Katrina 3 Years Later

It has been three years and I finally face my grief. In my soul is a deep unhappiness. I have been struggling toward normalcy so long and so hard that I forgot to take care of my wounded soul. Now, it seems to have turned on me. What I desire most is to move on past what has happened. What has kept me in the dark bitter place is the fact that my healing depends on the remnants of my family living without the cocked gun of a shoddy levee system in place. So far, flood prevention in New Orleans is escaping the United States Army Corps of Engineers. My family that continues to reside in New Orleans have rebuilt their homes but, now I fear for them. I cannot bring our mother back to the state where she was born because first there are few if any services for dementia patients and having to run for safety again I am sure would kill her.

Three years later and yes, I am still bitter that the city I love was in such a horrible shape economically that most working poor prefer newer places of exploitation since they are paid more and live better where they have landed. It is the richness of the culture and the strong bonds of family that kept many of us there. Now, that we are away we can clearly see how devastating holding on can be. What angers me most is that the sheer numbers of dead are no longer mentioned. Over 1800 deaths are attributed to Karina. The somehow seem to be forgotten and that too is a shame.