Ditz

Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: Inside the Bubble

Media Credit: www.nolawomenshelter.org Co-Director Caroline Heldman & Executive Director Jackie Silverman

No amount of reading or literature could have prepared me for what I experienced in New Orleans. Not knowing very much about New Orleans or the political implications of Hurricane Katrina, I signed up for a class at Occidental called "Disaster Politics." After completing the required coursework (five books and the Spike Lee documentary, When the Levees Broke), I felt prepared to begin working at the New Orleans Women's Shelter. I naively thought the city, after more than two years since Katrina, would be far along on its path of recovery. But while the touristy sections of the city glimmered with hope and Mardi Gras beads, entire neighborhoods remained vacant or full of dilapidated and uprooted houses. It was the poor, black communities that were affected and are still suffering. Under the highway, a makeshift homeless village has been constructed and is heavily populated. These images of devastation, racism, and despair will stay with me for a long time, but what really struck me was the strength that I witnessed from the women in the shelter. Their survival and resilience have reshaped my understanding of what it truly means to be a strong woman.

Hurricane Katrina stormed through New Orleans in August 2005 and the effects are still reverberating throughout the city. While Katrina was a powerful natural disaster, the real disaster was the failure to protect, rebuild, and support black, lower class communities. Katrina exposed the painful truth about pre-existing racial and class injustices. The Ninth Ward, made up of predominantly black homeowners, has been completely devastated and remains in utter disrepair. These citizens, who are the soul of the vibrant New Orleans culture, have lost their homes and have been neglected by their city. Many people were forced to abandon the city they called home, and just over half of the city's population has returned. The people who have returned or never left continue to struggle for their survival in the harsh reality of the city.

The reality is that the disaster is not over. Residents are faced with the "Katrina Echo Effect," which infiltrates every aspect of their lives. It has directly impacted homelessness, as it has doubled, growing from 6,000 to 12,000 people per night. This is no surprise seeing as how housing prices have risen over 200%, public housing is being torn down, and FEMA benefits have expired. The devastating loss and constant oppression that these women face result in emotional issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which in turn makes it difficult to hold a job. The trauma of the storm has also increased the amount of domestic abuse targeted at women. There are very little resources, including health care and social services, available to lower-income black neighborhoods.

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