Katrina and The Waves in New Orleans

Yesterday I watched a show on PBS regarding the 2005 Katrina evacuation of residents to Salt Lake City, Utah. Black residents of New Orleans dropped into the hands of a white Mormon community.

What appeared to be a military airlift of long distance movers was ironic...some people relating not knowing where they were going until the plane door closed. Many only wanting to get away from the water, others thinking they were headed towards Texas.

The show touched on the lives of two men dealing with this culture shock, both affecting their lives as well as the lives of the community. Majority embraced the changes, some didn't, some of the some reacting negatively and with immaturity...they hadn't lived with 'diversity', and this was their learning curve.

Some evacuees later returned to New Orleans to visit, others wrestled with problems that New Orleans offered more readily such as availability of crack. One many lost his family due to the addiction, ironically his wife returning to New Orleans when he found it eventually in Salt Lake City.

Good show if you can find it.