Katrina and The Big Easy

When I first heard that hurricane Katrina threatened New Orleans, I became uncharacteristically anxious and frightened. Having sat through hurricane Marilyn oceanside in Puerto Rico, I knew the forces of nature at play and Katrina was a much more powerful storm than category 3 Marilyn. I watched the images of people evacuating their beloved city as the storm approached and wondered what I would have done in their place.

I visited New Orleans only once, in the early 90's, but immediately fell in love with it. The city had so much character, so much soul. It wasn't just the music or the clubs or the architecture or culinary delights. The city itself had a living presence. Here was the city described so artfully in the Anne Rice novels I devoured as soon as they were published. Here was a city that lived to embody opposites; to celebrate eccentricity. It was a city steeped in culture and crassness, Cathoicism and paganism, English and French, history and renewal. Years later, when the The Real World filmed in New Orleans, I watched the entire season voraciously, remembering the places I visited and the sights and smells of those streets. (Okay, looking at Danny didn't hurt any, either.)

Now I see the news reports of devastation and my heart absolutely sinks. Those poor people. How many lives have been lost; how many forever altered? And what of the city-with-a-soul? How much of it has been washed away or damaged irreparably? Will there ever again be strong, delicious coffee with chickory and powered sugar-dusted beignets at Cafe du Monde? Will the haunting beauty of St. Roch Cemetary be restored to its former grandeur? Will Mardi Gras or the New Orleans Jazz Festival ever be the same? Will creole and cajun, gumbo and po-boys continue to be served in places like Liuzza's, Mandina's, Parasol's, Mother's, K-Paul's and Broussard's? Time will tell. New Orleans struck me as a city that always flirted with disaster, knowing it could come back if necessary. I pray it will.

Let us not forget, the toll to human life and peoples lives is enormous. My heart goes out to them. I sat watching the news last night and cried, both for the city and for its people.

If you are reading this blog, please do what I did and make a donation to the Red Cross and give whatever you can to help the people affected by this tragedy.