Collaborative BWP Writing

Devastation/Aftermath of Katrina

It has been approximately a year since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States. Approximately 1300 people were killed. Victims lost family and belongings, incurred a separation of everything they knew, and were distanced from their social support systems. Families affected by Hurricane Katrina have experienced both physical and emotional problems in the aftermath of the disaster. With the displacement of 500,000 people around the country, a more lasting effect has occurred. How did this natural disaster become a social calamity?

Fingers pointed to the federal, state, and local governments almost immediately. A bipartisan committee investigated the government’s response, and titled their findings, "A Failure of Initiative." They found that, "the failure of local, state, and federal governments to respond more effectively to Katrina - which had been predicted in theory for many years, and forecast with startling accuracy for five days - demonstrates that whatever improvements have been made to our capacity to respond to natural or man-made disasters, 4 1/2 years after 9/11, we are still not fully prepared."

Approval ratings for President George Bush have plummeted since Katrina. According to an ABC news poll on August 27, 2006, people think he has dropped the ball entirely on using the storm and its aftermath as an opportunity to fight poverty. Seventy percent in New Orleans lack confidence in the government's ability to handle another major disaster. And most blacks in the region and across the country think race has affected recovery efforts.
Hurricane Katrina was reported to be the most powerful natural disaster to hit the US and the most expensive with more than $40 billion in insurance losses. Reaction to Katrina has become a national disgrace. With regard to race relations, reaction definite cause for national reflection.

How does that relate to education? Public schools are a governmental institution. If the public does not trust government, that translates to distrust in the public schools. The US government let down the people affected by Hurricane Katrina because they did not react quickly enough and/or seemingly did not care enough to assist in a timely manner. Are the schools going to do the same?

The long-term effects of Katrina are difficult to determine. Rebuilding has begun in New Orleans. The levees have been rebuilt taller and stronger. Residents who have returned feel safer. Physically. What are the psychological effects? Social effects? We have not yet begun to understand the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Was the result of Katrina simple destruction? Or did it uncover fundamental flaws in our society that will allow us to rebuild our educational and social structure and become stronger, too?



Sources:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20876,20273054-2703,00.html
http://katrina.house.gov/
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=13698
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=2360060&page=1
http://www.planetizen.com/node/20936

I'm still working with the journaling idea. Is it working? Do you think some is still too formal or stiff?

II. Devastation/Aftermath

November 30. 2005

Luckily, when the storm hit, it had decreased to a Category 3, but the destruction was still inconceivable. “It is estimated that Katrina impacted 90,000 square miles (an area nearly the size of the United Kingdom), displaced more than one million people, killed more than 1,300 people, and exceeded $80 billion in costs.” (Cutter, Emrich, Mitchell, et al, p. 1) This was the most devastating storm in the history of the United States.

Beyond the physical devastation of Katrina, there are several aftershocks: lack of clean drinking water, no power, insufficient law enforcement, greatly reduced food supplies to name a few. The effects of the Katrina are sure to be felt for many years to come---not only on a nation-wide level, but this is an event that impacts the personal lives of thousands of people and will continue to do so as we encounter more survivors and displaced refugees from the storm. With Hurricane Katrina, we now somehow transcend national news and delve into the deeper level of personal survival and loss.

Beyond the financial and logistical impact of rebuilding the coastal areas that were destroyed by Katrina, we are faced with perhaps a larger issue: How will we rebuild a nation’s trust in the government to prepare and protect American citizens in a future disaster?

For many, one of the casualties of Katrina is faith in government. There is so much controversy on response time and relief efforts. We’re hearing about the inappropriate distribution of funding and inefficacy of relief efforts. Many question: Where was the government? Why weren’t we prepared for this?

It is this ongoing speculation and doubt that has permeated the nation: the uncertainty about future disasters, the fear that no changes have been made. The suspicion and distrust in our leaders to protect us. What relief efforts have been made for this loss? What rebuilding has been planned and implemented to repair this shattered trust?

I've made the changes to be like a journal from the day before the storm. I have included more recent journal entries as well. Please let me know how it works:


I. Intro: Weather Warnings

August 29, 2005

The Dallas Morning News strikes a balance of heartfelt cautions of this being the most destructive storm in the history of our country, as well as more economic rhetoric about possible impacts on gas prices. I feel both a sense of urgency for the people in New Orleans to evacuate and avoid potential death, but I also temper that with the influence the storm may have on my already thinly stretched gas money. I wonder how this will effect me. I suppose many people distanced from the catastrophe tend to naturally contextualize the consequences.

