Collaborative BWP Writing
BWP writers may use this blog for collaboration on their pieces.Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Janelle's Part of the Devestation---August 22, 2006
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?
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?
Janelle's Part of the Intro---August 22, 2006
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?
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?
Introduction to the Introduction
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.
The above is an abstract which will probably change as we go along, but helps get me focused.
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