July 11, 2009 - This story is for all the families who
lost their loved ones in one of the most horrifying tragedies we've ever seen in our lifetime - Hurricane Katrina.
Even after the 2005 devastation of 'Ms. Katrina',
its victims are still suffering.
But as the saying goes, through suffering and heartache,
comes triumph.
What Kimberly Rivers-Roberts and her husband Scott (seen to the right), their family,
and two dogs went through on a summer’s day in 2005 should not have happened to anyone.
As the waters raged, and the winds blew, the Rivers family knew they were in trouble.
“Hey, help us get off the roof, man!”, Kimberly yelled to a passerby.
That was four years ago.
This weekend, Kimberly and her family are in DC to tell their triumphant story with a
movie screening of their epic documentary, Trouble the Water, presented by One DC, a non-profit housing organization in the District of Columbia.
Chronicling their story with the use of a hand-held video camera, Scott and Kimberly
give the world a wider insight into the destruction and devastation of the hurricane, and the ill-treatment of its most vulnerable
citizens – New Orleans’ poor.
“Whether it’s happy, or sad, it’s the truth", said Roberts.
'Trouble the Water' movie trailer.
While the devastation of Katrina caused the Roberts family to lose much, they say they
gained an understanding and awareness unlike never before.
“Before, I was deaf, dumb and blind, and I don’t want to be that anymore”,
said Roberts.
The family saw every part of their city being rebuilt around them (including the Louisiana Superdome), except for the areas where their family came from.
“It hurt when they rebuilt the city, and didn’t rebuild the people", said
Roberts.
“Hurricane Katrina showed that the United States has $20b to give to Egypt, but
not the $10m it would have taken to rebuild the levees, said Roberts.
"I said, Wow! They put us down like that?, added
Roberts.
During a segment of last night’s Q&A Roberts told the audience that New Orleans
doesn’t have the services that other cities have for its people.
“I’ve been to DC four times, and what I notice is that DC has more programs
that target the needs of the people, something New Orleans desperately needs.”
Reaction to the documentary was mixed having some believe government response would be different if a Hurricane
Katrina-like event happened here in our area.
"The world happens here", said Jeff Nowak, a 21 year-old college student from Boston, MA. "I think we would have
had a different result" (than the citizens of New Orleans).
Gloria Robinson, who helped organize the screening, ordered the film as a teaching
tool for leadership development for One DC said, "I think the citizens, east of the Anacostia river, would be the last
to be served."
In a city, much like cities everywhere with poor and low-income families, the thought
of gentrification comes to mind.
"Whether you know it our not, if you're an African American in America, you're at
war", said Aaron Burton, a One DC member.
Roberts’ story inspired her to ask what she could do so that events that surrounded
her don’t happen again.