Evacuation of New Orleans… some who chose to stay are beginning to cause problems for the skeleton-staffed police force... many choose to stay at the Super Dome which is designated as a shelter from the chaos…

In Dallas, Hurricane Katrina is also discussed in a sport context: brave athletes confronting one another despite chances of the hurricane. Dallasites love their sports, but I doubt that people in New Orleans are worried about sports. Instead, most are trying to evacuate and prepare for a horribly destructive storm.

The Dallas Morning News speaks of the threat as still being very distant---limited to those who live in Louisiana. The impact is made more local via economic projections and gas prices. This seems to be the biggest impact on the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. The paper does, however, ask readers for assistance. There is one article about ways to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. We are being called upon to raise awareness and charity for the victims of this natural disaster. What can I do?

Still on the whole, Hurricane Katrina and its immediate danger is not local news. Most articles focus on Louisiana, more specifically New Orleans. With exception of the sports and the discussion of economic impact, there is no real sense of impending peril for Dallas. In fact, one of the articles from that date is entitled, “Texas Expecting Nothing from Katrina”. It seems that reporters in Dallas see Hurricane Katrina primarily as a threat to Louisiana, not as an event that would influence Dallas---with the exception of gas prices, of course.

For me personally, I have a similar outlook to The Dallas Morning News. As swirls of greenish colors became larger and larger on Doppler radars, I must be honest and say that I don’t really take them seriously. They are colors, colors I have seen before, and they have little meaning because as warnings ticker-taped across the bottom of my television screen, I have a difficult time heeding their caution. How many times had we heard this before with little to no result? For the most part in the past, fortunately, those colors just spun away from our coast with high winds.

August 22, 2006

When they said that the US was unprepared to handle a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina, I suppose I was included because I was one who was unprepared to listen to another possible false alarm. Like so many others, I didn’t see any risk to myself personally nor did I understand the impact of such a storm so I resisted perceiving it as a possibility (Schmidlin, 2006) I couldn’t conceive the devastation that would occur. I don’t think I was alone.

In fact, I know I am not alone because many people chose to stay in Louisiana and Mississippi. Many people who did not leave survived previous storms. They feel less at risk and more knowledgeable about how to confront this disaster. (Schmidlin, 2006) Maybe, some people just didn’t want to leave their homes, but many of them lost their lives, and what is left of their homes is a grave reminder of the power of this Category 5 storm.

My question is: how could anyone be prepared to accept the possibility of such destruction?

Like so many people across the United States, Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath, caught North Texans unaware. This chapter details the response members of a writing project community made to the children who were affected by Katrina--Katrina's Kids. Using multiple voices, the authors of this paper, Jeannine Hirtle, Mary Lynn Crow, Janelle Quintans and Kelly Frankum detail their usage of bibliotherapy, lesson plan design, writing, and the internet to reach out to Katrina's kids.



The above is an abstract which will probably change as we go along, but helps get me focused.

Please provide feedback on:
1) Do I need more detial as far as what we hoped to accomplish?
2) Do I need more detail about the example of the lesson plan?----I didn;t have it in fron of me so this could very well be.

VI. Bluebonnet Contributions: Working with What We Know-08/01/06

Amidst a flurry of beginning of the school year activity, I received an email reminding us of a continuity meeting for the Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project. We meet throughout the year to sharpen our literacy strategies and continue to build our community. On the agenda was not the ordinary procedures for a continuity meeting. This meeting was dedicated to creating units to help displaced students cope with what had happened with Hurricane Katrina.

We were asked to bring in young children’s books that focused on characters who recently experienced a very difficult situation or tragedy. Many of us expanded this. We found books that spoke to everyday goings on. We realized, as a group, what these students were missing the most was their home. They missed traditions, friends, and familiarity.

We needed to find a way to get a discussion going about that. We not only wanted our displaced students to have an outlet where they could share their feelings, but we wanted the other students to understand their situation.

We chose several books across levels and created teaching units that used this literature as a springboard for discussion. The extension activities allowed all students to reflect on their own values and how they would like to see these clearly in their own lives.

