Storm victims rain on Austin’s parade
February 21st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
While Austin revels in its Democratic parties this evening, a mobile home blaring zydeco music off its back end will try to bring a more somber message to the city.
The KatrinaRitaVille Express may sound like the latest funky South Austin happy hour hangout—and most of those are on wheels, too—but this old FEMA trailer from Mississippi isn’t here for the party. Derrick Evans has been touring his trailer around the country to raise awareness for the slew of problems facing victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the stagnation that’s taken hold in recovery efforts.
He’s here tonight with more than 40 people affected by the storms. They came by bus to draw attention to the storm recovery. So far candidates have said little about Hurricane Katrina in debates, and Evans says neither Clinton nor Obama have inspired much hope for his cause. “I wouldn’t say that any of them have sufficiently demonstrated a grasp of the depth of this regional crisis,” Evans says.
“We want to start at the top and end the neglect,” he says, comparing post-Katrina devastation to Southern Reconstruction or post-World War II Europe. “Rebuilding was characterized by bold, intelligent leadership from the highest levels,” he says. Evans, who lives outside Gulfport, Miss., says the neglect people feel along the gulf began with poor federal oversight of the money earmarked for recovery efforts.
The FEMA trailer, then, is a good symbol for his traveling cause. Evans bought his trailer on eBay, after a handful of serious health risks created a buyer’s market for the emergency homes.
Evans is working with a handful of organizations to address political, environmental and economic concerns that combined to make Hurricanes Katrina and Rita so disastrous, and which he says still haven’t been addressed years after the storms. With much of Austin rallying tonight around hope and policy changes, Evans and the storm victims hope their cause can be swept up by the wave.
March 4th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
[…] UPDATE: The KRV Express got some nice coverage from the Texas Observer. […]
July 21st, 2008 at 9:48 am
What Derrick is doing is outstanding. Many of us, survivors of Katrina and Rita, feel that noone cares. It is easier for folks to just act like Katrina and Rita happened so long ago and things are better in the Gulf Coast. The reality is that little has been done in the area of recovery and even less has been done to help survivors around the diaspora since the initial reaction after Katrina. I commend Derrick on staying active and you for giving a voice to the voiceless.
Sincerely,
Suga Matthews
Atlanta, GA