The Hurricanes - Lest We Forget

"In war (and natural disasters) the truth is the first casualty." (Anonymous)

Preface:

Friday August 29, 2008 will mark the third Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and its commencement of the drama and tragecy that played out on the stage of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast for the weeks that followed. I offer this - lest we forget!

The quote above was the header to the presentation below.

I was asked to speak to a Medical School in Portland Oregon in October 2005. Because many of the people in attendance were very liberal, well intended, and judgmental of me as an "old Southern white guy" and the chaos they observed on TV following Hurricane Katrina, I carefully worded my presentation with the intention of reading it. I then could give them a copy of exactly what I said versus debating their perception of what they heard.

A member of the faculty died that day and so this program was never presented. I reread this today for the first time in 3 years. I'll stand by these words. I encourage you to read this and commit to our collective future with its successes and opportunities.

Pray that "Katrina" never visits us again.

MGM



Bill has asked me to present my view of the recent hurricanes and the accompanying recovery. Being human all I can share with absolute certainty is my opinion. The following comments are a combination of reality (the facts) and my perception of reality (how I see the facts). When I’m correct on the facts, there should be no debate. I expect differences of opinion when I’m dealing in my perceptions.

I can’t make this report objective since it comes from my heart. To give you the tools to be objective about my subjective comments I must let you into my soul. Below is the best description of Mike Manes that I have ever shared with anyone.

I am 57 and married with two grown children - one very liberal and one very conservative. My wife of 30 years is a patient, loving, 1st grade teacher who has worked in the most elite of private schools and in very poor (Title I) schools. I believe in God. My mother is the person who has most shaped me into who I am. Of the five women most influential in my formative years – two were black (Zenobia and Sadie) I went to an all white school (in 1965 most LA schools were segregated).

I was a draftee in the Vietnam era. I’ve worked in the financial services industry and now own my own company. I am conservative in many ways and a libertarian in others. I’m entrepreneurial in spirit and believe that Bureaucracies harm the good people that work in them and are very inefficient by their nature. I’m proud to be an American, as a son of the south emotions rise in me when I hear Dixie, and am now proud to be Cajun even though I was an adult before Cajun was cool.

“My people” were exiled from our homes 250 years ago. My grandfather and all four of his brothers and sisters were “locked up” at Carville Louisiana because they had Hansen’s disease or Leprosy. One of my uncles lived in a mental institution. My father had a mixed background – German, Irish and Native American. He was brilliant but troubled and my guess he’d be defined today as manic depressive.

I am very clumsy - as an adolescent – one nickname was “spastic.” I was the shiest person I and most others knew. Two of the many things Momma taught me were compassion and “play the cards life deals you.” I believe attitude determines much of our future and that with self-discipline and commitment we can achieve more than our circumstances suggest.

I believe in personal responsibility (choices have consequences) and as Momma said when you fall down – “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” I believe work and a work ethic are critical to each of our futures. My Uncle used to say about work, “It’s rough but its right.”

When I returned to my hometown after 40 years away, I chose to integrate my neighborhood. I’m now the “marshmallow in a cup of hot chocolate.”

This “disaster experience” along with “9/11” may very well be the defining moments of this decade and maybe this century. I believe these collective events have focused our nation and the world on our current reality and future ideal like nothing in the recent past. This is too great a challenge and opportunity to “take it lightly.”

What the majority of the world knows about this disaster is what they have been told by or seen in the media. Some media tilts to the left, some to the right – I believe all are primarily focused on the NEGATIVE! I think many media people are lazy, in that they take a story as presented without “testing” it for truth. I think the media is also often wrong – sometimes intentionally misrepresenting facts.

Almost without exception the media talks about the VICTIMS of this storm. I believe the VICTIMS of the storm are in body bags in Biloxi, Carville, and Lake Charles.

I know the SURVIVORS of the storm have property damage, have lost homes, been displaced, lost families members, etc. but are able to recover. I believe if the media would use the term SURVIVOR in lieu of victim, the healing process could begin more quickly and be much more effective.

Hurricanes are natural phenomena and they don’t discriminate. Rita and Katrina were the cause of the damage – the news is in the recovery or the effect of these storms. Katrina was a worse storm in terms of intensity and damage but damage is like surgery – it’s minor if it happens to you but major if it happens to me.

