Special Topic – Louisiana Hurricanes

A recent post of my friend’s on Facebook (source of all drama) stated that he was tired of listening to people in Louisiana bitch about hurricanes, the hardships of evacuations and tiring life of rebuilding. More importantly, he indicated displeasure with usage of taxpayer money to support emergency situations, rescuing and rebuilding a community of idiots. Strong language which obviously offended other friends of mine, especially when I posted that I generally agreed with his analysis of the situation, but this is truly similar to my opinion on the issue. Let me tell you what I know about Louisiana, and then put it into the context of hurricanes.

I once dated a girl from Louisiana, although the long-distance aspect of the relationship shadowed any time spent together in person. Positive in her outlook, cheerful in her pursuit of life, realistic and critical In discussion regarding contentious issues, forgiving of others’ shortcomings and always caring towards those less fortunate, she was a great girl. In an effort to better understand her upbringing and out of general curiosity for the part of the U.S. now highlighted in an overdose of redneck “documentaries”, the Cajun Bayou drew me in with its mystical party reputation and swampy tight-knit families. So when I came home from Europe, I immediately hopped on a transfer plane and disembarked in New Orleans. Thus ends my actual interactions (besides loaning my phone to a stranger stranded at arrivals) with the main city in question within this disagreement, but my experiences in the bayou culture are much more important to my point.

We drove West and North for alternating periods through cane sugar fields, the direct competition to my moonshine drinking friends back home. We talked about snakes and the difficulties in cutting cane, and the industry behind the product. Then we drove through an area closer to home as she told me about the recent hurricanes, how they flooded her school, how they kept her dad working overtime for weeks to keep the world running and assess damage and repairs. Her family was so excited to see me, boiling crawfish, eating gumbo and strange sausages while watching NASCAR (non-athletic sport centered around rednecks), and even taking a trip down to the marshes on the coast to go fishing. Don’t get me wrong, the attitude of relaxation, conversation and the importance of family strongly influenced my bias towards this culture rumored for obesity, alcoholism (drive-through margeritas??) and seafood – these people were truly great and I loved every minute. But, it was when we went out in the boat that I was officially head over heels in love with the area. I learned about fishing, the movement of the marshes by the hurricanes, the game warden (they actually have one who patrols and pays attention!) and alligators. I was attacked by a crab whose pincer was so much faster and stronger than I imagined. I picked up some sun and it was a long time before I was that happy again. We are still friends to this day, and I imagine some day she might read this post. Regardless of our opinions on the hurricane issue, know that I have a special place in my heart for the family that took me in as a stranger and invited me back again. Someday, I will have the time to go back and try to find that peace again. Thank you.

When we see hurricanes on the news, they focus on antiquated levees, over-confident elected officials and Doppler spreads that look like a 3-year-old got into the green crayons. But what we don’t see are all of the little moments that are interrupted, the homes destroyed, the jobs and profitability lost. When you meet the people who survive these storms, you are impressed by their resilience. They are tough and stubborn and from a community displaced from Nova Scotia, what attitude towards one more action to displace you from your home would you expect? To me, the tragedy of the destruction of a home cannot be made easier. This is true for the Colorado fire victims, or even those whose lives will be very hard this year after the great drought. 

 Funny looking sausage that tasted amazing!

 Crawfish pre-boiling. They wave those pincers around a lot. Some even get away and jump in the swimming pool.

Crawfish post-boil. Red and spicy. Remember to take your contacts out early!

 One crab got me faster than I could get him. This guy - not so lucky. Somebody else already got him.

I've never been a natural at fishing, but love the peace and sunny breeze.

As I recall, I didn't even catch this but more like reeled it in. Then had to figure how to get it off to let it go.

Apparently you have to kiss your first fish. It did NOT turn into a princess.

Position A (relaxing).

Perfect for days at 95 degrees and full humidity. :)

But we don’t see this reported where I live. Instead, we hear about the storm, the total number of people displaced, the number dead, the inches of rain and the money and assistance sent to help the people. Year after year, the storms get increasing impersonal, and I admit to wondering how often is too much for us to continue to send aid to patch the bleeding when there are millions of others who need aid who aren’t foolish enough to go back and get punched in the mouth again. And why don't we help people establish a safer life there or elsewhere rather than just keep building back the sand castles before the next tide? We hear shocked news anchors telling us that yet again there will be a category 4 wrecking the coastline industries or whatnot.

My heart goes out to those affected by any natural disaster, especially those people where the sanctuary of the home is destroyed or damaged. I know what a rich culture thrives in Louisiana and that so many lives are in need from the storms. But, I also want a solution for the future rather than a band-aid. Rather than merely fixing damages, we need to learn new ways to make living there safer or make predictions of storms and damages more accurate to protect human and animal lives. It is insensible to continue down the same path of guaranteed destruction.