WASHINGTON TIMES REPORTER AUDREY HUDSON LAUNCHES LA BLOG, DETAILS WASTEFUL LA SPENDING

The state of the City of New Orleans. It's been two months since Katrina devastated the (insert over-used moniker here, Big Easy, Crescent City, etc., etc., etc.) city, who has returned, what businesses are operating, infrastructure and crime. Look for the story later this week

This was written by the principal at Central Middle School, Nederland, Texas.

We should be proud of our community...

Dear Editor,

Due to the dislocation caused by Rita, I did not receive the 10/3 and 10/10 issues of U.S. News & World Report until 10/18. The 10/3 issue's cover had a picture of Rita churning northward over the Gulf of Mexico with the title "Double Whammy". I looked forward to reading an outsider's viewpoint about the response of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana to the storm.

But there was not a word about us. The picture leading the article showed a broken levee in New Orleans. The article did not even mention the towns that suffered a direct hit from this category 3 storm. No mention was made about the timely evacuation orders given before the Saturday landfall. Not a word was printed about the massive airlift from the airport Thursday night. No praise was heaped on the local officials who put their emergency vehicles on ships in the Port of Beaumont to ride out the fury and who worked their oft-reviewed disaster plans to the benefit of the residents. Not a single picture from Cameron, Holly Beach, or Sabine Pass after the storm surge devastated their seashore communities or of the fleets of school buses taking people to shelters. There was not even an acknowledgement of the evacuation's casualties in the bus fire south of Dallas or in the asphyxiations in a Beaumont apartment. Everything in the magazine was about Katrina.

I don't begrudge the victims of Katrina their media time. Many mistakes were made there and the lack of coordination among the governments and emergency response teams should be explored and corrected. But when the storm hit HERE, our leaders, responders and residents did what they were supposed to do. That deserves at least a passing note from the national media. I've yet to see it. We'll have to wait for a local publisher to tell the complete story of Rita.

KLVI-AM continued broadcasting from Beaumont throughout the storm. One of the many comments and stories I heard on that station was from a power company worker who came to this area from New Orleans. That worker said when his crew arrived in the Rita disaster area, the residents had already begun clearing debris with their chain saws, no one here stole their equipment, no one here pulled a knife on them, and no one in Louisiana offered them water or food. I guess that explains why the national media doesn't find us newsworthy. If that's the case, then the self-reliant survivors of Rita will wear that badge with honor.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.