In this blog am required to do a
research and summarized some information on The National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) and Zeitoun!
Digna's Blog
Monday, December 3, 2012
Blog #6
Monday, November 12, 2012
Tweeting
Erjon Fjora
@EFjora
Can't believe that officials were there for one
purpose...not saving people's life but look for terrorists. Doesn't make
any freaking sense.
I think this tweet is important because after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans everything was upside down. Supposedly, these soldiers were at the city to establish order and help the victims, but instead their main concerns were to find terrorists . There weren't terrorism going on, but a natural disaster occurred people needed help not to be mistreated by officials like Zeitoun and other people were. So I agree with my classmate Erjon , this make no sense at all.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
My name is Digna Colon and I am giving a report on
Hurricane Sandy and its devastating impact in NYC. Hurricane Sandy has been
categorized as one of the most powerful hurricane that has hit NYC. Many people
states that Sandy can not be compared to Irene, which did not create as much
damages as Sandy has; not only within NYC but also all over the state of New
Jersey and the whole North East Coast of the United States. As a result the
city has to deal with the physical and financial damages of such natural
disaster. Mayor Bloomberg described Sandy as a” Mega Storm which has destroyed
the city” because of the huge aftermath. He is already having discussions about
reconstructing the city to bring everything to its normal state as soon as possible.
Many people lost electrical power and there is major flooding all over the
affected areas. I saw in the news many properties that were destroyed by
hurricane Sandy including houses, cars and trees that were moved from its
ground areas to the streets and highways. What really impacted me were the many
people that needed to be evacuated from the flooded zones including the elderly
who also lost everything they had. Some Medias are complaining about the lack
of diligence from some hospitals such as NYU Medical Center whose emergency
generators were out of services and that caused for hundreds of patients to be
transferred out. I was also able to witness the incident of the Crane collapse
in Midtown Manhattan on 57th Street and 7th Avenue. This incident
created another major emergency in this area since the strong winds were
hitting the city at a speed of 92 mph to 115 mph at that moment. As of right
now, many people had to be evacuated from 57th Street due to the
fear of the crane falling on top of the near buildings. City officials reported
that as part of the safety protocol during hurricanes, cyclones or major
storms, all construction sites MUST
secure their work equipment including the cranes. It really amazed me how
connected all these information is to my ENG 101 class. I think that every past and current
issues brought up in class about climate change were also
brought up now during Hurricane Sandy. For example, many schools were
used as emergency evacuation shelters, but in reality many will not be able
to return to their homes as many homes were destroyed completely. Our main
source of transportation, the MTA is completely out of service due to the
flooding until further notice. If I was Mayor Bloomberg, I will continue doing
exactly what he is doing right now, following up and connecting with all city
officials and the public. As the Mayor, I will also use this opportunity to
create awareness and show the city the struggles that climate change is
bringing upon us. It is also important for people to listen and take every
order seriously. In addition, I would have also required that all NYC hospitals to have mandatory inspections
of all emergency electrical equipment such as the generators. “My Sandy Experience” allowed me to understand the connection
of my first assignment in depth. I can truly see so many things from a
different point of view now since I was able to experience Sandy from a very
close angle. It was surprising to see
that after so many learning experiences such as Hurricane Katrina, Irene, The Black
Out and now Sandy the city is still not fully ready to respond during a major
natural disaster. Finally, Sandy made me revive some scenarios from Zeitoun’s
experience during Hurricane Katrina and it really overwhelmed me. The images of
Hurricane Katrina came to life during Sandy as I was watching the destruction
it created in many parts of the city and all over the affected states. As we already know Zeitoun, decided to stay
in the city of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina refusing a major order of
evacuation. The story tells is how he
wanted to watch over his work site and economic wealth being. Just like Zeitoun,
many people in NYC were told to evacuate their homes mainly due to the flooding
threats. Many risked their lives and stated in the A zones taking for granted
the warning of the danger of the Hurricane. Many people also refused to
evacuate because last year the city also ordered to evacuate for Irene and
nothing happened to their homes. However, about 16-18 people were officially
declared to have lost their lives during Sandy just within NYC, and many of the
victims were found within the areas that were ordered to evacuate.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Blog # 4
The Lower
Ninth Ward of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina
In August