For example, one book that was used was Patricia Polacco’s When Lightening Comes in a Jar. It’s about an annual family reunion weekend. There were several celebrations via food and photo-sharing, but the story is centered around family story time. The children longed for this time where elder family members would share their stories from the past. After the story was read, the students were invited to discuss their own family celebrations and traditions. Next, they were asked to write and brainstorm about their fondest family traditions, and if they could start new ones, what they would be. This reflection allowed displaced and home students to share their values and dreams. As a culmination of the unit, the class is asked to create their own celebration, where families would be invited to learn about the types of activities and celebrations they hoped to have in their own lives. This allowed the students to create new traditions in their new environment. All the while, a class community is fostered, where although it’s not home, a familial atmosphere is promoted.

Please provide feedback on:
1) Do I need more detial here?
2) Do you want more of an overview of what the DMN said on August 30. 2005?

II. Devastation/Aftermath-08/01/06

Luckily, when the storm hit, it had decreased to a Category 3, but the destruction was still inconceivable. “It is estimated that Katrina impacted 90,000 square miles (an area nearly the size of the United Kingdom), displaced more than one million people, killed more than 1,300 people, and exceeded $80 billion in costs.” (Cutter, Emrich, Mitchell, et al, p. 1) This was the most devastating storm in the history of the United States.

Beyond the physical devastation of Katrina, there were several aftershocks: lack of clean drinking water, no power, insufficient law enforcement, greatly reduced food supplies to name a few. The effects of the Katrina were sure to be felt for many years to come---not only on a nation-wide level, but this is an event that impacted the personal lives of thousands of people and will continue to do so as we encounter more survivors and displaced refugees from the storm. With Hurricane Katrina, we now somehow transcend national news and delve into the deeper level of personal survival and loss.

Beyond the financial and logistical impact of rebuilding the coastal areas that were destroyed by Katrina, we are faced with perhaps a larger issue: How will we rebuild a nation’s trust in the government to prepare and protect American citizens in a future disaster?

For many, one of the casualties of Katrina is faith in government. There was so much controversy on response time and relief efforts. We’re still hearing about the inappropriate distribution of funding and inefficacy of relief efforts. Many question: Where was the government? Why weren’t we prepared for this?

It is this ongoing speculation and doubt that has permeated the nation: the uncertainty about future disasters, the fear that no changes have been made. The suspicion and distrust in our leaders to protect us. What relief efforts have been made for this loss? What rebuilding has been planned and implemented to repair this shattered trust?

Please provide inpu as far as:

1) transitions
2) citing the sources (DMN---Do I need to list all the articles from that date?)
3) overall fluidity---I know it's still rough. It's like I know what I want to say, but I'm not so sure I'm saying it.


I. Intro: Weather Warnings---08/01/06

Viewing the archives of The Dallas Morning News for August 29, 2005, there was a balance of heartfelt cautions of this being the most destructive storm in the history of our country, as well as more economic rhetoric about possible impacts on gas prices. I get both a sense of urgency for the people in New Orleans to evacuate and avoid potential death, but I also temper that with the influence the storm may have on my already thinly stretched gas money.

The paper discusses the evacuation of New Orleans. There were mentions of people who had chosen to stay causing problems with police staff that chose to stay behind and work. There was one article about the Superdome and how many chose to use it as their shelter from the storm.

It was interesting to note that here in Dallas, Hurricane Katrina was also discussed in a sport context: stories about brave athletes confronting one another despite chances of the hurricane. I doubt that people in New Orleans were worried about sports on August 29, 2005. As the paper discusses, most were trying to evacuate and prepare for a horribly destructive storm.

The Dallas Morning News spoke of the threat as still being very distant---limited to those who live in Louisiana. The impact was made more local via economic projections and gas prices. This seemed to be the biggest impact on the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. The paper did, however, ask readers for assistance. There was one article about ways to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Dallasites were being called upon to raise awareness and charity for the victims of this natural disaster.

Still on the whole, Hurricane Katrina and its immediate danger was not local news. Most articles focused on Louisiana, more specifically New Orleans. With exception of the sports and the discussion of economic impact, there was no real sense of impending peril for Dallas. In fact, one of the articles from that date was entitled, “Texas Expecting Nothing from Katrina”. It seems that reporters in Dallas saw Hurricane Katrina primarily as a threat to Louisiana, not as an event that would influence Dallas---with the exception of gas prices, of course.

