Katrina Relief

Still grieving 9/11, America suffers another blow

This Sunday will mark the fourth anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on the domestic United States. Three years ago we decided to commemorate the nearly 3,000 Americans, both innocent victims as well as police, fire and emergency rescue workers lost in the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center by renaming September 11, “Patriot Day.”

Unfortunately, when we should be beginning to heal, our grief as a Nation has been exacerbated, first by a difficult and divisive war, and no by the worst natural disaster in our Nation’s history. Her name, was Katrina.

New Orleans already had a staggering poverty rate of 28%. That’s more than twice the national rate. The poorest parts of the city were worst hit. Their homes were at the lowest elevation and were the least structurally sound. It was harder for poor people to evacuate. They don't own cars, can't afford to rent a car. Sometimes they can't even afford a tank of gas - especially lately. They can't afford a plane, train, or bus ticket. People in poverty can't afford to pay for motel or hotel rooms, and don’t always have credit cards.

We will be coping with the aftermath of Katrina for perhaps years to come. New Orleans had a population of around a half million. Imagine 500,000 people suddenly homeless and unemployed. Of course, the death toll will probably be in the thousands as well.

Commentators spoke in the wake of 9/11 about the end of America’s innocence. It is an awkward situation for us to be in to be the richest, most powerful country in the world, and to have scores of national governments offering us aid the same way we did for victims of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean last winter. The proud, independent Uncle Sam, receiving charity.

Perhaps, like a stubborn adolescent, we are suffering through growing pains. Perhaps we will do well to develop a humble sense of interdependence. Perhaps we need to recognize the five stages of our grief.

Stage ONE: Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts.

I remember being dumbfounded on September 11, 2001. Surely it didn’t happen, this can’t be real, I thought. No doubt residents of the Gulf Coast can barely believe what they’re living through. Even today, four years later, there are conspiracy theorists who claim that our own government staged the September 11th attacks.

Stage TWO: Anger. This is when you become furious at the person who inflicted the hurt , or at the God, or world, for letting it happen. You might even get angry with yourself for letting something happen, even if, nothing could have stopped it.

Last week New Orleanians were outraged that emergency relief had not arrived yet. Many people want to blame under-funding of the Army Corps of Engineers for levy failures and global warming for the severity of the huricaine. Others blame New Orleans for being such a sinful place.

Toby Kieth made a fortune on his angry country-rock anthem “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue” after 9/11. Many justify the war in Iraq as “taking the war to the terrorists” even though Iraq had nothing to do with Bin Ladin, Al Queda, or 9/11. When you’re angry, you desperately want to take it out on someone.

Stage THREE: Bargaining. Eventually, the grieving person tries to make deals with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the pain?" What do I have to do to change things? This is also the questioning stage, as it “why did this have to happen?” WHY ME? When will it end? What did I/we do to deserve this? What did they do to deserve this? As if it was anyone’s fault.

Stage FOUR: Depression. This is when you feel numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath. Watching the news coverage of the Katrina aftermath is certainly depressing, mostly because it makes me feel like there’s nothing I can do to help. Fortunately, there are ways we can help. I’ve listed a few of them at the end of this column.

Stage FIVE: Acceptance. This is when the anger, sadness and mourning finally taper off. You just accept the reality of the loss. You don’t ever “get over it,” you’re never “better.” In fact, you’re probably never the same, but you are finally able to move on and the pain is finally not so intense or acute.

Will we ever get over 9/11? How long will it take to get over Katrina? Will there ever be a New Orleans again, and what will it be like? We can’t know, but we have to believe that eventually we will accept what has happened to us and how it has changed us.

In the early stages of the hurricane clean-up the best ways to help are by donating blood or money. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a website with a list of agencies you can contact to find out how to help:

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease_print.fema?id=18473

You might also get in touch with these organizations:

American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669)

Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)