Red Danger List
The Times-Picayune posted the Red Danger List on NOLA.com -- I plotted the addresses over an elevation map. Perhaps understandably (perhaps not), most of the homes slated for bulldozing are in the Lower Ninth Ward.
posted by Schroeder @ 3:10 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Your link to Nola.com didnt work! Small matter, i went there directly. Did anyone else read the article about The Grey line tours of Flood zones? Am I just being too sensitive, or does anyone else kind of see that as a sort of grave robbing? I thought it was in very poor taste.
Sorry Steve.
That link works now.
I was talking to a friend about the Gray Line tours issue tonight. My own take -- I think people *need* to physically move through the three-dimensional space of devastated areas to comprehend the vast scale of the disaster -- to connect their personal physical presence with the devastation that other people are experiencing. It's for that reason that I keep being drawn out to those areas to take photographs. It's morbid, sure. But if done right -- we're just human beings trying to understand what other human beings are experiencing.
Grey Line said they were going to donate some percentage -- 15 percent maybe -- to a charity -- I think they might have said Habitat for Humanity.
Sure -- it's controversial. My preference would be that another not-for-profit organization would run the tours -- the National Guard for example. But if it's going to be Grey Line, I guess it's just important to remember that there are people there who have jobs that are probably at risk because tourism is down. It's not such a bad thing for people to be able to work is it? I don't know. Nothing in life is ideal -- I'd prefer that outsiders get down there to see that devastation, and feel it in their bones.
I still get choked up driving through neighborhoods, or peering inside houses, thinking about how many lives have been affected in extremely profound ways. I hope those people on those tours feel the same way, and take that feeling home wherever they live, and get active in promoting the construction of a Category 5 levee system, and helping people rebuild their lives.
Now that you put it that way; I can see where it would be a benefit, but I think it would be a good idea for them to ask the tourists to refrain from shooting photos if homeowners are around. It just all seemed so......cold perhaps?
I just remember when Hugo tore us apart, and my folks had their house in Surfside Beach; the last thing we wanted were the TV goons around, let alone a tour bus full of people taking shots of our hurricane and flood damage to show to the guys back at the office in Waukegan, you know?
Tourists are notoriously insensitive, and I'm sure some of those on the Grey Line buses are typical - but I have to agree with Schroeder.
The devastation of New Orleans can't really be understood without actually seeing it with one's own eyes.
That being said, it would be nice if people would try to avoid promoting the "fishbowl effect". In Lakeview, there are numerous signs up exhorting people to not take pix, and it's really not hard to abide by that. My daughter and I took quite a few shots of "non-posted" sites, but I don't intend to post even those to the blog. There are plenty of public albums online already.
They are merely to help us keep the vivid reality alive in our minds.
Schroeder - I think G.L. is giving $3 of each ticket cost to charity.
You are correct Polimom,
And I'm not trying to stir up any ill-will, but at $35.00 a pop I thought they'd better serve the city and it's people if they at least gave $5.00 of that to charity, you know? $3.00 just seems a little bit empty when people like Chuck Taggart are offering all the proceeds from the sale of the CD Box set "doctors, Professors,Kings & Queens" to Hurricane relief. If GL was a local company only, I wouldnt say a word, but they've gotten rich off of tourists in cities across the U.S. and I dont really think it would kill them to be a litle bit more giving, you know?
Thanks for the tip about the donated proceeds polimom. You're right -- the Gray Line site says that $3 of the $35 admission be donated to a non-profit organization of your choice (1 of 5) that has been directly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
http://www.graylineneworleans.com/katrina.shtml
And yeah, I think you're right Steve. That seems pretty cheap of the company. Of course, nothing's keeping people from giving more if they want to I suppose.
After further discussion with Scvhroeder via my own blog, I've revised my opinion on this subject, and apologize profusely if I've offended anyone.twas not my intent.
Steve,
If anyone was offended because you were sensitive to the feelings of suffering people, that would indeed be a shame.
It's good to care. It's good to be aware.
It's powerful that you were able to hear, and understand, another view of things. Speaks very well of you.
And for the record - I totally agree. G.L Tours outta be able to do better than a donation of $3 / ticket.
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