How is your mental wellbeing today?

[Mattie]

As a birth resident of the New Orleans area and a veteran hurricane survivor of Betsy, Camille and on through the years until Andrew - I am just SICK, I tell you. There is nothing except 9/11 that could possibly equate my feelings today as I read about the devastation, the attitude and actions of the evacuees and the like. I am just sick and full of uncertainty for what lies ahead for the Gulf Coast region.

If another storm threatens the region, after this devastation, regions in north Louisiana, Mississsippi and Alabama could face some of the same dangers that the Gulf areas have been faced with.

The biggest disappointment is the looters and the like that are now being transported to areas of safety. With hope against hope - I am looking forward to military intervention in all areas to protect whatever is left to all of the affected regions.

With that thought, though, comes the EPA reports of this morning saying that they may never be able to say that the water and soil will ever be decontaminated enough in the New Orleans area to be declared safe for many years to come.



I've shed the tears today after being strong and optimistic since Monday. Maybe it's just stress, but the heartache is unbearable.

[jopatura]

I'm not too worried about the looters being in Texas. Our cops aren't overwhelmed with a bunch of other things to do at once. Even though they can come and go as they please, I would think most of them would realize they're in an actual city now and not the ruins of NOLA. And the ones that don't... well, homeowners here can defend their property with firearms, as long as they are in danger.

[MBismyPlayground]

Mattie, I know just how you are feeling.......
I am comparing the way I feel to the same way I felt watching The Murrow Bldg go down in Oklahoma, crying as I watched children being carried out. Cried for days as it continued. Feeling the same way as I watched 9-11 unfold in front of my eyes.
Wishing and praying to God that there were something MORE I could do, although I have no idea of what. My heart is breaking.....even my normally hard***ed husband is, upset is too strong, he is MAD. Even has seriously discussed with me, again, getting our friends helicopter to heavy drop our own water and food to the victims.

[arcticfire]

I'm not connected to NOLA in any way personally. However watching both this and 9/11 from afar I would have to say I was far more sickened by 9/11.

This while it's tragic , was foreseeable , preventable , and totally un-nessisary. There was plenty of warning , there was plenty of foresight the crisis we have today in NOLA is one of our (people) own design. All the way from unprepaired management of the crisis , to the lawless thugs in the city , including those whom did not evacuate , or at least go to a shelter in the city.

My mental state I would have to say is just fine. My sympathy does not go very far since this is all a "reap what we sow" scenario. I would have to say I'm very angry thow. I'm agry about the simple human stupidity of the thugs , the disjointed leaderless relief effort, and I'm upset the whole nation will have to suffer because we have such a vital hub for the economy in such a horrible spot.

It's all very irritating knowing I can't do anything , because at the end of the day I can't get people to respect mother nature and build/live acordingly. They will stupidly rebuild right there again instead of moving the city to higher ground.

[Miss Mary]

Mattie - it's not good, that's for sure. Like you MSismyplayground, I cried for days after Oklahoma, especially after seeing children being carried out and learning there was a second floor daycare there. Then of course the day of 9/11 and weeks to come after that. The feelings of sadness, despair, helplessness, resolve to right a wrong, etc. are all back. You wake up feeling this way, you go to sleep feeling this way. If I feel this way, living all the way up here in Ohio, I can only imagine the profound grief you all feel b/c this is your beloved home. My best to you all in the coming weeks and months ahead.



Mary

[mahicks]

My mental well-being???

Absolute shambles...And I've been through allot in my life, so it takes allot for a guy like me to say that.

[Windy]

Having a real bad last couple days. I can feel my bloodpressure way up (I don't have blood pressure probs, but it can't be good when I'm this tense). I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. I've been trying to restrict my access to information a bit, but it's hard to do -- it's such a large, important story that will be affecting directly or indirectly everyone in the country, including me.

[beachbum_al]

I don't know how to describe how I feel right now. Sort of numb, in disbelief what has happen, guilty that I am okay. I know what I am feeling is normal but I am just shocked what happen on Monday. I am sick to my stomach to see what is going on in NO. I am sick of the people shooting those trying to help them and making the innocent people of NO suffer. I am sick and sad that people are sufferring. And Mississippi Gulf Coast I just want to cry. To hear their stories just breaks my heart.

And my hometown and across the Bay is just a shock to me. Dauphin Island is a wreck. Ft Morgan doesn't look too good. Parts of Mobile is recovering. The restaurants on the Causeway are gone. Even the place that my husband always took me on our wedding anniversary. Just gone.

In my hometown, many of friends have lost their houses that lived near the bay. The FYC which is materialistic, but has a lot of memories for me is gone. I know it can be rebuilt but the memories.

The Pier is damage which I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

And the historical Grand Hotel in Point Clear. Just shock of my life.

