Anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita : NOLA Indymedia

As the third anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina & Rita approaches, it is time for an objective and honest report of the current state of the recovery effort in the Gulf Coast. I have been working as a full-time volunteer in St Bernard Parish, Louisiana since January 2006. This parish, adjacent to the well-known Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, was at the epicenter of destruction from Hurricane Katrina. 93% of homes in St Bernard Parish were rated as “severely damaged” or “destroyed”, and hurricane damage to the Murphy Oil Refinery here caused the largest domestic residential oil spill in US history.

Even three years later, the devastation in St Bernard Parish remains overwhelming. Entire blocks of homes and businesses are empty and derelict, marked for destruction. There are no hospitals here now, and the population is still only about 40% of what it was before the disaster. Yet the rate of child abuse in St Bernard Parish is up by 150% compared to pre-Katrina values, and the rate of elder abuse and neglect has risen by an incredible 335%. These are clear indications of the severe physical, psychological and emotional trauma that the residents of St Bernard have endured.

When I first arrived in St Bernard Parish, I intended to stay only a few weeks. But my experiences immediately made it clear that there would be nothing quick or easy about the recovery here. In early February 2006 I returned to my home in New Hampshire to close up my house so I could make a personal commitment as a long-term volunteer in St Bernard Parish. I was back in St Bernard by Valentine’s Day, and in April 2006 I helped found the Community Center of St Bernard, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to providing hurricane survivors with the practical resources they need in a safe and all-inclusive environment.

Today the Community Center continues to actively serve local residents caught up in the ongoing struggle to rebuild their lives. During January – June 2008, we distributed 111,265 lbs of free food to 2,990 low-income residents. During the last quarter we served 1,534 free hot meals, made 601 referrals and distributed 5,592 flyers to help our clients to find the specific services and resources they need. In June 2008 alone, our public computer lab was used 580 times, and 116 applications for Food Stamps were processed here. And just last week, we provided free clothes to 224 people.

These numbers are an eloquent testimony to the overwhelming need that still exists in St Bernard Parish, 3 years after Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005. Unfortunately things are not back to normal here, nor is there any reasonable hope that they will be at any time in the near future. For more information about the recovery effort in St Bernard Parish and the work of the Community Center of St Bernard, please visit http://www.ccstb.org or phone 504-281-2512 to speak with me personally.

Sincerely,
R.M. “Iray” Nabatoff
Executive Director (Volunteer)
Community Center of St Bernard
Arabi, LA 70032