In terms of wind damage, Katrina was “very bad” – Class IV. It knocked down power lines, destroyed homes, uprooted trees, etc. It drove a wall of water over the coast. Water tends to do more damage than wind. Also (and very important) most people with resources (assets to protect) buy wind insurance. Fewer buy flood insurance so many of the losses will not be covered by insurance.

Biloxi and the areas East of New Orleans suffered the worst wind and storm surge damage. The “New Orleans disaster” started with the wind but really became catastrophic with the “breeching” of the levees. New Orleans is a “bowl” created by the levees since N. O. is several feet below sea level and dependent upon large pumps to empty the bowl following heavy rains. In a major storm the pumps “can’t keep up”. When the levees “breeched” much of the city was and remained for weeks underwater.

In Rita, Houston was not hit as severely as first anticipated. Lake Charles (LA), Port Arthur (TX), and Cameron (LA) were devastated. Cameron was the site of Hurricane Audrey almost 50 years ago. At that time a storm surge came in at night before the residents could evacuate and hundreds were killed. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA - 09 / 30 / 05) headline today when speaking about Cameron said simply “100 percent destruction.”

Last week at a meeting with evacuees from St. Bernard Parish, Congressman Charles Melancon said, “I’d like to offer you hope about your homes and community but I can’t. St. Bernard Parish no longer exists.”

I’ve seen pictures of an airboat sitting at “gable height” between two houses in N. O. It’s a shocking picture especially since these were two-story houses.

Friends that have seen Slidell, Biloxi, and Gulfport use terms such as nuclear war and ground zero. In many areas the devastation of physical assets is total.

At this moment estimates of Katrina damage include 140 – 160,000 homes that will be bulldozed because they are totally destroyed. There will be 22 million tons of debris. 350,000 cars have been destroyed and 1 million appliances will be on the curb in the next few weeks.

In terms of the damage to the economy – New Orleans is first about tourism, gaming, and the service industries. All are temporarily closed in this city. Key employers are government (bankrupt), hospitals (destroyed), and education institutions (closed).

On the other side of the state where Rita hit, we depend upon seafood, oil / gas, and sugar cane / rice. Our state budget has lost about 1 billion dollars already and tens of thousands of workers are still displaced and unemployed.

Hopefully this has provided you insight into the property damage that is these storms. The real issue however is not the property but rather the PEOPLE. The balance of my comments will focus on people, their cultures, and the politics that hold these together and apart.

From a demographic standpoint Louisiana has 4.4 million people (up only 10% from 30 years ago). 63% are white, 32% black, 3% Hispanic and 2% other. The Greater New Orleans area is the major population center in our state. The City of New Orleans is about 67% black. We are a poor state. Poverty is disproportionate in the African American Community – particularly in New Orleans but be assured that many white folks there are poor as well.

It is anticipated that for years following the storm that 67% number may drop to 35% because of the large number of African Americans that have been relocated out of state by the storm. With this storm in the short term and maybe in the long term Louisiana shifted from a Democratic to a Republican state.

In southwest Louisiana, the black population is about 30% of the total.

You cannot analyze Louisiana or the storm’s impact without being aware of the politics of the state. Our Governor, Attorney General, and Insurance Commissioner are Democrat. One of our U. S. Senators is a Democrat (Mary Landrieu – her father was Mayor of N.O. / her brother is Lt. Governor) and two of our Congressman [Bill Jefferson representing N. O. and Charlie Boy Melancon representing SE Louisiana). Most other statewide elected officials are Republican.

The vast majority of black voters are Democrats. Most statewide races start with the Democratic candidate having 30% of the vote before Election Day. Race is an issue in Louisiana politics. Kathleen Blanco our current governor was trailing Bobby Jindal by over 5% points during the last week of the campaign. Many observers believe that she won because in the last few days her campaign portrayed Bobby as a black man in N. LA. Bobby’s parents are from India.

The elected leadership of New Orleans is predominantly black. New Orleans has had an African American Mayor for over 15 years.

Since the days of Huey Long, Louisiana has been known for its corrupt politicians and systems. T. Harry Williams the biographer of Huey Long accurately compared us to a Banana Republic. We’ve had at least two Governors go to jail as have a Congressman and Judge. Three insurance commissioners have served time. One of our U. S. Representatives is currently being investigated by the FBI. Political corruption is not a race issue – whites stole before blacks had power and the blacks that now steal learned from whites.