For me personally, I had a similar outlook to The Dallas Morning News. As swirls of greenish colors became larger and larger on Doppler radars, I must be honest and say that I don’t think I really took them seriously. They were colors, colors I had seen before, and they had little meaning because as warnings ticker-taped across the bottom of my television screen, I had a difficult time heeding their caution. How many times had we heard this before with little to no result? For the most part in the past, fortunately, those colors just spun away from our coast with high winds.

When they say that the US was unprepared to handle a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina, I suppose I am included because I was one who was unprepared to listen to another possible false alarm. Like so many others, I didn’t see any risk to myself personally nor did I understand the impact of such a storm so I resisted perceiving it as a possibility (Schmidlin, 2006) I couldn’t conceive the devastation that would occur. I don’t think I am alone.

In fact, I know I am not alone because many people chose to stay in Louisiana and Mississippi. Many people who did not leave had survived previous storms. They felt less at risk and more knowledgeable about how to confront this disaster. (Schmidlin, 2006) Maybe, some people just did not want to leave their homes, but many of them lost their lives, and what is left of their homes is a grave reminder of the power of this Category 5 storm.

My question is: how could anyone be prepared to accept the possibility of such destruction?

Using Bibliotherapy with Traumatized Children
By Mary Lynn Crow, Ph.D.
Educator and Psychologist

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children is a severe anxiety disorder that has unfortunately been scientifically understudied regarding its clinical presentation, etiology, and treatment (Beidel & Turner, 2005, p. 308). The disorder begins with an identifiable traumatic event that includes national disasters like hurricanes, man-made disasters such as automobile accidents, and childhood physical or sexual abuse. Not everyone exposed to these traumas develops PTSD*, but those who do experience very painful symptoms. Specifically the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD includes recurrent and intrusive recollections or dreams of the event, reliving the experience including (among young children) possibly reenacting the event, and intense distress on exposure to anything resembling or reminding them of the event. In addition children could also experience a sense of detachment, avoid activities or places that cause them to remember, become unable to remember, have difficulty sleeping and concentrating, have an exaggerated startle response or hyper vigilance, and be irritable or have anger outbursts (DSM IV, 2000). Some children regress to behaviors more typical of a younger age such as bed wetting, thumb sucking, and fear of the dark. School performance is often negatively affected. While depression is the most common comorbid condition (Beidel & Turner, 2005, p. 300), disruptive behavior disorders are not uncommon.
The research literature often describes treating such children with cognitive behavioral therapy. This involves exposure therapy to elicit memories of the event and cognitive restructuring to directly confront conflicts and maladaptive cognitive structures (Silva, 2004, p. 259). These treatments have, however, been used more with victims of child sexual abuse than with natural disasters like hurricanes. Other treatments in the literature have included group psychotherapy; family psychotherapy; individual psychotherapy; eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment; imaginal and in vivo exposure; relaxation training; anger management; training in coping skills;
play or art therapy; and sertraline and SSRI medications (Freemont, 2004; Chemtob, Nakashemia, & Carlson, 2002; Layne et al, 2001; Brown et al, 2004; Beidel & Turner, 2005). In general, the literature suggests the importance of focusing directly on the traumatic event and including both children and their caretakers (Friedrich 1996, in Silva, 2004, p. 266). In 1994 following Hurricane Andrew (August 1992), Annette LaGreca et al from the University of Miami created a school-based intervention manual to help children who were traumatized by that hurricane and includes activities to use in schools for different holiday seasons following the disaster as well as a Reaction Index to measure children’s thoughts and feelings about the disaster. It may be found online at www.psy.miami.edu/child/childclinical/helpingchildrencope.phtml
Bibliotherapy is another useful treatment technique. It may be defined as the use of books (biblio) that are intended to be therapeutic (therapy) for the children who read them or hear them. These stories or books describe a real-life problem or situation that is similar to the one the child has experienced and allows the child to (1) know that he or she is not alone in their feelings and problems and (2) see how another child has coped or resolved the problem.
Dr. Tom McIntyre, Professor of Special Education at the City University of New York, posits 3 stages children pass through to receive the benefits of Bibliotherapy:
Identification - the youngster identifies with a book character and events in the story, either real or fictitious. Sometimes it is best to have a character of similar age to the youngster who faces similar events. At other times, cartoon characters and stories are best.
Catharsis - the youngster becomes emotionally involved in the story and is able to release pent-up emotions under safe conditions (often through discussion or art work); and
Insight - the youngster, after catharsis (with the help of the teacher), becomes aware that his/her problems might also be addressed or solved. Possible solutions to the book character's and one's own personal problems are identified (2004).
After reading the story or book, children discuss the story, either individually or in a group setting, with particular reference as to how it is applicable to their own experiences. They can also write, draw, or even act out their feelings and reactions.
Bibliotherapy is frequently described in the professional literature, and the books
themselves are regularly available for purchase in educational and psychological catalogues. Materials are typically categorized by topics or issues and usually provide the appropriate age and reading level*.
The primary reason for using Bibliotherapy, journaling, creative writing, and drawing with children who have been traumatized by hurricanes or other disasters is that it allows these children a safe audience and outlet for them to “talk out” their feelings without judgment or pressure toward premature closure. It is even more useful because the book or story or trigger incident informs them that they are not alone in their distress and that someone else in a similar circumstance has been able to prevail/heal/survive. The role of the parent or teacher is empathic, supportive, and nonjudgmental. The use of open-ended questions allows the child to make the appropriate personal connections to their own experiences without the fear of sarcasm, platitudes, or preaching from the adult listener.
Overall, the intent is to allow the child to continue to work through his or her feelings at his or her time and through whatever medium that is most natural or comfortable to the child – typically talking, drawing, writing, or acting. Depending upon the severity of the trauma and the severity of the child’s reaction to it, the teacher or adult may be able, through the use of Bibliotherapy, to provide support to the child. If the child has been more severely affected however, this then should alert the teacher that the child needs to be referred to a mental health professional.

