An Educational Detour

Posted by Linda Wang on April 7, 2008 in 2008 Spring National Meeting

I was in a cab yesterday en route to the Convention Center when, on impulse, I asked the cab driver to take me on a detour through one of the FEMA trailer lots.

I just had to see the impact of Hurricane Katrina for myself, even if it was only a glimpse, because walking through the French Quarter, you can’t tell that anything happened here.

My cab driver, whose name is Sam, had his own story to tell. His four-bedroom home was flooded with 10 feet of water, and two-and-a-half years later he is still living in the FEMA trailer parked in front of his house. He says he is one of the luckier ones because people whose homes were completely destroyed are living in FEMA trailers parked in giant parking lots.

Sam is almost finished repairing his house and plans to move back in about month. Then his wife and children, who have been living in Jerusalem since the storm, will also come home.

As we drove by the FEMA trailer lot, I snapped a few photos. I felt guilty.

Despite the detour, I still made it to my next event on time. And along the way, I learned a little bit more about this generous city.