Katrina
I have heard many reports of entire communities that have been washed away and it reminds of one poor community called Irish Bayou.
Several years ago, my friends and I left New Orleans after a week of Mardi Gras celebration. We were almost out of gas and we exited I-90 to try and find a gas station. We were not able to fill up, but what we saw was the poorest community that I have encountered in the United States. The little village consisted of several one room stove heated shacks. It appeared that many of them were built upon dirt floors. I saw a few of the townspeople who could be euphemistically described as veterans of hard living. One of them tried to give us directions back to the interstate as it was quite obvious that we were lost.
I read an article on Sunday in the Times-Picayune that predicted the Irish Bayou community would be completely under water as it is outside of the levee system. I am sure there is nothing left of the Irish Bayou village.
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NPR had a piece on the widespread looting of New Orleans shops. I thought it was interesting that one reporter stated that the women were stealing food and the men were stealing alcohol and cigarettes.
Several years ago, my friends and I left New Orleans after a week of Mardi Gras celebration. We were almost out of gas and we exited I-90 to try and find a gas station. We were not able to fill up, but what we saw was the poorest community that I have encountered in the United States. The little village consisted of several one room stove heated shacks. It appeared that many of them were built upon dirt floors. I saw a few of the townspeople who could be euphemistically described as veterans of hard living. One of them tried to give us directions back to the interstate as it was quite obvious that we were lost.
I read an article on Sunday in the Times-Picayune that predicted the Irish Bayou community would be completely under water as it is outside of the levee system. I am sure there is nothing left of the Irish Bayou village.
____________________________________
NPR had a piece on the widespread looting of New Orleans shops. I thought it was interesting that one reporter stated that the women were stealing food and the men were stealing alcohol and cigarettes.
posted by torporindy at 8/30/2005
3 Comments:
I have a sister in Vicksburg. In 1995 I decided it was a good idea to go live with her, but I lasted a mere two weeks. I was acing an interview for a Bookkeeper/Real Estate Agent/Bed & Breakfast Asst. Manager and was on cloud nine. Closing the interview we started to negotiate salary. He says: "So, the starting pay is $5.50. How does that sound?" Naturally, thinking he was joking, I chuckled. After a couple seconds of complete silence and a straight face by him, it became crystal clear that I was not going to be able to live there. It was an eye-opening experience for a young girl who had yet to experience anything so different.
It's amazing how some local economies are. You could probably have had the same experience in southwestern Indiana.
Yup. Or in Chicago. But I digress...
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