Two years ago today, Hurricane Katrina, the costliest disaster in the nation’s history, made landfall. Natural storm defenses - barrier islands, wetlands, and coastal forests - that once existed had suffered at the hand of humans, and their demise left coastal communities exposed.

The storm surge Katrina created destroyed southern Louisiana, obliterated the coast of Mississippi, and toppled levees causing catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish. People drowned in their houses, billions of dollars of property were destroyed, and cracks in American government and society were exposed.

As the recovery continues two years later, an honest federal commitment to effective storm protection that incorporates coastal restoration and conservation, along with the proper levee alignments, is essential to rebuilding a sustainable Gulf Coast.

The Gulf Coast’s natural storm defenses can be rebuilt.

In Louisiana, river diversions can deliver freshwater and sediment to starved marshes. Man-made channels, like the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) must be closed. Oil and gas companies need to take responsibility for wetlands destruction by filling in old canals and funding large-scale restoration projects.

Help in implementing these changes is the best anniversary gift you can give to the future of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, according to the Gulf Restoration Network.

The non-profit group is asking people to take a moment today to commemorate the second anniversary of Katrina and help them “Flood Washington, Not Our Coast” with emails to Congress and the President urging them to make a strong commitment to the Gulf Coast.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/GRN/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1521

Two years after Katrina, there are still obstacles to overcome, but progress in the revitalization is being made. People and jobs are coming back; defunct political institutions, like fractured levee boards, are being restructured; and lives are being rebuilt.

“Living in New Orleans, I feel a sense of hope breaking through the gloom, but we’re paralyzed as we hold our breaths through another hurricane season. Fear of the next disaster will subside only when our levee system AND our natural storm protections are restored,” says Dan Favre, Campaign Organizer for the group. “The time to act is now.”

The Gulf Restoration Network is a diverse network of local, regional, and national groups and individuals dedicated to protecting and restoring the valuable resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The GRN has members in the five Gulf states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

For more information, visit the group’s Website at HealthyGulf.Org.

Notice Anything Missing in Today’s Katrina Coverage?

On August 29, 2005, Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and the world watched in horror as New Orleans levees failed, inundating and jeopardizing a great American city.

Since that time levees have been shorn up, but coastal Louisiana remains at risk. If you’ve tuned into any media today, you’ve most likely seen coverage of this terrible anniversary. Yet, one critical story has failed to recieve the attention it deserves, according to Aaron Viles, campaign director for the Gulf Restoration Network.

Wetlands have been destroyed by oil and gas exploration and development. Coastal forests have been clearcut. Marshes have been starved of critical sediment by the levees of the Mississippi River. Without the restoration of these natural defenses, levees will not hold up to another Katrina. Levees alone are not enough. Barrier islands, wetlands, coastal forests and marshes are necessary for a sustainable New Orleans.

Viles is asking for help in educating the public about this issue and urging members of Congress to get onboard the campaign.

To write a letter and support this effort, go to the group’s Web site.

Returning to the devastated Gulf Coast for a 13th time since Hurricane Katrina, George W. Bush was mourning again the destruction of Sen. Trent Lott’s “fantastic” house which overlooked the water. In doing so, Bush revealed that his deepest sympathies go to people of his privileged class, while he strains to project concern for average folk, especially the black ones.

For the full story of what Katrina exposed about Bush, go to the independent ConsortiumNews.Com.

The Birmingham City Action Partnership just got an urgent plea from City Team Ministries in Bay St. Louis for food, water and building supplies, along with a plea for more cat food from Waveland.

The report from their trip to the coast last week is on our the new and Improved Web site, thanks to Jimsey with Magic City Moments.

www.capisdowntown.com

Contact Laura if you’d like to collect these items at: capbham@aol.com.

The rising crime in post-Katrina Louisiana is raising tensions and leading some in law enforcement to begin to lose it to the point of resorting to racism. Some have called this “Katrina fatigue.”

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the residents of St. Tammany Parish deserve an apology from Sheriff Jack Strain for his deplorable remarks equating Hurricane Katrina evacuees and public housing residents with “thugs” and “trash” and suggesting that his deputies will harass people who wear dreadlocks or “chee-wee” hairstyles.

“Not only were his comments manifestly racist and divisive, but he appears to be either unaware or unconcerned that racial profiling is a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution. As the parish’s top law enforcement official, he should know better,” SPLC President Richard Cohen said in a statement.

“In America today, no one should fear harassment by the local sheriff because of the color of their skin or their fashion choice. We fought and won that struggle decades ago - and no sheriff can decree a return to the law of Jim Crow. The Southern Poverty Law Center provides anti-bias materials to thousands of educators in Louisiana and across the country.  When an authority figure like Sheriff Strain publicly voices this kind of bigotry, it sets back efforts to teach tolerance to our children.”

Story links to the controversy:

Sheriff’s Threats Set Off Profiling Alarms
Sheriff Jack Strain is Sticking To His Guns