Hurricane Katrina Broke More Than the Levees | Voice of America - English
Phyllis Montana-Leblanc will never forget the horrible memories of August 29th, 2005. One year after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, Leblanc shared her anger about what happened to the city in Spike Lee's documentary film about Katrina, When the Levees Broke.  This year, Leblanc recounts the same story in a new book, but, as VOA's Faith Lapidus tells us in this report by Faiza Elmasry, it has a different message.
WhenHurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Phyllis Montana-Leblanc, her husband andother family members spent a week without sleep or food, waiting in line afterline until they were airlifted to San Antonio, Texas. "Thehardest thing about it was the slow response to help us, to help out the cityof New Orleans," she says. "Everybody saw us, you know, the bodiesfloating in the water, people treading through water with infants and elderlypeople. It took so long for the government to send help for us." That delay in assistance made Katrina's survivors really angry. And that'swhat Leblanc and others had expressed when they were interviewed for SpikeLee's documentary two years ago. "Inthe documentary, the message was more the anger and disbelief of thegovernment's slow response to help us," she says. "The message in thebook is to have hope. And there is nothing wrong with having hope because inthe documentary you may see some signs saying, 'hope is not a plan.' I agreewith that, but hope is a really, really strong emotion to hold on to because itkeeps you going. It keeps moving forward." In , Leblanc explains how she andothers in New Orleans moved from anger to hope. She says that's what helped herfamily endure a tough, unstable life, as they moved from shelters to a hotelroom to a trailer. Just a few months ago, she says, her family finally settleddown in a new home. "WhenI first entered the home, I'm looking at it, I know we did the paperwork, but Istill was unsure," she says. "I've been in a trailer for almost threeyears. It was like, 'O.K. how long am I going to be here?' So, it's much morecomfortable now." Living through Katrina, and surviving it, Leblanc says, has had a profoundimpact on her, personally. "I'ma registered voter," she says. "I'm still going to vote andeverything, but the government's slow response to our situation has now made memore aware. I'm always reading the paper and watching the news." Leblancsays she pays more attention to what's going on and to what the government isdoing.She and her husand have alsobecome more self-reliant."We makesure that we put money on the side in case anything happens again, we won't bestuck in a wait and see position." Inaddition to feeling more empowered as a citizen, Leblanc has been trying toinfluence people around her. "I'malways talking to people about, 'Make sure you register to vote so you can havea voice in who we put in office," she says. "Even if they don't getput in office, at least you exercised your right.'" Withcity residents becoming more active citizens, Phyllis Montana-Leblanc predictslife in New Orleans will soon return to normal."I think we're going to come back," she says. Shenotes that businesses in the French Quarter, which is frequented by tourists,are up and running, but in some parts of the city, she says "it stilllooks like Katrina hit yesterday." "Ithas been three years now and we still don't have a hospital in the area whereI'm living," Leblanc says."But I have a lot of hope in what I can do and what a lot of peopleare trying to do in the city of New Orleans, and that's bring New Orleansback." That'sthe greatest challenge Katrina's survivors are facing everyday. The thirdanniversary this month brings back the memories. But more importantly, Leblancsays, it renews her determination to bring a better life back to her city.