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By Willie Jefferson
Of The Albuquerque Journal
As Hurricane Katrina made her way into the Gulf of Mexico, as with practically every storm, copy editor David Gordon would ask me what my parents, living in my hometown of Gulfport, Miss., would do. And my response would usually be the same.
'David, unless it's a Cat 5, they are staying put.'
There was no real reason for me or my family to worry. We have been Coastians for well over 20 years. We have been through Hurricane Elena, Georges and numerous other storms. All of the storms were severe threats to the Coast, but we rode every last one of those hurricanes out. I can even remember Hurricane Elena's eye passed directly over Gulfport. Talk about a beautiful sight! The eye was impressive - it's a round spot in the midst of a hurricane with no wind and a view that nothing short of breathtaking. It is clear and calm ... in the midst of a terrible storm. Yet ... only minutes away, after the eye passed, came the second part of the storm.
For Georges, I was a staffer at The Sun Herald newspaper in Gulfport, Miss. Again, I rode it out with my family.
So, it came as no suprise my family, located nearly 3 miles from the beach, would choose to stay.
And it was almost a deadly choice.
The storm was a Category 4 storm when it hit New Orleans, but the storm surge, basically a tidal wave, was a whopping 30 feet! That is what did most diehard hurricane vets in. Katrina wasn't another Hurricane Camille ... she was much, much worse. And the golden Gulf Coast was not prepared for her unimaginable wrath.
I was able to talk to my folks for several hours into the storm, until we lost coverage with them. They told me everything was ok ... they said my uncle, a retired Marine at the US Naval Home right on the beach in Gulfport, was ok, but had lost his Acura to the storm surge.
Then, we lost contact. No word, but reports of flooding and seeing the pictures really had a lot of people worried. I realized one thing - no matter how much I worried, there was little I could do. And as a hurricane veteran, I knew it could be days, if not weeks, before communications could be re-established. Despite that knowledge, most people still didn't comprehend 'lack of communication.'
Days passed ... my wife was worried about them ... my sister, Menya Jefferson, who is teaching in South Korea, called me several times, concerned and worried because she couldn't get through to my family. And let's not mention family and friends that called, asking me about loved ones in Gulfport.
I had no choice but to be strong. But in my heart, I knew they were ok. Despite seeing the pictures of devastation in my old stompings grounds, despite knowing several people have lost everything, I didn't waver in my faith.
On Wednesday, about 10 in the morning, we got a call ... from my dad! He said he was standing in line at Lowe's to buy batteries when he looked down at his cellphone and had a signal! He called us to tell us there were a few shingles off of the roof, and there was some leaking in the bathroom, but that was it. No flooding, no downed trees ... it was almost like a hedge of protection was over an area of several blocks. And since he was one of the few who had cell service, he let others borrow his phone and call loved ones.
Later on that day, I found out my uncle at the Naval Home was evacuated to D.C. with the rest of the veterans.
I was so happy to find out my immediate family was safe. However, a couple of my friends lost everything. Their houses were completey destroyed.
But what really hurt me the most is the situation in New Orleans. I hear people talking about 'they knew this was coming ...' and I also hear 'they should have fixed the levees,' or 'they should have had supplies in the Superdome.'
Hindsight is 20/20. We could have prevented 9/11 as well ...
Fact of the matter is ... it happened. New Orleans has always lived with that specter hanging over the city with every hard rain. But it has happened ... and a prompt federal response should have been in order. If we can respond within hours of the tsunami halfway across the world, why was the response so slow?
I don't agree with Kanye West's comment about George Bush being a racist, but I will say the hurricane victims and getting organized aid to them in a timely fashion were very low on his list of priorities. There is no excuse for those victims to be without food or water for days. These are not refugees in some distance third world country. These are OUR BROTHERS and SISTERS in need of our help. There is pretty much one way in and out of New Orleans and those folks didn't have the means to escape. And they needed our help so badly.
And let's not talk about the looting. It is happening so obvious and blatantly in the midst of tragedy. I am not talking about the looting in New Orleans - I am talking about the looting at the gas pump by big oil. That someone would try and profit off of tragedy is very, very low and unacceptable.
My hat goes off to the Red Cross and Salvation Army and other groups that stepped up and have met this challenge in the wake of Katrina. I have nothing but disgust and intolerance for a government and even a president who sits back and watches this situation unfold and do nada about it ...
This situation shows how far race relations have progressed since the 1960s. The final action that just made me feel ashamed was when buses came for the victims and 700 Hyatt guests and employees were moved to the front of the line, past the New Orleans forgotten ones. It hurts because the treatment of victims reminds me of the movie 'Hotel Rwanda.' In this day and age, some in the federal government, especially in the White House, consider these poor victims second-class citizens.
Lastly, I have one question for this 'Christian' Bush administration - what would Jesus have done? You tout being a 'believer,' but your slow actions show me something else.
WILLIE JEFFERSON
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