29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, covering an 86% of the city and
leaving it devastated. Based on the video Drive through the Lower 9th,
the Lower Night Ward region suffered the worst damages of flooding. With a population
of 14,008 and 98.3% of them African Americans and house owners of a 59% this
region had ended upside down. Houses and trees were moved from their ground and
the flooding level reached up to 17 feet covering entire houses. To give us an
example of the flooding magnitude caused by Hurricane Katrina on this region
the film compared the flooded areas with the size of seven times of Manhattan. Many
people couldn’t leave the city because of their low income situation. Some
weren’t economically ready so they didn’t have another option than stay behind
risking their lives; compere to those that were able to leave the city. A
victim from the Drive commented that “Hurricane Katrina didn’t cause all the destruction,
but the government since they are helping people from other countries and doing
anything for the people of The Lower Ninth Ward”. In other words, the
government forgot about them (Drive through the Lower 9th). A good example of this statement is also found
in the book of Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Zeitoun was one of the many, whose decision
was to stay in the city because he wanted to look after his worksite and
because he was concerned of his wealth being. However, he also ended up rescuing
people in his canoe. He rescued people that were struggling, from elderly to pets
that were left aside by the government (Eggers 110). In the article,” 6 years
After Katrina, Lower 9th Ward Still Bleak” by Cain Burdeau, he
clearly describes how the Lower 9th Ward has been abandoned by the
government. He also makes a comparison of the neighborhood with a” ghost town” completely
abandoned. The grass has growth taller just like people’s houses are still in
bad conditions and the streets are empty.
Bibliography
Drive through the Lower 9th (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubbjgLDKGyk). The book of Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers
Blackvoices article, “6 years After Katrina, Lower 9th
Ward Still Bleak” by Cain Burdeau (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/28/6-years-after-katrina-low_n_939782.html)
Monday, October 22, 2012
In-Class Zeitoun
Zeitoun's decision was to stay in New Orleans to look after his possessions and job site, although Kathy wanted him to go with them he felt the necessity to stay and face the storm. As he remained in the city and the storm was making straggle, he helped people that stayed behind and were unable to get any help during the flood. Since conditions were worsen he maintained contact with Kathy while she insisted that he should leave the city by saying "please leave" (Eggers 89). She felt that she needed to warned him, since the media was reporting that the city was getting into a "third-world" state meaning that there were not help available Zeitoun felt that he was being needed in the city. He felt satisfaction helping others in he canoe " the canoe was good,the silence was crucial" to save the woman who was flooding and stuck inside her home and to help the elderly couple that were struggling in a wheelchair and to feed the dogs that were left behind. Zeitoun couldn't tell to Kathy, but he was certain that he made the right decision and that he was there for a reason and that was God's will.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
In Class Blog
What have we learned about Zeitoun and Kathy from the book
so far, and how do you think their personalities affected their decisions as Hurricane
Katrina approached?
I have learned a variety of things from Zeituon
and Kathy so far. Zeituon and Kathy are the main character of the nonfiction
book by Dave Eggers. Zeituon and Kathy are a marriage with four children
Zachary (Kathy’s son from her first marriage), Nademah, Aisha and Safiya. Living
in New Orleans and as a storm Katrina is heading into the city, both decided to
make different decisions on whether or not they should leave the city. Zeitoun
a hardworking man and dedicated to his business and his family economic wealth
being. He is also known as a responsible man who cares a lot about his
reputation when it comes to his work. I can almost describe him as a workaholic
person. Kathy is a serious woman and caring mother who cares a lot for her
family as much as Zeitoun did for his job. Kathy is also a decision maker, and
she did not need Zeitoun’s full support; she was brave enough to make family
decisions on her own. Although their personalities were a little bit different
they were able to manage each other very well. Zeitoun was a romantic man and
Kathy loves this. They were a happy marriage and got along very well personally
and professionally.
When Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco of New
Orleans ordered a voluntary evacuation, Kathy determined to leave the city to
protect her children and to protect herself (Eggers 51). She wanted Zeitoun to
go with them, but he refused to leave the city because he wanted to secure his
job site (Eggers 53). Kathy tried to convince Zeitoun by all means, but he was a
stubborn man and Kathy couldn’t do anything against it. Kathy went to her family
house in Baton Rouge, leaving her husband in the city. Although Zeitoun’s
decision to stay in the city was based mainly for his possessions, he ended up
rescuing and helping many people and pets which he did not imagine he would do.
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