Oxfam America Blog

In the year following Hurricane Katrina, Cleo and Martin Sylvester lived in a FEMA trailer while they put together the financing they needed to rebuild their own home. Photo by Steve Thackston/Oxfam America

On the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina , Andrew Blejwas, one of our colleagues who has been working with many of the communities on the US Gulf Coast, looks back on the long years that have passed since that storm turned so many lives upside down and revealed so much about injustices in our country. Here are a few of his thoughts:

Four years after Katrina, a lot has changed. Many homes are rebuilt, there are far fewer trailers than there were just a year ago, and communities are beginning to get back on their feet. But not much has changed either. There should not be more homes to rebuild, there should not be any families still living in trailers, and communities should have more support getting back on their feet.

Though Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were one-time events, the issues they helped unmask in the region are pervasive and long-standing. It’s going to take more than just a few years worth of work to reverse the poverty and social injustice that are pervasive on the Gulf Coast of the US. Oxfam is making a commitment to address the long-term issues that affect the region and will continue to work with dedicated partners there who are already working tirelessly to do just that.

Miss Betty Jane Adams of Chauvin, LA. Photo: Grazioso Pictures

This June was one of the weirdest months I’ve ever seen in New England. Instead of warm days, we had endless cool and rainy weather. The Boston skyline vanished behind a perpetual cloud bank. Lately, I’ve taken to leaving my sunglasses at home and hauling my umbrella around instead.

Of course, besides giving Bostonians a chance to complain (something we love dearly), the unseasonal weather hasn’t really disrupted our lives. I haven’t put in my air conditioner yet, and some of my neighbors have held off on planting their summer gardens. But overall, we can live with it.

A thousand or so miles south of us, though, the weather is changing in a way that’s much more lasting and profound. Last week I watched some stunning footage filmed in the bayous of Louisiana, part of a series of forthcoming short films by Oxfam about building people’s resilience to climate change. The story centers on a local organization building elevated “lift houses” to protect Gulf Coast residents from increasingly severe floods and storms. 

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Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina hit Biloxi, MS, the walls of this house still show flood damage from the storm. Photo by Liliana Rodriguez

The US Census Bureau released its 2007 data last week, and tucked in among the facts and figures was one statistic that made headlines: More than 7.5 million Americans–almost 15 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage—are spending half of their income or more on housing.

This issue of housing has been very much on my mind lately. I live in a small apartment in the Boston area, and though my rent isn’t sky-high, it’s not exactly cheap, either. Meanwhile, I’ve recently attended several barbecues at the homes of other 30-something friends and colleagues, where I heard over and over about the perks of homeownership.

For the price of a down payment and a mortgage, I could have a tree-lined backyard, ideal for growing tomatoes, playing croquet, and hosting barbecues. I could paint my walls another color besides white. I wouldn’t wake up to my neighbors inexplicably hammering at 3 a.m. And though my friends didn’t say so, I know there are intangible benefits, too: If you own a house, you’re perceived as a solid citizen, a working adult with a stable future.

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Three years ago in Biloxi, Miississippi, Oxfam America made an unusual grant following Hurricane Katrina. We gave Hands On, a group that mobilizes volunteers to undertake cleanup and rebuilding, money to purchase a mini excavator.

FEMA had claimed that it could not deliver desperately needed trailers to those who’d lost their houses until their yards were cleared of debris. Fifty Hands On volunteers were working from dawn until dusk cutting trees and moving rubble to facilitate this.  The addition of the excavator eased their work considerably, speeding the cleanup and denying FEMA an excuse for delays in delivery of the trailers.
In the days following Katrina, Oxfam America worked with Bill Stallworth, the city councilor for East Biloxi, to set up a coordination center that would serve as the focal point of those arriving to help with relief and reconstruction.

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For Sharon Hanshaw, this is not just a table, it’s a piece of her family history. Photo by Lily Rodrguez/Oxfam America

I knew that Biloxi, Mississippi, was one of the US cities hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. But I was surprised to see so many signs of the storm still lingering today—especially in lower-income East Biloxi, where many people still lack permanent housing. A lot of local businesses stand empty, and despite some growth, you can sense that the community is still struggling to heal itself. Read the rest of this entry »