References
DSM IV (2000)
Beidel, D. C., & Turner, S. M. (2005). Childhood anxiety disorders. New York: Routledge.
Brown, E. J. (2003). Child physical abuse: risk for psychopathology and efficacy of interventions. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 5(2), 87-94.
Chemtob, C. M., Nakashemia, J., & Carlson, J. G. (2002). Brief treatment for elementary school children with disaster-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A field study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(1), 99-112.
Freemont, W. P. (2004). Childhood reactions to terrorism-induced trauma: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 381-392.
LaGreca, A. M., Vernberg, E. M., Silverman, W. K., Vogel, A. L., & Prinstein, M. J. (2006). Helping children cope with disaster. Retrieved July 19, 2006, from http://www.psy.miami.edu/child/childclinical/helpingchildrencope.phtml
Layne, C. M., Pynoos, R. S., Saltzman, W. R., Arslanagić, B., Savjak, N., Popović, T., Duraković, E., Mušić, M., Ćampara, N., Djapo, N., & Houston, R. (2001). Trauma/grief-focused group psychotherapy: School-based postwar intervention with traumatized Bosnian adolescents. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(4), 277-290.
McIntyre, T. (2004). Bibliotherapy. Retrieved July 12, 2006, from http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/Biblio.html
Ozer, E. J., Best, S. R., Lipsey, T. L., & Weiss, D. S. (2003). Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 52-71.
Silva, R. R. (Ed.). (2004). Posttraumatic stress disorders in children and adolescents: Handbook. New York: Norton.

Look at this timeline Janelle--pretty interesting, huh?
http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

And from another perspective
http://uspolitics.about.com/library/bl_katrina_timeline.htm

And another (primary sources from Times Picayune)
http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2005/09/04/katrina-response-timeline/

This blog serves as space for BWP writers to collaborate on writing. This particular first post will be for Jeannine/Kelly/Janelle's work on the Hurrican Katrina article.

I. Intro: Weather Warnings: Jeannine and Janelle
>
> II. Devastation/Aftermath: Jeannine and Janelle
>
> III. Katrina Comes to Us: The Evacuees: Kelly
>
> IV. Evacuees: Displaced and Distressed (Mary Lynn's Article) General
> statistics and dempographics of placement of evacuees--Kelly
>
> V. How can we best help?Jeannine
> Literature Review: Jeannine lead (Mary Lynn, Kelly and Janelle contribute)
>
> VI. Bluebonnet Contributions: Working with What We Know : Kelly and Janelle
>
> Helping Kids Cope Kits: Books, Lessons, and a Discussion Protocol (Mary
> Lynn and I will contribute as needed)
> This section includes our methodology.
>
>
> VII. Case Studies: Interviews with teachers who used kits with their
> kindergarten evacuees: Janelle and Kelly(over phone or e-mail)
>
> VIII. Conclusions and Implications--Jeannine (lead) all contribute)
>