Desperate and Feeling Abandoned in New Orleans

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I am a person of strong faith and have relied on that faith to carry me through various crises that have occurred in my own personal life. But when Katrina hit, my faith was tested in a way it never was before. My perfect world, my utopia, crumbled beneath me. My spirit, soul, and faith were lost under this rubble, and I have spent the last three months clawing my way back up to the light that I have always known. It has been, and continues to be, quite a journey for me, my precious family, and the hundreds of thousands of others who called New Orleans their home. At times I simply do not want to lift my head off the pillow.

I sat today with hundreds at the FEMA station. The looks in everyone's eyes display the heartache and sadness of what has happened to them. The answers from those trying to assist are always the same: Someone will be in touch, but nobody ever is. Yet, in our attempts at patience, we continue to sit in lines, talk to emergency personnel, call our insurance adjusters in hopes that maybe, that day, it will be different.

For the past 20 years, as homeowners, we have dutifully paid out insurance premiums to our homeowners companies and to the government through the Flood Insurance Program. We were timely in doing so and met our commitments, even in tough times. Our Levee Boards and Corps of Engineers in their greed and incompetence have destroyed our homes, businesses, and lives. The insurance companies have robbed us of future hope and are responsible for the ongoing mental anguish of uncertainty, fear, and inability for many of us to even take a step in the rebuilding process.

Why are the media, which tend to love the horror stories, not sharing this news? We are living the ultimate nightmare. We have so many stories of need to still share.

I do feel blessed that so many of you have opened your hearts and homes to the people of my great city. The people of this country certainly do let themselves shine in a crisis, and the beauty of what you have done for us will be part of our lives forever. Now, we simply need the government to do its part, and we can walk again in faith and hope.

The people of this great country want to help; they need to continue to see our plight. We need their help! I want the word out: We are not OK...We are desperate, depressed, anxious, angry, irritable. People are literally killing themselves, relationships are deteriorating, the antidepressants are not working."

No, we are not OK. We cry for your help.

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