This is an email from my friend Karen. She just got back from two weeks volunteering in New Orleans. I was really involved in New Orleans web news coverage, and knew some people down there. Still, months later, I've heard from only one of the three that I met while I was visiting last August.

I think its worth reposting because its touching, but more than that its a reminder that there is still so much to do. And its a reminder that, yes, our government screwed up there, but it's still screwing up there. Its absolutly amazing to me.

Here I sit, in my local public library-something I used to take for granted. Then I went to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

I am truly humbled. I don't know where to start, even though I have been thinking about little else since leaving sunnuy, southern LA. Sunday afternoon.

I left Arabi listening to Mississippi Public Radio doing a program called "The Voices of Katrina". They were interviewing local musicians....I got to hear their stories, as well as the music that has come out of them since they lost everything. I felt numb leaving LA. and Miss., and was given the gift of the soundtrack I needed to take me thru the earlypart of emerging back into normalcy. (People had been blessing me all week long - maybe this one came out of that!)

By Alabama, I finally started to notice that everything around me wasn't broken and didn't smell bad. I cried my way thru much of Alabama. By Tennessee, I could start seeing beauty again and started to get a grip on myself. By the time I reached the mountains of western N. Carolina, it occurred to me that the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita that hit St. Bernard Parish and the 9th ward of N. Orleans was more devastating than Sept. 11th. No one called HOME to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or a field in Penn. Many, many people - for many, many generations - have called St. Bernard Parish home. Their ancestoral homes are gone and that's a true American tragedy that all of America should know about. Much history has been lost. And many, many lives.

The people of St. Bernard Par. are still living in limbo - can they rebuild? will their neighborhoods exist when the powers-that-be ever get around to making that decision? wind damage or water? will they ever properly qualify for their FEMA trailer? when will they start picking up the literal tons of trash again? when can they get a copy of their driver's license, Social Security card, birth certificate so they can look for work? when will the businesses start to rebuild so they have someplace to look for work at? will they ever get mail delivery? traffic lights? parking lot lights? telephones? internet? a supermarket? But especially - WHEN are they going to start picking up the trash again?????

Emergency Communities (emergencycommunities.org) is the organization I went down to volunteer with.Between them and Common Ground, they are practically the only thing holding St. Bernard Parish & the 9th ward together. They are giving those communities a chance to survive.They are feeding the residents, the volunteers that are going into the community gutting houses (they call it "mucking" - I'll give you no details on where that word came from - let your imagination run with it...), as well as the contrators, cops, EMTs, firefighters, nurses, FEMA and anyone else who wanders off the street. During spring break, when some20,000 college students came down to work - and work their asses off, they did - we were serving 3000 meals a day!! They are back now to averaging 1300-1500 a day, as more residents come back to what they call home.

The people I had the honor to meet and learn from were varied - a slice of Louisiana - Cajuns, Creoles, fishermen and shrimpers, retired folks and families with roots going back many, many generations. The people of southern LA. love their food, their music, cracking jokes, laughing, telling stories and dancing....and not necessarily in that order! I did a lot of laughing and listened to many, many stories - not all of them sad. But the sad ones were heart-wrenching and personal and I am priviledged to have been able to share in so many. I felt very at home amongst the residents there and had a handful of people tell me my Fall River/Boston accent sounded like I was from the 9th Ward...never wanting to seem like a tourist anywhere I am, I took that as a compliment! I left with a fistful of addresses, phone numbers and invitations to come back. I believe I have made some new friends out of the deal! I will go back....this time I went to work, next time I'll go to play!

I could go on and on, but I'll control myself. I took 9 rolls of film and acquired a disk with 800 more pictures on it. I'll subject anyone who is interested to them. Check out emergencycommunities.org-it's a great website and you will have your eyes opened. If you can spare a little time, GO THERE and help. If don't have time, but can spare some money-send them some. They are doing amazing work and need cash donations or wishlist donations to be able to keep doing it.

This was one of the most amazing and important experiences of my life. It is good to be home,3652 miles later, but I'd give anything to be able to be sleeping in my tent in Arabi again. I wish I could be there in St. Bernard Parsh, trying my best to remind those good people that America hasn't forgotten about them. Send them money, send them socks and underwear and stuffed animals and diapers.....cards, notes, flowers...anything that will help them realize that their nation still cares. They are proud and they are resilient but they need an awful lot of help to get back to normal. They love life but life really sucks for them right now. Send money, send love.