Katrina, One Year Later: 1600 Candles Burn in NOLA

[kerrygoddess]

Katrina, One Year Later: 1600 Candles Burn in NOLA
August 28th, 2006 @ 11:55 pm



Residents of New Orleans gathered tonight for a candlelight vigil with 1600 candles to commemorate those who lost their lives after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina nearly one year ago in New Orleans. Those who gathered to remember the devastation of Hurricane Katrina shared “tears and anger at the officials who abandoned tens of thousands to the chaos and whose bureaucratic bungling continues to complicate reconstruction efforts.”

They were there to mourn the “deaths of hundreds of people who would have been alive today if the city’s levee system had not been built below specifications and at levels that were long acknowledged to be inadequate to protect the low-lying city.”

The Big Easy sidestepped the worst of Katrina’s winds when it ravaged the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. But the violent storm surge smashed the levees and rushing floods swallowed 80 percent of the city, reaching depths of six meters (20 feet) in some areas. The bulk of the storm’s more than 1,500 deaths were in those flooded neighborhoods.

“It wasn’t Katrina who beat us - it was human neglect,” said pastor Jerome LeDoux.

That neglect extended to the rescue and recovery effort. The mandatory evacuation order was given a scant 19 hours before landfall and those who did not have cars or the money to leave were offered one option: shelter in the Superdome sports arena.

Hurrican Katrina exposed the deep racial divides, poverty and racism that persist in the U.S. It’s seen on the campaign trail and even from celebrities, frequently this year and those who let their feelings be known are starting to pay the price.



MORE, LINKS & PHOTOS: http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4020