I was surprised by the number of people offering free rooms in their homes, food, clothing, and transportation to hurricane survivors on craigslist. Some people are looking for caretakers in exchange for room and board; others are looking for wives (!), but most just want to help newly-homeless people get back on their feet.
Some of those posts moved me to tears, especially the “stay as long as you need to” posts. When we want to be, humans can be very generous. And trusting. Inviting strangers into your home, especially if you have children, is very risky.
I’m waiting patiently for the inevitable marathon of movies about New Orleans or set in and around the city, like A Street Car Named Desire (favorite), The Big Easy, Angel Heart, JFK (another favorite), The Pelican Brief, etc.
Especially entertaining will be specials about singers and musicians hailing from New Orleans, like the Neville Brothers, Harry Connick, Jr., Fats Dominio, etc.
I’ll watch all the various retrospectives about the city’s beginning, rowdy middle, and tragic end. Like everything else, the history of New Orleans will be romanticized somewhat, but that’s human nature. People tend to want to remember the best, not the worst.
One of the best things I’ll remember about the destruction of New Orleans is how generous people were. At one time or another in whatever form it takes, we all depend on the kindness of strangers.
