Escape
I escaped from purgatory today. I reported to the office today planning on showing my face briefly before going to another museum. About 30 minutes after arriving, chaos descended. I am not sure how loading a van can result in such disorder. There were even packing lists, but that did not stop the confusion. Part of the problem was that we were hosting five pubic meetings at nearly the same time. Because of the schedule, we could not share easels and flip charts and projectors. So there was a minor crisis as we realized that we did not have enough of anything besides sharpie markers. A rental company supplied the necessary additional supplies just in time to hop in vans and take off. The drive down was my first experience near the coast seeing the true effects from the hurricane.
It was sobering. Still now, three months after the hurricanes boats, cars, and even houses sit upside-down in lawns or in streets. Entire neighborhoods are empty, without life. Electricity is still out in neighborhoods, which means that that stop-lights are out. Piles of debris taller than me litter many corners and front lawns. Insulation, moldy drywall, wood and broken siding mingle with teddy bears and clothes, all waiting to be carted away. At times the air stinks and stings my lungs, a mix of burning garbage and churning refineries.
The meeting, held in the Embassy Princess, a cruise ship docked in the Mississippi, was a bit of a flop. Logistically it was fine – we had all the supplies we needed. We just did not have the people. Unfortunately, the Mississippi Redevelopment Authority sent out nearly illegible invitations via email with no personal follow-up. Many people never heard about the meeting and others only found out about it an hour before the start time. All total we had about 20 stakeholders.
We started 45 minutes late, failed to explain the big picture plan and covered ground that had already been covered in the three hours that we had people locked up in the meeting. Part of the problem was there were about 40 people - from FEMA and the Army Corp of Engineers and the national guard and HUD – all hanging out in the back of the room talking. The participants were supposed to answer four or five questions (issues, challenges, important things to preserve, etc) and all the background chatter distracted them. They started getting up from their small groups and the meeting began to deteriorate. By the end, there were one or two people in each group trying to have a “discussion” with a moderator recording their ideas. Of course, with so few participants there is no way to have a discussion.
FEMA brought in consultants from New York City to “train the trainers” and plan the meeting. They buy-and-large failed to produce. They decided that the planners could not participate in the meeting because we had to remain neutral. This is a little like a doctor not being able to participate in any of the discussions leading up to surgery because she needs to remain impartial. So I just sat back and watched.
As a final note, I want to say how many committed people there are down here trying to help. Many of them will work through Christmas and New Years, living in platform tents and eating at mess halls, all trying to help. For every image you see of fights, fraud or selfishness there are 100 souls that show the good in humanity.
It was sobering. Still now, three months after the hurricanes boats, cars, and even houses sit upside-down in lawns or in streets. Entire neighborhoods are empty, without life. Electricity is still out in neighborhoods, which means that that stop-lights are out. Piles of debris taller than me litter many corners and front lawns. Insulation, moldy drywall, wood and broken siding mingle with teddy bears and clothes, all waiting to be carted away. At times the air stinks and stings my lungs, a mix of burning garbage and churning refineries.
The meeting, held in the Embassy Princess, a cruise ship docked in the Mississippi, was a bit of a flop. Logistically it was fine – we had all the supplies we needed. We just did not have the people. Unfortunately, the Mississippi Redevelopment Authority sent out nearly illegible invitations via email with no personal follow-up. Many people never heard about the meeting and others only found out about it an hour before the start time. All total we had about 20 stakeholders.
We started 45 minutes late, failed to explain the big picture plan and covered ground that had already been covered in the three hours that we had people locked up in the meeting. Part of the problem was there were about 40 people - from FEMA and the Army Corp of Engineers and the national guard and HUD – all hanging out in the back of the room talking. The participants were supposed to answer four or five questions (issues, challenges, important things to preserve, etc) and all the background chatter distracted them. They started getting up from their small groups and the meeting began to deteriorate. By the end, there were one or two people in each group trying to have a “discussion” with a moderator recording their ideas. Of course, with so few participants there is no way to have a discussion.
FEMA brought in consultants from New York City to “train the trainers” and plan the meeting. They buy-and-large failed to produce. They decided that the planners could not participate in the meeting because we had to remain neutral. This is a little like a doctor not being able to participate in any of the discussions leading up to surgery because she needs to remain impartial. So I just sat back and watched.
As a final note, I want to say how many committed people there are down here trying to help. Many of them will work through Christmas and New Years, living in platform tents and eating at mess halls, all trying to help. For every image you see of fights, fraud or selfishness there are 100 souls that show the good in humanity.
posted by JNA | 7:56 PM
1 Comments:
Are you saying that MRA sent out EMAIL to people living on a cruise ship in order to announce the meeting?? How many people are still living on the ship--and how do they get email? (Maybe fliers on the dining room doors would've alerted more people.) Tell more about how planners couldn't participate in the preparatory meetings because they had to remain "neutral". Does this imply that the fate of neighborhoods is a foregone conclusion?
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