In the days and weeks after the full effect of Katrina was being realized, my mailbox was swamped with people responding to my articles. “How can we help?” “Where can we send money?” “We’re praying for you.”
Tuesday, November 29, will make three full months since the hurricane slammed into our part of the Gulf Coast, and two realities have now set in. One, nothing has changed, and two, everything has changed. Nothing has changed: the city is still devastated, still sitting there in darkness for the most part, Congress still debating what to do about the levee system, the mayor and governor still running around looking for a handle to start the rebuilding. Everything has changed: people in the rest of the country are moving on. A friend from Missouri said the other day, “They think it’s all over down here.”
It ain’t over. Not by a long shot, not for a long, long time.
I need to get word to my friends: the situation with New Orleans and our area is really really bad, and it’s not going to get fixed for a long time. If you tire easily, you will soon start clicking us off. As I expect many have. Responses from readers to my weekly articles are drying up. It’s totally understandable; it’s a bad sign of what’s to come.
I said to you early on (go to www.joemckeever.com and read one of the early post-Katrina articles) that I remember how people were twenty years ago with the African hunger crisis. At first, we had rock concerts to raise money and every time you turned on the television starving children stared out at you, tearing your heart out, pulling the money out of your wallet. But eventually, you turned to other channels. The human spirit can take only so much pain, for only so long; after that, it needs to move on and regroup.
For those who joined us in this “weblog” after Katrina, you may not know that my weekly articles were general inspirational type stuff previously, and that the hurricane took over this site. To see what we were doing pre-K, go to www.joemckeever.com and scroll down the column on the right to any month prior to September 2005; click on any of the articles.
In the last few years of pastoring the First Baptist Church of Kenner, we had built the emailing list to some 3,000 weekly. In transferring to the present website when I moved to the new job, we decided to drop the old list and encourage people to sign up for the new. We ended up with seven or eight hundred and then built that up to 1200. Before the storm. Over the next few weeks, as we devoted this site exclusively to storm matters, about a hundred people unsubscribed. But thousands more began visiting the website each day, not subscribing, but dropping in to see the latest posting, and sometimes forwarding to friends, sometimes reprinting in other publications.
I think we’re at a turning point now. And I’m not quite sure what it involves.
Maybe a reader knows and will tell me. I’m asking you to reply here, preferably to the website and leave your comment at the end of this article so everyone can read what you shared.
Couple of post-Thanksgiving items in the local news.
There’s a concerted campaign to unseat the state legislators who voted to keep our chaotic levee boards intact. The editorial in this morning’s Times-Picayune identified ten local representatives with instructions on how to contact them. Most people, however, do not want to write them, just oust them.
Of course, if we start voting out every representative who does truly foolish things, where will we end? We’ll be getting rid of the senators who gave Alaska $250 million for the “Bridge to Nowhere”. The late word on that is that because of the adverse publicity, the Senate took back the money for the bridge. Then, turned around and gave it to the state of Alaska and said, “If you choose to build the bridge, it’s up to you. Just leave us out of it.” Courageous, oh yeah.
Seven thousand people are now permanent residents of devastated St. Bernard Parish. They’re living in FEMA trailers, on board the Scotia Prince cruise liner docked riverside, and inside their ruined homes. Recovery is going forward there at a snail’s pace.
Those FEMA trailers are everywhere. Someone told me about them. In the first days after the storm, FEMA bought every RV and motor home they could find, many of them luxury vehicles, and sent to our area. Then, they contracted with mobile home manufacturers to turn out these trailers we see everywhere. They’re nice looking, but are basically shells. Just boxes with a bed, a bath, a kitchen, and a bench.
As though our government was saying, “We don’t want you getting too comfortable with this trailer.” Which is not about to happen, if I’m to guess.
A few weeks ago someone mentioned the LSU football team’s upcoming game. “I can’t wait until that matters again,” his friend said. Friday, LSU played Arkansas for the SEC West championship. It was a close game, but I found myself leaving the set in the fourth quarter to do other things. That’s when it hit me, “It really doesn’t matter who wins.” Not to me, not yet. Not for a long time to come.
On Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner in the backyard of my son’s home with his family and his wife’s family from Slidell, some of whom are living in FEMA trailers while they gut and rebuild their home. Neil’s thanksgiving prayer was all about family. Afterward, we sat around and visited with each other, then played catch with a football in the front yard.
Family. It’s what matters. For now, for always.
Joe,
I’m trying hard not to forget. We experienced Betsy in NO back in ’65, and then last year in Sebring, FL. we had Charley, Ivan, Jeanne, and one more I can’t remember in about 6 weeks time. 15 months later our church is still not back in one of the buildings that was damaged, and they are still removing 100 gallons of water per week with de-humidifiers. I appreciate your reports and will continue in prayer and whatever other support I can muster.
Joe,
You and your folk are in our prayers every day. The devastation across the Gulf South is amazing. We are helping a church in Bayou La Batre Alabama that was destroyed. We are also concerned about bringing a work group in 2006. I will contact you if I can get to NO in January to visit, pray and see what a little church up Norht can do.
Joe,
Over the last month our volunteers have continued to dwindle down to nothing. We have sent 14 teams with over 100 volunteers from and around our association. I see it as a challenge on our part to motivate people with the truth that recovery will be a long and drawn out process. I hope to be able to use your articles to encourage people with the truth and reality of the situation.
