In 2005, when my dear friend, Mikel Gray, asked me to write an opinion piece on the effects of Hurricane Katrina, it was too soon after the disaster. When he contacted me this October, I thought-it is time. Time to share the unique experience of having your life change in less than a day, prioritizing things differently, and recalling that, despite the frustrations and heartaches, the will of the people in this region is strong.
It is imperative that we do not forget what happened in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The Gulf Coast region truly suffered from the raging effects of Mother Nature and felt the destructive forces of an unprecedented major hurricane. Lives and homes were lost in an instant. Since my home is on the gulf coast in Waveland, Mississippi, I witnessed the near total destruction of entire communities where homes, businesses, and memories had flourished for centuries. Many people had survived other hurricanes and made the mistake that this one would be no different. How wrong they were!!
New Orleans's story is unique: hurricane damage plus levee breaches. Mother Nature and mankind together packed a blow to this area never seen before in this country. For weeks, even months, water stayed in ruined homes and businesses as a constant reminder of what had happened. Everywhere you turned in New Orleans, it was hard to remember how beautiful and magical this place had been on August 28, 2005. Ironically, the tourist areas such as the French Quarter and Garden District stood virtually unharmed as if to say, we are here and would love for you to please come see us.
I do not want to spend time talking about all that went wrong and placing blame. However, this was the worst disaster in US history. Eighty percent of New Orleans was under water; not because of a natural occurrence, but because of manmade factors: improper construction of our levees, procrastination of the government at all levels from federal to local, and inability to communicate. There was no previous natural disaster of this magnitude to learn from. In time, hundreds of books and documentaries will cover this American tragedy. One nurse researcher is about to begin a lengthy study on healthcare workers in New Orleans.
How did my hospital make out? Here are some facts:
* For 18 days, we cared for, sheltered, and fed:
Two hundred forty patients
Four hundred fifty staff members
Thirty physicians
Sixty special needs patients
More than 900 dependents
Forty children in childcare
One hundred sixty national guardsmen
Local firemen
Emergency medical services
Parish, state, and federal law enforcement
Seventy-five dogs, 100 cats, 20 birds, and 1 ferret
* Twenty-five of our 27 properties incurred some form of damage, roofs, flooding, windows
* Our damages exceed $35 million, our business interruption exceeds $60 million
* Four hundred team members lost everything
* Another 1200 sustained major damage to their homes
* Seven hundred staff members have left, replaced by more than 600 new staff members
* One hundred twenty-five registered nurses are needed at our system alone
* Patient volumes are up 12%
* The proportion of uninsured patients increased from 2% to 10%
What must we learn from this catastrophic event? Unexpected disasters can happen anywhere and at any time. We must be as prepared for the possibility of a disaster as institutions and not rely totally on outside assistance. As a hospital, we learned that our emergency preparedness policies really addressed "near misses," not the worse case scenario. We have since spent hours re-thinking our plans and processes and instituted subsequent improvements in our facility.
One comment that occurred during the early days of Katrina was very painful to many of us. That was the statement by an elected national leader asking, "Why should we rebuild New Orleans?" How could any person, especially elected by the people, make such a comment? Living in the United States is a right of all of us and it is our heritage and responsibility to pull ourselves up, help each other, and make it better next time. Louisianians will be there next time to help those in need after California fires, Midwest floods and tornadoes, and East Coast storms.
I believe that out of bad things, good things happen and this was proven after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The outpouring of help from citizens was, and still is, absolutely amazing and a true example of what makes us a great nation. Churches, groups, and individuals-all came to our aid. Volunteers left feeling they got more out of the experience that they gave. I have tremendous respect for our younger generation. They continue to give up trips, parties, spring breaks, etc, to help those less fortunate. Two heartwarming examples illustrate this outpouring of support.
Virginia Tech students came down at Thanksgiving, 2007 and built a home for an elderly nurse. They brought plaques honoring 2 Virginia Tech students who had made previous trips to New Orleans and who later had their lives taken so early in the tragedy on their campus. What a beautiful way for those students to be remembered not only in Virginia but also in Louisiana.
I must also mention Brad Pitt. I know that many celebrities have helped New Orleans and they are too many to mention and I thank them all. But Brad stands out as I watch him talking about his project, Make It Right, where he is championing rebuilding homes in our Ninth Ward. It is obvious that he doesn't want recognition and his commitment is from the heart. He is making such a difference through his sincere generosity of himself, his time, and his money to Make It Right. He has a vision and a mission that are exactly what this city needs right now, and to see everyone working together on this project is a gift.
Sure progress is slow and money is tight. We are rebuilding an entire city literally from the ground up. Every aspect of daily life was affected in some way or another.
Like any large city, New Orleans had problems before Katrina. Education, healthcare, crime, and commerce-all need to be tackled in stages. I was like everyone else with the misconception that in a few years, it would look the same as before the disaster.
Important facts that I finally realized are following:
* Rebuilding New Orleans will take years, probably decades. Time must be allotted to plan properly so as to make New Orleans a better place without losing its charm.
* At the same time, the government must be addressing adequate levee protection and reversing coastal erosion.
* I have a part in rebuilding healthcare in my home state. We do not have enough hospitals beds, outpatient clinics, and healthcare workers. Mental health remains in a crisis throughout the country and it is only worse here due to the effects of the situation. I have to be smarter and think out of the box in order to support my organization. It is slow going but we're going in the right direction.
* Everyone here suffers from some degree of posttraumatic stress disorder since August 2005. The truth is that emotional recovery is difficult and almost impossible until the city gets better. Every time a friend returns to his home, moves back to the area, and celebrates a holiday with loved ones, our healing continues.
* We are survivors and please remember us.