Day Three

Day 3

I finally got a chance to go to the Westbank and Metairie which was allot better than being downtown. At least those places resembled more normal times. I guess I am going to be spending allot of time out that way if I am going to be working down here. The traffic going to any direction out of the city is totally ridiculous. It took me an hour to get from St. Charles and Louisiana Ave. to Shrewsbury road. That ride used to take me 15 minutes.
You know the one thing people returning don't need right now is the kind of storm like we had here last night. It was a severe storm with tornadoes that came through and took what little some people had left after Katrina. There was also some minor flooding. That's the kind of thing that makes me want to look into the classified section back in Mississippi. I realized yesterday that the biggest issue I have and I am sure lots of others have as well is that we are all now afraid of water and what it can do. Think of all the years we lived here completely oblivious to the fact that we were totally surrounded on all sides by a deadly force that none of us can stop. It has to be on your mind now. There is no way to block it out because the reminders are everywhere.

Next week I have to go into my grandmother's house to search for any remaining bank statements or insurance papers to find out if she had any extra money. FEMA will not pay for her funeral up front. The families of the victims have to pay and they will "reimburse you if approved". 9/11 was the second worst thing I have saw during my lifetime next to Katrina. 3000 people died that day and many more have paid the price if you add up all the soldiers and civilians that have been killed in the fighting since. I would never ever belittle or trivialize anyone's sacrifice. However, you have to look at reality. Pakistan got billions of debt wiped out by America just to use their land to stage a fight. Afghanistan is safer and more free for it's people than it was before. We are pouring billions and billions and billions of dollars to make the Iraqi people happy and comfortable enough to think we are good people. It's hard not to feel anger towards America when I can't get FEMA to cremate the remains of my grandmother who drowned in her AMERICAN home that she worked to pay for behind a flood wall that the government of AMERICA designed. Taking all of that into account, it is my twisted opinion as a black New Orleans refugee that the terrorists have already won because they got more and are still getting more out of my government than it looks like I ever will. Maybe someone from New Orleans needs to get a plane and just fly around the FEMA building a few times to get someone's attention.