It is hard to believe that four years have passed since the day that changed all of our lives. Hurricane Katrina made landfall, and though the storm itself passed within a few days from the weather radar screens, the tide that followed the storm continues to re-shape the landscape around us even today. So many things have changed since August 29, 2005, that a listing of those changes would be too overwhelming to view. Even as we continue to push forward with the recovery effort, however, it is appropriate and important to pause once in a while and reflect on what was the catalyst for all of our work. I use the term “catalyst” because that is exactly what the legacy of Katrina has been.

Katrina propelled our nation into a period of deep introspection and, eventually, action on a host of issues including: disaster preparedness, poverty, social service systems, housing, race, children and family wellness, public health, personal and public finance, disaster assistance, corporate and not for profit partnerships, intergovernmental relationships, federal and state government structures and their abilities to address constituent needs, fundraising, local governmental affairs, and countless others. You get my point, right? Katrina illuminated many problems within the very systems that were created, in most instances, to help those in need. The storm shined the spotlight on some issues that have divided our country, our states, and our towns for many years. The good thing, in my opinion, about problems, is that once they are seen, they can begin to be dealt with in earnest. Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” M. Scott Peck, author of “The Road Less Traveled,” offered this insight on problems and how we handle them: “It is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and wisdom; indeed they create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually….it is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn.”

I was recently in a meeting to discuss the MCMC project and a statement was made by someone to the effect that there were homeless people before Katrina, and there will always be homeless people. The implication of the statement was that this homeless problem was one that we were probably never going to be able to resolve. I believe the speaker was trying to make a realistic statement, and I am under no illusions concerning the fact that we will most assuredly always have long term social problems. We are human beings, after all, and we are imperfect enough that we will probably continue to design and implement imperfect systems. However, that does not mean that we should not take the problems before us and try to resolve them. Katrina left us with many problems with which to deal, and in that regard, the storm was a catalyst. It left us with opportunities to make positive changes and to address the underlying problems that were illuminated in its devastating wake. Years before Benjamin Franklin or M. Scott Peck made their statements with regard to problems, there was another man who also had some things to say about how we deal with adversity. The apostle Paul said, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope!” I hope that the problems we have faced since Katrina will produce more character than despair. It is in this spirit that we continue to serve in the recovery effort, and it is with hope that we face the difficult challenges left behind by Katrina’s surge. Continue to be hopeful, prayerful, thankful, and passionate about the problems we face. Today, reflect on Katrina, the catalyst that propels us to a better tomorrow.

Blessings, 

Stephen P Carr II, MA, MFT
Program Director
Mississippi Case Management Consortium