We celebrate the corruption. Former Congressman Billy Tauzin said, “50% of Louisiana is underwater and the other 50% is under indictment.” When Gov. Edwin Edwards was running for his 4th term against former KKK member David Duke, bumper stickers were seen that said “vote for the crook, it the right thing to do.” Huey Long’s grave and statue still grace our state capitol grounds.

Ray Nagin, the New Orleans Mayor is black but he was the “white candidate.” He was an executive with Cox Cable and was seen by many as a reform candidate. He has been “chipping away” at an entrenched Bureaucracy (that he called “the webees”) that most see as ineffective at best and corrupt at worst. There is also considerable demand that all business in New Orleans include minority partners.

The New Orleans School System was almost taken over during the last legislative session by the state of Louisiana because of the deplorable nature of the schools and the financial systems that were not in place. The FBI has a unit devoted to monitoring much of New Orleans and Louisiana politics.

The storms came and the storms left. It’s what storms do. What we as individuals, organizations, and our leadership did in advance of and will do following these storms determines our successes and failures. There were many of both. Good and bad is what we as humans do. The opportunity before us is greater than the devastation of the past. As Mayor Nagin said on October 7, we’ve been handed a giant “reset button.” Let’s pray we use it properly. Our failures will be mitigated and successes leveraged if we do!
The failures were many. A few include:

• The failure of common sense – Except for our military which must always be the best, most of us have very low expectations of government and our bureaucracies. We don’t expect a positive experience when we use them for the services they allegedly provide. If we get our license renewed, go to the Post Office, file papers with the courts, or call the IRS hotline, we don’t expect accuracy or Nordstrom like service. Why then do we expect this same government to respond effectively in a disaster like Katrina?

We marveled at “why the people didn’t leave” or “why the leaders didn’t get them out”. They didn’t leave because of lack of transportation and the government ordered them to leave but didn’t go get them. The above paragraph explains why the government didn’t go get them. (Please note - political parties get voters in and out on Election Day.)

Additional examples of failure of common sense include: believing that the “big one” would never hit or that levees built for a Category III storm would hold for a Category V – housing generators in the basement of hospitals – storing legal documents in court houses that would surely flood when the “big one” hit – drug crazed gangs that we ignored when they were “out of sight” and then acting surprised when they became MORE visible, violent and mobile after their drugs were cutoff.

• The failure of the media – The problems seen on TV have been around for decades. An aggressive media could have addressed these or at least focused their spotlight on the issues of poverty, jobs, failed schools, etc.

The media insisted and continues to perpetuate the language of the VICTIM. Such language continues to give power to the storm that is now merely a footnote in meteorological history. The people who lived through Katrina and Rita are SURVIVORS. This gives them the power over the storm and their own future. Victors over cancer long ago learned the power of the word SURVIVOR.

The media and their perpetuation of “political correctness” in lieu of manners and respect allow us as individuals and society to remain in denial of problems and conditions that can only be solved in the sunlight of reality. Such political correctness also limits the ability to discuss, debate, and dialogue the core issues thus creating a problem far greater than the winds and rising waters. A problem must be honestly identified and clearly defined before it can be resolved.

• The failure of leadership collectively and as individuals to adequately anticipate the severity of the storms, prepare for it in advance, and act quickly once the worst case scenario became real.

• The failure of the FEMA and the American Red Cross – these groups live to respond to disasters and were ill prepared to do their jobs when their “workplace” opened. As a government agency, FEMA should not be expected to perform.

As a fund raiser, marketing organization, public relations group, and a network of volunteers, The American Red Cross is as good as it gets. In terms of services following a storm, the volunteers work hard, the paid staff is inadequate, and most amazing to me of all is there are no formal procedures in place to respond. After standing for photo-ops following hundreds, if not thousands, of disasters, HOW CAN THEY NOT HAVE A FORMAL PROCEDURE FOR EACH EVACUATION CENTER?

• The failure of capitalism and our entrepreneurial system needs to be noted. When challenged the American economic system can respond with incredible production, innovation, speed, stability, etc. Unfortunately it sometimes outruns its headlights, in that it doesn’t want to face or address many of the social problems (jobs and education) that it is best suited to solve. We’d rather pay taxes / send checks to charities than get our hands dirty doing what needs to be done to bring all our citizens up to the point where they can pursue their own American Dream and most importantly compete for jobs and opportunities.

