First off, I want to clarify an important point regarding who controls the levees. It is not the federal government that is solely responsible for flood control and levees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the principal agency in charge, but most of the system is maintained by local governments and local levee districts. So the actual evidence goes against the claim that the federal government made the water flood where it did. Also to note, the reports testify that it was not anticipated that the levees would fully fail; the expectation was more or less just that the waters would go over the levees - not through them. Regardless, the levees were designed only for Category 3 hurricanes and below. Katrina was a Category 5, and hit land still holding at a strong 4. Further, the structures in New Orleans themselves were not built to withstand Category 5 winds. Even if the waters hadn’t come rushing, Katrina’s winds still would have wrecked these communities. So, while there is the claim that higher levees would have saved the neighborhoods, perhaps taller levees really would have done nothing more than provide a false sense of security. Furthermore, these protection walls are not engineered for extended retention of water. They are designed to work in short-term storm events.
It does not surprise me that the quality of levees varies in correlation with the wealth of the communities. I see this as economics, not racism. Look at property taxes. Someone has to pay for those levees to be built and to be maintained. People put more money into protecting things that cost more. It is debatable whether or not this is right on a moral level, but it does make logical sense on the economic front.
A colleague of mine held the view that rather than totally devastate certain entire communities while leaving others completely unscathed, the flood should have been regulated to give equal damage to all residents with any potential to be affected by the massive waters. Okay, perhaps this approach could have worked. I don’t know enough about water damage to houses - whether or not two feet of water can essentially do the same amount of damage to the soundness of a structure that six feet of water can do. My tendency is to remain skeptical of this “equal” approach. Economically the damage would certainly affect one group more than another - two feet of water in a mansion will cost significantly more than two feet of water in a shack. Also, logistically, where would they have put ALL the people??? The number of people displaced from their homes as is remains vast. How much more chaos would have been created by prolonged displacement of EVERYONE in the region? Where would they have gone? Maybe this lower water level would indeed have caused less damage, and thus people would have been able to return home more quickly. As I said, I don’t pretend to know enough about flood damage to structures to make a stand on this matter.
Ultimately, though, would it have really made any difference as far as getting to the point where the people of the Gulf Coast are currently at? By this I mean to point out that the wealthier people would have their homes fixed, and the lower classes would still be without.
So, while I can respect and appreciate the viewpoint of this alternative, I am not convinced by it.
Whoever made the decisions that concentrated the effects of Katrina on certain neighborhoods, I do not believe that those decisions where wrong, nor that they should be blamed for the resulting destruction. I think it was a government function and within the government’s discretion, regardless of whether it was federal, state, or local government that made this choice.
At this point, though, I think that the management -or lack thereof- since the hurricane has been where the powers-that-be have failed. It has failed the residents, the communities, the state of Louisiana, and our whole nation. It is a failure because a year and a half later and there are still entire communities that are virtually nonexistent. It is a failure because there is money out there that has not been distributed to those in need. It is a failure because simple communication has broken down - and without communication people make assumptions and draw conclusions based on the limited information they have. This ultimately leads to frustration, hostility, and despair.
One of my colleagues who worked with FEMA surveying people living in trailer homes articulated that one of the most rewarding aspects of his volunteering was being able to be an outlet for these people. They just want someone to listen; all they have otherwise is their neighbors - people who, instead of simply listening, are just waiting to tell their version of what happened to them. Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on. You need to let it all out, and from there you can work on figuring out how to deal with it and moving on...
There is the opinion that privatization of the recovery effort is a major problem, and the efforts to prevent contractor fraud are slowing down the rebuilding process. This is real. But here’s the irony I see - if the federal government was taking it all into their own hands, people would still not be happy with the efforts. They would complain that the government should be contracting out to give the little guys an opportunity to come back after the devastation. They would point out that contractors will compete with each other for the jobs - which should lower the prices, increase the quality, and speed up the entire process. Honestly, I think people would be much more upset if the government monopolized this whole reconstruction effort.
Monday, our first day of “legal” work, the People’s Organizing Committee lead our orientation of the pervading issues that need to be dealt with since Katrina. They felt very adamant that help was delayed due to the fact that they were black folks in poor communities. Their claim is that New Orleans does not want them back, that the city will rebuild only for a higher class - economically and racially. These people allege that, thus, they need to be in charge of the reconstruction. They assert that from within these poor, minority communities leaders must step up to voice the concerns and needs of the people who actually lived there.
