I drove a relief bus from CO to NO five days after
Katrina. For almost two weeks, i witnessed utter devastation, death and unbelievable corruption and neglect. And, I will never forget the nauseating stench of death and decay, which hung in the air, even tens of miles from the city itself. I saw hungry, dehydrated people huddled stranded on overpasses, waiting for relief or rescue, which i understand seldom. came.
Meanwhile, Blackwater agents, dressed to the nines and armed with large large sidearms, scurried about in their new, fancy, black Cadillac Escalades, never pausing to render assistance or aide to the desperately needy. Most of whom were simply the wrong color to qualify for assistance. Blackwater collected @$1B in government money to provide security for government property and wealthy neighborhoods.
The triggering incident for me, however, was when all the relief buses were ordered to an old air base about 60 miles away near Baton Rouge, where we were directed to stage in a semi-circle formation on the tarmac to await AF 1, which finally arrived, bringing President Bush. Bush stood at the center of our semi-circle and delivered a brief message, as the news cameras panned the impressive flotilla of busses. Those vehicles were recruited from all over the country, at a cost of $1500/bus/day. That day, our job was to drive the 60 miles to Baton Rouge, pose for the president's 10 min. photo op, then return to staging near Lafayette, LA.
I resigned on return, taking four other drivers with me. We returned to CO at our own expense, having learned valuable lessons about volunteering for good deeds and noble causes.
I drove a relief bus from CO to NO five days after
Katrina. For almost two weeks, i witnessed utter devastation, death and unbelievable corruption and neglect. And, I will never forget the nauseating stench of death and decay, which hung in the air, even tens of miles from the city itself. I saw hungry, dehydrated people huddled stranded on overpasses, waiting for relief or rescue, which i understand seldom. came.
Meanwhile, Blackwater agents, dressed to the nines and armed with large large sidearms, scurried about in their new, fancy, black Cadillac Escalades, never pausing to render assistance or aide to the desperately needy. Most of whom were simply the wrong color to qualify for assistance. Blackwater collected @$1B in government money to provide security for government property and wealthy neighborhoods.
The triggering incident for me, however, was when all the relief buses were ordered to an old air base about 60 miles away near Baton Rouge, where we were directed to stage in a semi-circle formation on the tarmac to await AF 1, which finally arrived, bringing President Bush. Bush stood at the center of our semi-circle and delivered a brief message, as the news cameras panned the impressive flotilla of busses. Those vehicles were recruited from all over the country, at a cost of $1500/bus/day. That day, our job was to drive the 60 miles to Baton Rouge, pose for the president's 10 min. photo op, then return to staging near Lafayette, LA.
I resigned on return, taking four other drivers with me. We returned to CO at our own expense, having learned valuable lessons about volunteering for good deeds and noble causes.
thanks for sharing! what a terrible time.
Thank you!
Thank you for memorializing this amazing city I called home for over 5 years.
I worked on the Delta Queen during Hurricane Katrina and wrote an article about it here if you want to read and share 🙏
https://open.substack.com/pub/wattsh/p/to-the-floating-parish-a-love-letter?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3mnaw2
appreciate hearing from you!