremely difficult.
I heard a commentator on the news quite awhile ago say that the local government in New Orleans is one of the most corrupt in the United States. Is that true?
Not any more. The former mayor, Marc Morial, is now the head of the National Urban League. Virtually every high official in his administration has been indicted, but he has not (yet) been officially charged with any wrongdoing. I truly believe Nagin has done everything possible to root out the corruption of the Morial years, but it was so deeply entrenched that it is still being discovered. The U. S. Attorney's Office actually has people stationed within City Hall still looking through old records, and indictments still continue to be filed. They were invited in by Nagin, who provided the office space, and the U. S. Attorney says the current city administration has cooperated in every way possible.
State government has also been cleaned up. Unfortunately, only the voters can correct incompetence.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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