And to add to it the gas shortage, not working, etc. I lost $250 this week from work. I know that seems small but when you live from paycheck to paycheck it is a lot. And I don't know how long school is going to be out. If we are out next week it is going to $500 I lost.

I know all of this materialistic. It could be much worse. I could be searching for my children and my love ones. I could had lost my house, etc. If the storm had pick a different location it could had been me picking up the pieces of my life. So I know I am lucky. No one in my area died that I know of. I am still searching for two friends in NO. I think they got out but not sure. I am worry about two more friends who are going to NO tomorrow to try to help restore peace.

So I guess my frame of mind is not exactly what it should be. I know the pain of losing someone all too well so everytime I see a mom or dad looking for their child or children my heart aches. I know that feeling all too well!

[Sean in New Orleans]

No major breakdowns. For two days, I've had non-stop sniffling, bleering, teary eyes. All you can do is just hold a napkin and keep wiping your eyes. I'm extremely sad about what has occurred and my heart is absolutely broken to where it truly hurts physically. But, I do have my senses about me with my own life and am making the proper plans to survive this ordeal properly and will return home to New Orleans, as soon as I can....

[soonertwister]

I'm doing OK. I steeled myself well before landfall. I'm very tired, and emotionally pretty spent. But it isn't my life that has been turned upside-down, so I don't think I really deserve the right to become extremely depressed or anything.

The most depressing thing I've heard all day was that the Red Cross had received 72 million dollars since yesterday. That might seem like a lot of money to some people, but from my perspective, it's a droplet on the head of a straight pin. I'm embarrassed that my fellow Americans are so stingy. I wonder if the violence that has been occurring in NOLA is part of the reason.

But for whatever reason, the amount of roughly 25 cents per American person since yesterday is an embarrassment. I thought we were better than that.

If everyone had donated at anywhere near the level that I have, and I'm not at all rich, that number should have been well into the billions of dollars.

[Raebie]

I'm in NC and I feel like absolute crap. I don't know what else to say. I am sick for everyone on the Gulf Coast.

I wish I could do something to help. The feeling of helplessness is the worst.

[arcticfire]

I'm doing OK. I steeled myself well before landfall. I'm very tired, and emotionally pretty spent. But it isn't my life that has been turned upside-down, so I don't think I really deserve the right to become extremely depressed or anything.

The most depressing thing I've heard all day was that the Red Cross had received 72 million dollars since yesterday. That might seem like a lot of money to some people, but from my perspective, it's a droplet on the head of a straight pin. I'm embarrassed that my fellow Americans are so stingy. I wonder if the violence that has been occurring in NOLA is part of the reason.

But for whatever reason, the amount of roughly 25 cents per American person since yesterday is an embarrassment. I thought we were better than that.

If everyone had donated at anywhere near the level that I have, and I'm not at all rich, that number should have been well into the billions of dollars.

Thats not fair. The embarrassment is not the amount donated to help , the embarrassment is the ineptitude and sloth that lead to the disaster in the first place. This was not a suprise, and I imagine I'm not alone in not liking this idea of it being my responsibility to shoulder the burden of someone elses carelessness. I would send money to MI/AL/FL long before I have any inclination to send it to LA.

When I can find a charity where I can be asured my $$ won't go to NOLA I'll be donating what little I have. Enough of my comming taxes are already going to be shoveled into rebuilding a city in the worst place imaginable.

[soonertwister]

Thats not fair. The embarrassment is not the amount donated to help , the embarrassment is the ineptitude and sloth that lead to the disaster in the first place. This was not a suprise, and I imagine I'm not alone in not liking this idea of it being my responsibility to shoulder the burden of someone elses carelessness. I would send money to MI/AL/FL long before I have any inclination to send it to LA.

When I can find a charity where I can be asured my $$ won't go to NOLA I'll be donating what little I have. Enough of my comming taxes are already going to be shoveled into rebuilding a city in the worst place imaginable.

Isn't there some sort of political forum for this? We need this kind of negative comments like we need three dollar bills. Go take your anger somewhere else, and if you don't want to donate money, at least donate your time. Surely with your sensitivity of what is proper and right, you won't allow yourself to be exploited by masters who want to steal your hours for humanity. Heaven forbid, to be exploited for the sake of human lives is not an acceptable alternative.

You make me very sad.

[docjoe]

I don't know how to describe how I feel right now. Sort of numb, in disbelief what has happen, guilty that I am okay. I know what I am feeling is normal but I am just shocked what happen on Monday. I am sick to my stomach to see what is going on in NO. I am sick of the people shooting those trying to help them and making the innocent people of NO suffer. I am sick and sad that people are sufferring. And Mississippi Gulf Coast I just want to cry. To hear their stories just breaks my heart.

And my hometown and across the Bay is just a shock to me. Dauphin Island is a wreck. Ft Morgan doesn't look too good. Parts of Mobile is recovering. The restaurants on the Causeway are gone. Even the place that my husband always took me on our wedding anniversary. Just gone.

