The aftermath

My travel over the past few years has taken me to some amazing places. Even though each of these places were geographically separated and they each had their own amazing personalities there was one common thread that was woven into my visit to all of them. I was there after a major disaster had occurred.

Fall of 2001 was my first time visiting NYC. NYC is one of the most amazing places to visit and explore. It was even more amazing to be there shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 2001. Ground Zero was still smoking, New Yorkers were uncharacteristically polite and helpful and the city was still cleaning itself up from the plume of dust and debris that covered it when the buildings fell. For lack of a better explanation it was creepy to be in the city right after this major life changing event happened and have it be so close to the most joyous of seasons...Christmas. As you looked down 5th Avenue you were faced with the most absurd vision. A decoration clad street that looked down upon the smoking wreckage of the two most prominent buildings in the city that had in an instant become a tomb for so many who couldn't escape. Since then I have visited the city yearly and over the years it has gone back to being the old NYC or so I assume. I was never able to visit the city before the Sept 11th attacks so I guess I can never comprehend how deeply the city and its citizens were affected.

A few years later in December 2004 the largest Tsumani to ever hit ground struck several nations along the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean. In 2007 my first international trip, the first stamp in my new passport was Thailand. Phuket, Thailand. Patong Beach to be exact.  Patong Beach took a direct hit from the Tsumani that claimed 200k lives and standing on the beach a mere three years later it was hard to imagine that it had actually happened. Hotels, restaurants, stores and homes for the most part had been rebuilt or repaired. At every major street there were Tsunami evacuation signs a constant reminder of the terror that struck these simple and peaceful people. On a day trip to the tropical forest we noticed a large navy ship sitting in the middle of a field a monument to the lives lost when the tsunami hit. It was easily three miles in from the ocean. The Thai people are resilient. They buried the dead and they rebuilt and they moved on. Being there and talking to them and seeing where it actually happened was an awe inspiring experience. There honestly is no way to really describe what it felt like to stand on the white sand beach and look out onto the perfectly calm ocean knowing that on that morning in Dec 2004 tourists did the same thing and only a few minutes later were hit with a 33 foot high wave.

In May of 2009 I had an opportunity to join my sister and a dear friend in Washington, DC.  DC was also affected by the Sept 11th terorrist attack.  We didn't have a an opportunity to see the Pentagon we only got a glimpse of it from Arlington National Cemetery.  What we did notice was that every museum and/or attraction has a security checkpoint. Places like the FBI and the White House no longer give tours. Sept 11th robbed us our innocence and our feeling of security and in some places its more evident than others.

Present time...May 2010. After a few stress filled months my sister announced she was heading to a conference in New Orleans and mentioned I should join her. As luck would have it I had enough frequent flyer miles to take a free trip down there. Having never been to New Orleans I was seeing the city in the aftermath of Katrina and I was there right smack in the middle of the oil spill.

Upon our arrival in New Orleans we did what all visitors do we headed to the French Quarter. While walking thru the quarter we noticed that there didn't seem to be any damage or visible signs of damage that could have been from the hurricane. And we were too far up river to actually see the oil slick. But the very next day the wind shifted and was blowing up river from the gulf. And with it came the smell. At first we weren't sure what the stench was and finally I asked our French Quarter tour guide if that was oil we could smell. Yes it was and it was nasty and made you realize the damage it was doing to the wildlife and water in the gulf coast. Time will eventually show how far reaching the damage from the slick will be. We happened to catch the local news one night and the weather man was actually tracking the movement of the spill. The big concern was it catching the jet stream and spreading.

On our last day in New Orleans we did the super city tour.  As the bus left the French Quarter we got up into the area known as the 7th ward. This was an area hit extremely hard by the hurricane and subsequent flooding. There were some houses that were boarded up and abandoned and still had the markings from the first responders on the front of the building. As we continued to drive toward the lake we passed through the area known as Lake Shore and again more of the same. This neighborhood abuts the levee and its about 6-8 below sea level and was another hard hit area.When the levees failed and the flooding happened it took weeks for it to finally receded.   FEMA trailers are still in some yards. Over grown house lots remain where a house once stood. Most of the side streets are still being repaired and are closed to thru traffic.  It's astounding the amount of damage that hasn't been fixed. Why? Well we have all heard the finger pointing by the different government agencies and the insurance companies and the citizens.  Insurance companies have stopped insuring some homeowners because of the high cost of the hurricane.  As the tour went on I couldn't help but have this thought....New Orleans was destroyed by this hurricane and yet no other country came to our aid. This really bothered me. So much so that I came home and googled Hurricane Katerina in an effort to learn more.

I was amazed to read the following on wikipedia:  Over seventy countries pledged monetary donations or other assistance. Notably, Cuba and Venezuela (both hostile to US government themselves) were the first countries to offer assistance, pledging over $1 million, several mobile hospitals, water treatment plants, canned food, bottled water, heating oil, 1,100 doctors and 26.4 metric tons of medicine, though this aid was rejected by the U.S. government. Kuwait made the largest single pledge, $500 million; other large donations were made by Qatar and United Arab Emirates (each $100 million), South Korea ($30 million), Australia ($10 million), India, China (both $5 million), New Zealand ($2 million),[115] Pakistan ($1.5 million),[116] and Bangladesh ($1 million).[117]


India sent tarps, blankets and hygiene kits. An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft delivered 25 tonnes of relief supplies for the Hurricane Katrina victims at the Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas on September 13, 2005.

Israel sent an IDF delegation to New Orleans to transport aid equipment including 80 tons of food, disposable diapers, beds, blankets, generators and additional equipment which were donated from different governmental institutions, civilian institutions and the IDF. The Bush Administration announced in mid-September that it did not need Israeli divers and physicians to come to the United States for search and rescue missions, but a small team landed in New Orleans on September 10 to give assistance to operations already under way. The team administered first aid to survivors, rescued abandoned pets and discovered hurricane victims.

Countries like Sri Lanka, which was still recovering from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, also offered to help. Countries including Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Germany sent supplies, relief personnel, troops, ships and water pumps to aid in the disaster recovery. Belgium sent in a team of relief personnel. Britain's donation of 350,000 emergency meals did not reach victims because of laws regarding mad cow disease. Russia's initial offer of two jets was declined by the U.S. State Department but accepted later. The French offer was also declined and requested later.


In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake many Americans (some that I personally know) all complained that no one ever helps us when something bad happens. Well apparently they do, we just don't advertise it.

All that said...New Orleans was amazing. Yes we did Bourbon Street and drank like hooligans. But we also did some really great tours, learned a lot about the area and met some really nice people. If haven't been already...then get off your butt and plan a trip.