Hurricane Katrina | VivirLatino

Posts Tagged ‘hurricane katrina’

Four Years After Katrina

7:12 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Immigration| Obama| Politics| housing · 1 Comment

1 Sep 2009

I cannot believe that this weekend marked four years since the natural and human devastation that was Hurricane Katrina. Pero what I really can’t wrap my head around is how little has actually changed for so many residents of the Gulf Coast Region. A part of me watched President Obama’s statement below with disappointment. I know he is just another politician in so many ways pero considering his platform and presentation, I expected (expect)/want more from him than speeches. Would it have been such a bad idea for the first president of color to go in his first year of office to the Gulf Coast Region instead of sitting in a studio making a statement in a suit?

Katrina Crimes Still Need to be Investigated

1:25 pm By Maegan La Mala · New Orleans| crime| race · Comments Off

20 Dec 2008

While Hurricane Katrina has faded from the memory of most of the U.S public and the mainstream media, for others, there are still crimes that have raw open scars and that serve as reminders of how far we still are from a “post-racial world”

I’m not surprised by what I saw in the video above, but none the less, horrified, disgusted, and angry.

You can share the information and also sign a petition demanding that these crimes are investigated.

Via / Womanist Musings

Urgent Community Action Needed in the Gulf in the Face of Gustav

5:18 pm By Maegan La Mala · Activism| Justice| States| Weather| housing · Comments Off

30 Aug 2008

One of the lessons of Hurricane Katrina was that people of color can not trust that government will protect and take care of our communities. So while we must demand that they do, we also have to prepare.

Hurricane Gustav is building strength and headed to the Gulf Region. Already, thousands are evacuating the area.

From an email :

In the attempt to learn from preparedness shortcomings of Hurricane Katrina, a network of New Orleans activists, some whom have evacuated already and others whom are intent on staying are in the process of creating a support network which is in need of all our help.

How you can help (outside of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast):

1. Serve as a point of contact in your area for evacuees.

2. Help create safe and accessible relief networks and stations in your city/region. This is particularly going to be crucial for allies in Northern Louisiana, Jackson, and Memphis, where it appears most of the evacuees are going to be stationed. We hope to have identified the rest of the specific cities by this evening.

3. Serve as a media liaison for the support network and the forces staying in New Orleans.

If you or your organization can serve in one or more of these capacities please contact one of the following individuals and send your name, cell phone, land line, email address and relevant address information for relief stations.

Kali Akuno 510.593.3956 (please text if no answer if possible) or kaliakuno@gmail. com

Lydia 314-537-0537 (C) 770-559-1461 land line

Molly 510-847-6101 (C)

Opening this Weekend in NYC & LA : Trouble the Water

8:38 am By Maegan La Mala · Los Angeles| Movies| New York City| Weather| housing · Comments Off

22 Aug 2008

This weekend, Trouble the Water, a film that follows a New Orleans couple through and after Hurricane Katrina, opens in New York City and Los Angeles. It won the Grand Jury prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and serves to remind us all that Hurrican Katrina was one horror, how the U.S. government treated its own in the aftermath was another.

Hurricane Dolly : Those Left Behind

23 Jul 2008

Yesterday la Macha brought up some unresolved issues in terms of Hurricane Dolly, currently hitting the Mexico/Texas border.

One of the questions that many people asked in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was why did people not evacuate. For many, the answer was simple: there was no place to go. Noemi over at Hermana Resist reminds us:

Who was left behind? Who couldn’t afford to evacuate? Let’s see you need money, car, transportation. And coming from a person who lives in a place where 3-4 months out of the year is hurricane season, I could not afford to leave. I could not afford to drive off (if my car made it more than 50 miles), I could not afford hotel stays, I could not afford buying gas and food for the family of 3-5 that I support. I could not afford to leave my job everytime there was a hurricane heading to the valley, that would be 3-4 days without pay and that is half a bill, 1/8 of the rent. I never have been able to cough up the money to board up the windows, tape the windows down, go on a spending spree buying canned food, bottled water, butane, batteries. I know all the precautions of a hurricane and all the things I should buy and should. Do you know how expensive that is? People blame the parents who stayed behind in NOLA, who put their kids at risk. And I’ll tell you, they don’t know what the fuck they are talking about.

Latinos Left Out of Katrina Response

3:46 pm By Maegan La Mala · Politics · 1 Comment

6 Mar 2006

A report released February 28 by the National Council of la Raza states that the disaster didn’t stop for the Latino community after Hurricana Katrina pased through, that it continues into today. The report, titled In the Eye of the Storm: How the Government and Private Response to Hurricane Katrina Failed Latinos states that a big reason why Latinos were left behind in the rescue and post Katrina aid effort was because of a lack of understanding about exactly how many Latinos were in the Gulf Region. Evacuation warnings in English went unheeded by the estimated 230,000 Latinos in the region. Notices may have been done in Spanish because initially the numbers of Latinos was put at about 100,000.

Two Musical Artists Create “Unsung Hero” for Katrina Victims

3:57 pm By Maegan La Mala · Florida| Music · Comments Off

30 Sep 2005

South Florida residents, Jason Farmer, 20, and Jean Carlos Casely, 19, are two young guys trying to break into the music scene. A couple of weeks ago Farmer created the background musical track for a song dedicated to the victims of Katrina, and needed lyrics. He contacted Casely and in just a few hours Casely wrote the song.

The song, “Unsung Hero” is now being playing on the radio in South Florida and has gotten the boys some media attention. The song of hope includes lyrics such as:

…Work together, let’s unite, I have a feeling we’ll be fine.
Don’t dwell on the pain of yesterday…

…and ends with three simple words:

We will rise.

This song, which is really a nice tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, may be a big stepping stone into launching Farmer’s and Casely’s careers. They are putting the publicity to good use by asking their fans to contribute to the Red Cross, the Casely website stating:

Hopefully, the music will assist the inspiration to give even more, whether its $1 you would spend on a can of soda or the $100.00 you were going to spend at the hairdresser this week.

Listen to “Unsung Hero”

Miami Herald Article: “Musical Uplift for Evacuees”

Must Read: “La Nueva Orleans”

4:03 pm By Maegan La Mala · Lifestyle| Politics · Comments Off

26 Sep 2005

Gregory Rodriguez, a contributing editor to the LA Times is making a big prediction. In his recent article, “La Nueva Orleans”, Rodriguez states that the population of rebuilt New Orleans will look quite different than the pre-Katrina New Orleans. More specifically, he says that New Orleans will have such a large Latino population that it will resemble Los Angeles.

On September 6, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) temporarily suspended a sanction that requires employers to have proof of citizenship for their workers. This suspension is in effect for at least 45 days from the day of issue, and could be renewed.

An excerpt from the article:

Because they are young and lack roots in the United States, many recent migrants are ideal for the explosion of construction jobs to come. Those living in the U.S. will relocate to the Gulf Coast, while others will come from south of the border. Most will not intend to stay where their new jobs are, but the longer the jobs last, the more likely they will settle permanently. One recent poll of New Orleans evacuees living in Houston emergency shelters found that fewer than half intend to return home. In part, their places will be taken by the migrant workers. Former President Clinton recently hinted as much on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he said New Orleans will be resettled with a different population.

I encourage all Vivirlatino readers to check out the entire article, even though you may have to fill out a registration form to access it.

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