TIME

Challenges
It seems that there are many challenges which make it difficult for social service agencies to really meet the greatest most pressing needs of the the people here in Post Katrina New Orleans. My agency is able to refer those who can prove they were homeless according to HUD's definition the week prior to Katrina a voucher that will pay rent until September. It does not include security deposit. Few chronically homeless people have enough money upfront for the security deposit. There was an agency that had funds that we could refer our clients to so that they could get security deposit money, but that money ran out this week. I called the local office of a well known national agency to ask if they had deposit money since I had a flier stating that currently they have rental assistance. That agency could not help with deposit money; I asked what they do assist with: if a person is one month behind on their rent they can put them on a waiting list to get assistance with one months rent, however they will be on the waiting list for approximately two months. These are the everyday things I encounter at work; sometimes I laugh at the absurdity of it all, other days I start to feel frustrated but simply remind myself that these agencies are all inundated with requests and are probably doing the best they can to distributed limited resources.


Hurricane on the Bayou
Today I went to the IMAX theater located at the Audubon Aquarium by the Mississippi River. The 45 minute film was entitled Hurricane on the Bayou. It seemed the filming started pre-Katrina with the intent of educating people about the need to preserve wetlands. The movie included a lot of footage of Katrina and its aftermath. It helped me to understand how the wetlands serve to lessen the blow of a powerful hurricane because the hurricane slows down as it goes over the wetlands. The gradual depletion of wetlands over the previous several decades (mostly because of human error and negligence) is one reason why Katrina hit New Orleans with such force. From the title I was expecting a National Geographic style film showing what happens to the animals and plants which live in the Bayou during a bad storm. Instead it told the story through the perspective of a real teenage girl doing a science project on the wetlands and playing music with other well known local musicians to bring attention to the issue of preserving the wetlands, documenting also her experience during Katrina. It was a powerful story which brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of the need to pay attention to environmental issues.

Hours
In October when I left Philadelphia and had to switch planes in Chicago, I gained an hour in Chicago, which at that time mostly seemed to prolong the layover. I was here only a short time when I felt I gained yet another hour when the clocks fell back. One of those hours was lost while was switching planes in Baltimore when I went home to for my grandfather's funeral. It seemed helpful to suddenly be able to turn the clock back the hour back late in the afternoon during the long car ride to New Orleans(3:00 sounded a lot better than 4:00 at that point, when we'd been driving since 6:45am.) Tonight an hour gets lost again. I'll loose another one when I return east, but inevitably one will be found again, in November.

Spring break
According to Tendings (our province newsletter) Rhode Island College spring break students arrive at the provincilate in Pennsylvania tomorrow night. Their presence always reminds me of my Spring Break experience there which was about 12 years ago now. I am glad that a group still comes faithfully each spring break. Please let them know that they are in my thoughts and prayers even though I am obviously not physically present.

Have a good week; even if it is an hour shorter than usual!