NextGen Editorial: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

On a personal note, I grew up in the city of New Orleans and recently visited my family and home only a few days before the onset of the hurricane. From my subletted apartment in Cambridge where I await the beginning of the academic year, I have been coordinating communications and financial affairs between my family members 24/7; my father and stepmother remain in New Orleans and are waiting to be evacuated. By some stroke of good fortune, my father has been able to call me from a landline telephone to update me on their situation. Others have not been as lucky, and many who have relatives and friends in New Orleans are still waiting to hear from them.

My stepmother is a physician, a pediatric oncologist, and has been assigned a classification as a member of the "Group B" medical personnel: before the storm, she was allowed to travel away from the immediate zones of danger, but she was required to be close enough to travel back at a moment's notice for the recovery effort. (Group A medical personnel were required to stay and ride out the storm.) Nonetheless, she decided to stay and ride out the storm: her dedication to her patients and her staff is absolute. It is likely that she and my father will be airlifted by helicopter to the nearest airport and brought to Baton Rouge where her hospital has set up its base of operations.

Although no death toll has been confirmed yet in New Orleans, some city officials and rescue workers predict that the final number will be substantial. Many news reports the day after the storm made landfall hastily stated that New Orleans had been spared: the damage and death toll could be much worse, but the problems are not over yet. The current emphasis on the recovery efforts is to evacuate all of the survivors of the storm who remain in the city: in particular, health conditions and the spread of illness are major considerations in preventing further casualties. WDSU, a local television station, has distributed a set of guidelines on its website on how to avoid falling ill in the aftermath of the storm, including boiling or mildly bleaching water, avoid eating spoiled food, and using insect repellent to avoid the bites of mosquitos carrying the West Nile Virus. However, the city is plagued by other health hazards at this time: the sewage system is backed up and overflowing into the streets, and storm shelters such as the Superdome are troubled by high humidity, poor ventilation, unsanitary bathrooms and the buildup of trash.

Through all of these trials, the majority of the survivors, particularly those in the storm shelters, have been calm and eager to help one another. However, they are now faced with a long term evacuation from their homes, jobs, and familiar ways of life: it may be months before people are allowed to return and see if their homes and belongings still remain.

To find out how you can help, please visit the FEMA website and their recommendations for volunteering and donating. Additionally, the Red Cross is accepting donations for the relief effort.

Lester Leung is the Editor-in-Chief of the Next Generation and a member of the Harvard College Class of 2006.