In my hometown, many of friends have lost their houses that lived near the bay. The FYC which is materialistic, but has a lot of memories for me is gone. I know it can be rebuilt but the memories.

The Pier is damage which I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

And the historical Grand Hotel in Point Clear. Just shock of my life.

And to add to it the gas shortage, not working, etc. I lost $250 this week from work. I know that seems small but when you live from paycheck to paycheck it is a lot. And I don't know how long school is going to be out. If we are out next week it is going to $500 I lost.

I know all of this materialistic. It could be much worse. I could be searching for my children and my love ones. I could had lost my house, etc. If the storm had pick a different location it could had been me picking up the pieces of my life. So I know I am lucky. No one in my area died that I know of. I am still searching for two friends in NO. I think they got out but not sure. I am worry about two more friends who are going to NO tomorrow to try to help restore peace.

So I guess my frame of mind is not exactly what it should be. I know the pain of losing someone all too well so everytime I see a mom or dad looking for their child or children my heart aches. I know that feeling all too well!

I dont find your post materialistic at all.Everyone on this coast from Se LA to the big bend has been adversely affected by storms the past year, not to mention south florida. Without a doubt Katrina is the worst. However in my opinion you should not in anyway minimize your and your fellow gulf coasters problems. Whether it was having your trees blown down, needing a new roof. losing a business, losing a lifetime of memories...well it is all stressful. For the past year a significant number of my patients have dealt with almost unbearable anxiety....now they get a sort of survivors guilt on top of it. I do think it is ok to be sad, mad upset angry etc even if others were affected worse than you. If anything it may allow you to empathize with their horrible plight just a little moreand be a little therapeutic to boot. hope this makes a little sense

docjoe

[Mattie]

I've just reached my meltdown point. This is not real, it's not happening and the people I love are going to be FINE!!!! I just talked to my best friend since we were 8 years old (I'm now 47) and I've done nothing but cry since. The thing that runs through my head is "it's the end of the world as we know it" . . . Green Day? This will become one of the biggest hurdles to jump that we have even known in our day!!!

[arcticfire]

Thats not fair. The embarrassment is not the amount donated to help , the embarrassment is the ineptitude and sloth that lead to the disaster in the first place. This was not a suprise, and I imagine I'm not alone in not liking this idea of it being my responsibility to shoulder the burden of someone elses carelessness. I would send money to MI/AL/FL long before I have any inclination to send it to LA.

When I can find a charity where I can be asured my $$ won't go to NOLA I'll be donating what little I have. Enough of my comming taxes are already going to be shoveled into rebuilding a city in the worst place imaginable.

Isn't there some sort of political forum for this? We need this kind of negative comments like we need three dollar bills. Go take your anger somewhere else, and if you don't want to donate money, at least donate your time. Surely with your sensitivity of what is proper and right, you won't allow yourself to be exploited by masters who want to steal your hours for humanity. Heaven forbid, to be exploited for the sake of human lives is not an acceptable alternative.

You make me very sad.

So it's only political if it does not agree with your opinion ? You started it by calling americans cheap and how it was a disgrace we were not shoveling more money on the problem. Yes I'm angry at the whole situation which I imagine is exactly what this thread is about. Everyone else is gonna be agry soon too once the shock wears off.

I agree we don't need negative comments , which includes insulting the rest of the nation for not helping enough in your opinion.

[soonertwister]

Thanks, arcticfire. I wouldn't expect anything less of a post from someone who's willing to do nothing to help.

[ericinmia]

I'm not sure if itss related or not, but i have to go to the doctor first thing in the morning.

The past day+ i have been having heart murmurs/ireggular heart beats...

I hope my body is just stressed and or a small inbalance. I'm only 21 years old, so this is no good. It really makes me feel for the people you see on tv that have heart and other medical problems. I at least have the opportunity to go to a hospital/doctor, and get my scerene rest... they dont.

I am sure you all know my position on the handling of this disaster, i have voiced my opinoin in almost every thread. Having gone through andrew and viewing how that was handled (very well, for what they could do) it infuriates me to see such distraught and helpless people on the tv.
-Eric

[RJC]

I'm growing angrier by the day that my country, which can put a man on the moon, can bomb a country with surgical percission, can create something as great as the net, seeminly can't do anything to help the people of Nwe Orleans. It seems our government had more concern for the Tsunami victims, then they show for our own citizens. We have Americans dying on New Orleans streets tonight, yet the local, and federal governments act like a bunch of bumbling idiots. With all the babies suffering in NO, I never want to hear this country ever utter the words "childern first" again. What's going on in New Orleans, should never ever be allowed to happen in America.

[Mattie]

Sean - - - glad you are safe!!!! Hope to hear from you soon. . .