[StBernard] CUMMINS: New Orleans has not been wiped off map

[Westley Annis]

CUMMINS: New Orleans has not been wiped off map

By TERRY CUMMINS
Local Columnist

You have to see it to believe it. The storm had passed leaving minimal
damage. All was well until the levees broke. Within 20 minutes, up to 12
feet of water put thousands of lives in peril. One hundred forty eight
square miles surrounding New Orleans remained under 15 feet of water for
three weeks. Natural forces can be quick, devastating and final. In such
times, life or death hangs on a precarious edge. New Orleans is now a ghost
town, or partly so. But the human spirit, when committed with unyielding
will, is, too, a mighty force. After nearly three years since Katrina, the
city is making a comeback. An acorn has been planted; the sprout has just
begun breaking through the crust.

Along with other members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, I
recently toured the ruins along the Mississippi Delta, and heard the reports
and stories from Mayor Ray Nagin, a cool and optimistic guy, and several
other officials. There are a million stories to be told.

Ted Jackson, a photographer from the New Orleans Times-Picauyne, rode a
bicycle from higher ground to the flooded areas, knowing he must record the
story despite the sudden realization that his home was also gone. Just a few
feet away, a group of ladies and children clung to the tops of porch posts
pleading for help. No way to reach them. There was so little help for
hundreds of thousands. Eventually, the ladies and children were rescued and
many others including Fats Domino from the roof of his modest little shotgun
home. He's back now, because it's home.

We toured the 9th Ward. Most of the debris has been cleared, but the shells
of the former homes stand hauntingly as withered ghosts of weary scarecrows.
Amidst the vacant, lonely streets, there are signs of life. Home is home and
returning is a longing seldom abandoned. On most every street, a FEMA
trailer or two (remember those?) is parked in front of what was a house,
which is slowly becoming a home again.

When the French settled New Orleans, they built on higher ground. The
original French Quarter with Bourbon Street and its ever-present smoke,
glitz and jazz was not inundated. It's back in business and flourishing to
an extent. With a population of 475,000 in New Orleans proper, somehow
310,000 have returned to their work, but live primarily in adjoining areas.
The death toll is estimated at approximately 2,000, but tens of thousands
are unaccounted for as, "Some may have been washed out to sea."

Wayne Warner, the 68-year-old courageous and dedicated principal of the St.
Bernard Parish Unified School, told his story. Like the ninth ward, St.
Bernard, just south of New Orleans, went under eight feet of water in 15
minutes. Warner and 20 others escaped to the second floor of the then
Chalmette High School. Someone grabbed a case of bottled water and a case of
Fruit Loops, and Warner had to ration water and food with each survivor
receiving a cup of water and a cup of Fruit Loops each day. Five days later,
they were rescued. Nearly all home in the parish were destroyed. Three weeks
under water will do that. The principal took us to his home, a concrete
slab. Nearby, were a few other FEMA trailers, one of which has been his home
for nearly three years. Despite insurmountable odds, there is a school in
St. Bernard simply because of many people like this man, who refuses to be
swept to sea.

"Any comments about the government and FEMA?"

"The government lost its common sense?" Want a thousand examples? Here's
one. Government decided the remaining people of St. Bernard needed a post
office, so they established on 45 miles due north. Cars under water won't
start, and most people don't have shoes, clothes or anything yet. You could
bring some food and water, and we'll gladly sign every form in your
briefcase.

"Don't forget us was the plea." The area is slowly being restored. It's
being done by churches, volunteer groups and through the generosity of the
American people and others around the world. Brad Pitt is responsible for
re-building 140 homes. The Hollywood crowd is not all bad.

If the spirit lives and the heart of the city continues to beat, musicians
must have a place to live. Musicians Village is being built with those
quaint, colorful little shotgun houses. How would you like living on that
street. "Oh, when the saints go marching in, oh, when the saints go.I want
to be in that number."

Terry Cummins believes the sun always peeks through the darkest cloud.
Contact TLCTLC at AOL.com