I respect this motivation. I would go as far as to say that I even admire the voiced conviction of this motivation. Yet I didn’t see it put into action while I was down there. No, instead, basically I saw nothing. The few people that I did see out working in these communities were volunteers such as our group.
Race and class are great divisions in the rebuilding after Katrina. The dominant view seems to be that black people are being discriminated against and they can’t do anything about it because they’re poor. They think the city is trying to get rid of them (umm, does any city want poor people?) by rebuilding their neighborhoods to a degree which they cannot afford. There are housing projects where renters live that are not yet reopened, and there is no forthcoming reason for this delay. The buildings appear to be in livable conditions. One of these projects did get reopened; it’s the one that most of the French Quarter’s workers reside in. The community opinion is that the city let these residents return because they need these ‘slave’ workers to run the tourism of New Orleans. It’s part of that Southern charm.
One of my colleagues accurately pointed out that we did not talk to anybody white in our volunteering. Our efforts did not interact with these white communities; we do not know how the white neighborhoods look, nor do we know how they feel about everything since Katrina. We don’t even really know where the “white neighborhoods” are.
Additionally, and what really vexes me, is how this all collides with immigrant workers who have come on H2B visas. The H2B visa basically authorizes temporary employment for one specific employer. The rational behind it is that when there is no workforce available, employers can go to foreign countries and recruit workers to come to the United States for a limited amount of time to do a specific job. There are workers from Mexico and India, and likely immigrants from many other countries, working in the Gulf Coast through this program. The paradox I see in this is why aren’t the people of the communities that were devastated providing this workforce??? Why do we have to go halfway around the world to recruit people to do the manual labor of this massive reconstruction? The prevalent claim I heard in response to this controversy is that the people of these communities cannot work because there is no housing for them, and they cannot afford housing because they cannot work. This circular argument is essentially a copout in my opinion. These H2B workers come here to nothing. They live 24 to one small room and eat the unappealing food that is offered by their employers. They leave their families and lives behind and travel hundreds or thousands of miles; it isn’t even their own country, much less their own community! Yet they take that step toward a better life and do what they can to improve their status in society. So why cannot the people who actually live in these neighborhoods come and make such an effort? Why do they expect others to make it easier for them? Why are the locals not willing to rebuild their own neighborhoods for minimum wage? Why does it have to be a race issue - why can it not be economics (though certainly race can have some correlation to class)? Indians fly halfway around the world, leaving families and the comforts of their own homes. Why cannot the victims of Katrina put forth this effort? What have they got to lose at this point?
I do not understand it. I, for one, would be blissful to have people pay me to fix my own home and the houses of my friends and neighbors! So my logic is having great difficultly aligning the locals’ arguments. I say: Start by getting one house built. Share money, merge abilities. Get doors and windows that open and close and lock. Furnish a space to sleep and a place to bathe. Make the kitchen functional. Then use that house as the base while working on the rest of the neighborhood...
These H2B visas workers were the focus of the pro bono aid I was assigned to. Myself and two of my colleagues from the University of Idaho worked with the Workers’ Center for Racial Justice. We researched various aspects of the H2B program, such as which employers were applying for these visas, how many they requested compared to how many were certified/denied, what types of jobs these workers were being requested for, where these employers were located throughout the state, etc., etc., etc.
These people did not actively seek out this opportunity to come to America. They were recruited. American employers have recruiters working for them, and those recruiters then contact recruiters in foreign countries, then those foreign-based recruiters gather the workers who accept the H2B visas. Tracy Washington, a local New Orleans attorney, called the H2B program “social sponsored slavery” and said that these employers and recruiters were essentially trafficking “legalized slaves.” Yet the Mexicans stood up there and told a national audience that they had not had a single day of work since they came to the United States.
Apparently I’m missing something from this story, because I don’t see how those two statements align.
I believe that some of these workers are mistreated. I believe that this happens every day, to workers of all types - legal immigrants, undocumenteds, citizens, etc. I do not believe that it is right. It would be better if it was policed and corrected. But this does not mean that H2B guest workers should be given free visas to work for any American employer; this is a claim that organizers are pushing for these workers to have - the protection of the free market. That would defeat the whole purpose of the guest worker program, and it would then be abused in a whole new light. I don’t want to trade one wrong for another. These workers also wanted to be able to go directly to their employers, rather than through recruiters. This is called self-initiative - it requires an affirmative effort on the workers’ part to go seek the American dream. They admitted that they were not looking for this opportunity, so how did they expect it would find them other than through recruiters? There are other types of visas that foreigners can apply for if they want to come to America and work on other terms. H2B is a guest worker program - not a “here-I’m-handing-you-the-American-dream” program. The program needs some revision and refinement, but it is workable. If these workers’ issues arise from an actual contract with their individual employers, then I think they are approaching the wrong legal forum to correct this issue.
