Notes From the Field
SEPTEMBER04.2008
3 DAYS AFTER GUSTAV
As I traveled throughout rural communities in South Louisiana to assess the damage, it struck me as we drove into Thibodaux, Louisiana, that the damage here was much like many of the communities hit by Gustav. Trees down, no electricity, long gas lines and most businesses closed. The difference, however, was the presence of military police, which wouldn’t alarm me except for the fact that they were not carrying small concealed weapons, but rifles hanging from their shoulders. If you have ever been to Thibodaux, you know that everyone knows each other, and it is a small, close-knit community, making the presence of military police alarming to those who live there.
What was not visible but certainly true is that water and sewage was out and unavailable throughout Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, making conditions severely worse than other hard-hit communities like Baton Rouge, which never lost water or sewage. In many cases, in communities like Morgan City which is quickly putting their services together, the water is undergoing testing for another 72 hours before they allow the public to consume it without boiling it first.
There were positive signs: neighbors helping neighbors with debris removal; an encampment of workers from throughout the Gulf States that came to help repair power lines; and FEMA giving out water, ice, and blue tarps to long lines of citizens.
It is clear, however, as Houma opened to the public this morning, that it is the hardest hit. There has been no media coverage or acknowledgement of the fact that many will return to a community that is completely destroyed. Morgan City was preparing to provide relief to the citizens of Houma because Morgan City fared much better than their neighbors down the bayou. Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (BISCO) is using a relief grant from the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to provide critical relief services as residents return. Many nonprofits from the region are coalescing around BISCO as they help lead the local response on the ground.
It was also clear that many folks struggled with mandatory evacuations throughout south Louisiana. Our waitress at Shoney’s talked about how she used her last dime to evacuate and thankfully her workplace reopened so that she could work to feed her family, but that many of her friends could not go back to work because those businesses weren’t open. In talking to community leaders, there was also concern about the economic impact on small businesses that will not make payroll this week or the three to six weeks they are projecting power to be out in most of Terrebonne and Lafourche.
As we continue to assess the full extent of damage to communities and interact with our grantees, philanthropic partners and municipal authorities about the evolving needs in the region, we find that the prevailing opportunities and needs are as follows:
1. We must continuing to invest in well established, local community nonprofits that make a critical difference in ensuring a hands-on and effective response to the evolving needs of local communities in and out of disaster times.
2. There was significant success in evacuating and securing citizens from the harm of hurricane Gustav; however, there is significant progress to be made in ensuring that the post-evacuation plan includes provisions for prolonged evacuation, basic supplies, enhanced service channels across state lines and improved collaboration by short and mid-term disaster respondents.
3. Southcentral and Central Louisiana have been severely damaged and there are still substantial gaps to be filled in ensuring that citizens receive humane and meaningful resources to continue their recovery efforts. This message has largely been missed by media and everyday Americans; we must diligently convey this message and attract much-needed resources to these pressing needs.
4. LDRF has been developing a permanent model for disaster preparedness and response that answers the call to transform our communities into a model for preparedness, response and resilience in the face of disaster -- the new normal. Gustav and other storms this season reinforce the need for leadership in this area and we are documenting this work to better inform this transformation.