• The biggest failure of all identified during this process was the failure of the Great Society. It was President Lyndon Johnson’s noble attempt to make life easier for the “poor” in lieu of attempting to make them as individuals stronger for whatever life “throws their way.”

The unintended consequence of this grand scheme was the creation of a large and growing segment of our population that is addicted to the government for cash, health care, education, direction, hope, etc. Their dependency upon entitlements has crippled them and their God given potential to such an extent that short of direct individual intervention most will never enjoy the freedom and opportunity that is America. Our country provides for “life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness.” Unfortunately the drug of ENTITLEMENT has created a belief that happiness can be delivered in a government envelope. It can’t.

• The result of the biggest failure of all mentioned immediately above is the failure of the human spirit. This includes the looters, the price gougers, the scam artists, the politicians who think first of the impact on their next election and then on what’s important to the survivors.

We must also include in this failure list these same VICTIMS of the Great Society who are born with the gifts and talent needed to succeed – to be ready , willing and able to compete in our society, but who are too often gutted by government programs that gives to them without any expectations and assumes that they cannot make it on their own. These individuals don’t need a hand out, they need a hand up.

The good news is that there are more successes than failures.

• The successes include the most positive aspects of the human spirit – the millions of people who sent donations, prayers, and money to our area. Success includes those folks who took strangers into their houses to live, volunteered at evacuation shelters, helped survivors clean up after the storm, literally risked life and limb in attempting to rescue people from roof tops while they themselves were being shot at, etc. etc. etc.

• Success is the church that opened up to dozens or hundreds of evacuees, the civic clubs that cooked for these visitors, and the communities that invited bus loads of strangers from a different culture to their towns.

• Success is in the gifts provided by charities, governments, and the world.

• One success included the elected leadership of Louisiana and New Orleans who were able to evacuate over 1,000,000 people from the city in less than 72 hours on roads that most of you would consider substandard. This same leadership was able to get their bloated, ineffective, and often corrupt systems to respond – not as well as we would like but these still responded.

• Add to this list of positives, the hundreds of “good cops” and other first responders who did not abandon the badge, loot the stores, or go AWOL but rather spent endless hours without sleep to meet the needs of the abandoned, injured, distressed, etc.

• Success is the Cajun people and some others who are not waiting for government money or direction but jumping right into start their new lives as survivors. These folks see government as the last resort not the only resort.

• Success is the survivors who endured a living hell and are coming back.

• Success is the opportunity that is hidden in adversity – the silver lining to the cloud and the growth that we experience in our darkest hours. Souls don’t grow in the sunshine but develop rapidly in the darkness.

To repeat the earlier statement from Mayor Nagin – “we’ve been given a giant reset button.” What an opportunity – to start anew with wisdom gained through adversity and with no temptation to return to the status quo or the good old days, since both have been destroyed forever.

• We can and must now address the reality of poverty, limited jobs, failed education systems, etc., and end our denial of problems and solve them.

• We can take ownership of the political process from the individual special interests and first respond to our collective general interest.

• We can end our embrace of VICTIMHOOD and instead step boldly into the future as SURVIVORS.

• We must learn that the U.S. is strong because of its constitution and its people not because of its government. We are this nation.

• Recognize race is a symptom (because of its disproportionate impact) but the disease is poverty, poor education and limited job opportunities. Once we address the “disease” the pain of the symptoms disappear.

• We have a clean slate in New Orleans to build anew a grand old city with new economic, housing, education and other systems.

• The grip of political power that is the past has been broken and we can be vigilant to assure that this “poison to the people” never infects us again.

• We can move Louisiana and Mississippi from being the butt of all jokes and first on the bad lists and last on the good lists to being the right “stealth laboratories” for our communities of the future.

• We can and will bring back the joie de vivre, laissez les bons temps rouler, and lagniappe that is Louisiana.

• We can and will celebrate again Mardi Gras and “the City that Care Forgot” because we care much and because we want the world to never again forget what we survived.

These storms were tough teachers, they gave us the test first and then the lessons followed. Thank you Katrina and Rita – we learned your lessons. Let’s get to work.

Copyright - (September 30, 2005) Michael G. Manes
All rights reserved