The United States government does not ensure dreams.
Part of me fears that these people coming to America and fighting for “rights” may actually end up corroding the very essence of the culture that they so longed to be a part of. America is a land of survival of the fittest. That is how we got to the top of the global food chain. Yet I am honestly apprehensive that more and more our nation is catering to the lowest common denominator in the effort to produce “equality.” America has never been about equality. America was built by the outcasts who no longer lived on the bottom - those who chose to make something happen. America is about getting to the top and refusing to let yourself linger at the bottom. Stop complaining. Complaining does nothing. Instead, assert a realistic alternative approach. Then we can talk. Then there is something to debate and expend energy working out. ‘Til then, let me enjoy the American way of life.
There is a huge difference between trampling on others and simply not handing them what they want and/or think they need. My rights end where someone else’s rights begin. But do not expect me to give away what I have earned so that someone else can enjoy those same benefits - in the name of Equality.
Lack of resources is not the sole reason it’s taking so long to get the Gulf Coast rebuilt. The resources that do become available are unorganized, unproductively employed, and outright misused. Inefficiency. Wow, I understand that there are new volunteers coming in each week and only staying for a week, but you’d still think that these organizations would be a little better prepared to utilize people. I definitely do not feel like I got to contribute all that I could. There was so much confusion and misdirection and just waiting. Yes, some things are uncontrollable and it’s always a task to get large numbers of people on the same page, but these networks have been trying this for over a year now. We came to help so put us to work! We were informed that this is an improvement from last year, though. I am surely glad that our University of Idaho’s Public Interest Law Group did such an excellent job of organizing our fourteen law students who went to New Orleans.
The community organizers who oriented us seemed quite concerned with how we felt about the circumstances. These New Orleanians wanted to make sure that they affected us, that we took lessons home to our own communities. At least it was my impression that they really wanted to change our take of the situation. This is a fine goal, and it is good that we are exposed to their perspective. But I came here to help you. At least give me some constructive rebuilding work while you try to reform my outlook on American society.
Personally, I would have much preferred to be doing manual labor the entire time in New Orleans. But I think that it is very good that I worked with these racial and global issues. It gave me exposure to things I’ve never had to really worry about, and it is nice to have more information towards forming my opinion when I may have to take a stand on these topics. My views are not totally solidified concerning these matters; I need and want more firsthand observations, as well as additional input from other perspectives. It does make me feel secure that the experiences and observations of the week reaffirmed my initial feelings on the issues. I try to remain open minded and to consider the various views presented. Yet ultimately I essentially wound up where I started, only now I’m a bit more passionate about my opinion on it. And that’s a good thing :)
In closing, I want to share the beginning of the week’s happenings - orientation. When asked why they chose to spend spring break volunteering, a vast number of my peers voiced that they felt obligated to do it. It honestly blew my mind how often this concept in general and this word in particular pervaded the introductions. Obligation had never even occurred to me. I felt no obligation to contribute to the reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina devastated an area of our country. Nor do I now feel that weight on my shoulders.
Slow down before you think me wrong or coldhearted! I want to help. My motivation is quite distinct from obligation. I in no way, shape, or form feel that I have to do anything for the Gulf Coast - but I do want to. Think about it...
It was an intense week. I won’t say that I enjoyed it all, but it was a good experience.
“Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
- Luke 8:18, NIV
- CRS Report for Congress, “New Orleans Levees and Floodwalls: Hurricane Damage Protection” by Nicole T. Carter, Sept 6, 2005 - Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, order code RS22238
- http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22238.pdf
- “Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?” - Sept 2, 2005, FactCheck.org
- http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html
- “Hurricane Katrina: Who’s in Charge of the New Orleans Levees?” - S. Hrg. 109-616, Hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, 109 Congress, First Session, December 15, 2005
- http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/74812231?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpurl.access.gpo.gov%2FGPO%2FLPS75598&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail=
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