Journal 8

Phil Bruno
Eng 367E
Prof. Lohre
Journal 8
5/27/09


In the movie, When The Levees Broke is a very powerful overview of the events of Hurricane Katrina and how it has affected the structural elements of the city and how it has had an emotional impact to its residents.
New Orleans should only be rebuilt if the proper levees are constructed in this area to prevent any future disasters that seem quite likely to occur. There certainly is no logic in rebuilding the devastated area prone to flooding if the current levees are simply patched and not totally re-engineered to withstand hurricanes such as Katrina. If the federal government does not give its full monetary support to the cause and rebuild the levees the correct way then I see no reason for the homes and businesses to be reconstructed. Rebuilding the structures without any regard to the levee is simply ridiculous in my opinion and should be examined by professional engineers before the residents decide to move back to the area.
Many people think that this area of our country represents a great deal to the roots of our nation and should be preserved no matter what the cost involved in such an endeavor. I think our government has let these people down in their failure to act in their time of need and their desperate attempt to regain their homes and businesses. Louisiana is a great state that has always represented America well and for the government to turn its back on them when they need us the most is simply unacceptable.
The theme that certainly was evident for me in this movie could be explained by the resolve in the people to never give up no matter what problems that faced them. Many of the people began to party of offset the pain that was upon them and I’m sure because they wanted to feel normal again. The post traumatic stress disorder has caused many problems as they try to reconstruct their lives in temporary housing when the insurance companies have turned down their claims. Failure for the government to act and the insurance companies to deny their pleas could very be a social class issue that has always been alive in our nation. Without the proper representation, these people and their homes could likely wind up in limbo and never see and kind of revitalization. When the homeless women said soon after the hurricane, “where my government is “certainly seems to cut down to core of this issue. Unfortunately the government did not respond immediately after the disaster and it seems that it has neglected to respond to date.
I my personal opinion I find the response to this disaster to be totally unacceptable and I would hope that someone stands up to the plate to remedy this problem. When our federal government can aid many other countries in their time of need and decide to turn their back on these people does not make sense.