Your weekly blog keeps me up to date about what is going on. I like the way you add your personal experiencess in them. It takes us to places we have never been, and gives us a fresh perspective on the happenings in the Greater New Orleans area.
Please keep up the great work. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, always.
Jean Boyer
I also use your blog to keep my congregation motivated to come help. Our Florida church has sent out 5 teams thus far and has plans to continue doing so. Everyone who has participated has expressed a desire to come back. It’s very apparent to us that many people are being drawn to Jesus through the relief work we are performing. The work may be hard and painfully slow to progress, but we have planted many seeds. In addition, we have grown to love the congregation of Metairie Baptist who have been wonderful hosts to our teams. We’d love to pray with you when we return on Dec. 12th. May God continue to give you strength to continue on until His work is done in you.
Ran across your blog again while researching info on New Orleans after Katrina.
I would like to take this time to respond to your request for comments.
As we all know, people in this country, God Bless them, have short attention spans. Any current event is front-page news until the next crisis or event comes along. Post-Katrina New Orleans is starting to become “yesterdays headlines”. All true and well-stated. However, what is so disturbing is this growing sentiment in some parts of this country that New Orleans people deserve everything that has happened to them “because of living in land below sea level”. I do not consider myself an idiot for spending the past 18 years of my life in New Orleans. But through prayer and Bible reading I have come to realize that all this forgetfullness and negativity is not aimed at me personally. For many people this is all about the $$$$. People realize that it will take years to rebuild, they understand that and many keep that in prayer. The problem is, however, is that there are those that will continue to wonder how much all this recovery is going to cost them in their taxes, church budgets, as well as out-of-pocket expenses. Even I have to admit I wonder what is the point of trying to restore 76 churches and the 60 missions BAGNO oversaw pre-Katrina when the post-Katrina truth is that we will be a city half in size and double in adversity. Understandably, I Do Not wish to see any churches demolished or any pastor’s visions permanetely destroyed. I lament the devastation on wonderful churches like Edgewater Baptist Church. But at the end of your 11-26-05 post, I think you answered your own question you put to your readers. It’s all about FAMILY, the body in Christ, and not the buildings or the property. The question now is that how many of us are willing to accept that .
Joe,
As I have let you know before, your letters have meant a lot to the prisoners being housed at Caddo Correctionl Center. Your letters were the only connection many of them had with home for a number of weeks. Each Tues. nite, when I would go in with God’s Word, they would swamp me at the end of Bible Study, wanting news from home. They just wanted to know something. Anything. Your letters helped me establish a relationship with a group of men who at first were very hard to reach. About half of the inmates have now been released or moved to a prison closer to N.O., but those remaining still look forward to your news. I pray that through your mail and encouragement some of these men find a new life in their home churchs and the Lord. Thanx, David
We have not forgotten you and the good people of New Orleans. I read throught each of the updates on your blog and use the information during our church prayer meetings and for discussions with fellow ministers in our association. We are praying for you to keep on keeping on!
My previous post, the quote should read, “because of living ON land below sea level”, not “IN”. We’re suffering as it is without me making folks sound like the crawfish we eat!!
There is a very interesting article about the John Craven and Aline Bourgeois Craven family on http://www.nola.com and their struggles to recover from Katrina. One paragraph referred to their “perceived indignity of relying on charity, welfare and food stamps” after losing their homes, businesses and jobs. I think this is the plight of many evacuees. It is hard to lose the tanglible things. Losing one sense of integrity and self-sufficiency is another. Those folks that are praying and ministering to New Orleans citizens please keep this in on your prayer lists. People like myself greatly, greatly appreciate all the love and support you have shown, but we also pray for the time that the Lord will restore us through the grace that only comes through Christ Jesus.
Joe…your blogs are about the only real news we get from NOLA regarding the damages and efforts of
recovery these days. While we all need all the spiritual food we can get, methinks it is important that for the forseeable future, you keep the troops posted. While many will not be able to physically help, we can pray for wisdom and for those like you who carry a burden that most of us will never realize. We need to know the heartbeat of NOLA, which we can get no where else. This is not entertainment nor pablum…this is the real thing! You might want to “come apart” for a few days before you do come apart. Perhaps, God will give you a little better perspective and to what He wants done. Every solder needs a little R & R. Love ya, Bro.
Bro. Ron has said it well. Our Lord will guide you as you write. Believe it or not, many of your Katrina articles are just as inspiring as the ones you wrote before, because they address everyday needs.
Don’t forget the “coming apart” part.
Bro. Joe – Keep up the good work! Allen and I read your column several times a week. We pray for you, Freddie and the others on a daily basis!
Hi Bro. Joe,
Please allow me a few line to say hello to you and your family and to say hi to Allen and Martha Boland from the post above. Thank you Joe for your continued coverage of the real New Orleans. Susan and I are praying every day for you and all the victims of Katrina. Our church, Lake Park Baptist in Augusta, GA, has adopted a church in Aker, LA. We anticipate helping them financially and other ways as God leads. Keep up the good work, you are the man of the hour in a very special place at the hour of need.
Joe,
Bro. Ron and Ann Allen have said it very well. I read everything that you write (pre- and post-Katrina) and many times print it to read again and distribute to friends and family. The same was true of your writings after 9/11. They helped me deal with that horrific event in our lives. Christ will guide you as He always has and you will know what to write. And if that means taking some R & R for yourself, so be it. Please take care of yourself, both mentally and physically—This huge extended family you have out here needs you! And we appreciate you more than you will ever know. Be well.