Would you stay in your hometown if it was destroyed by a storm?

[Conversationist]

So many of the Hurricane Katrina residents in MS and AL are staying in their home towns even though their homes are destroyed. Many are sleeping in parks, in their front yards, or with friends.

I suspect that the majority of the homes will not be rebuilt for years. Many will live in tent cities waiting for traditional housing to be rebuilt. Their jobs (in many cases at casinos or other service/retail places) are gone. They are unemployed.

Yes, jobs will come back but mostly in rebuilding. That may not be the best career choice for women, and people over 40.

Why are they staying?

If it was me-- I would move out of town and get a fresh start. Find a cheap apartment and get a job, any job. I would work at McDonalds 16 hours a day, in the new town, if necessary, until I found a good job.

Why stay in a town that is destroyed when there is a choice and so much economic opporunity all over America?

[Tigger_Magic]

Why stay in a town that is destroyed when there is a choice and so much economic opporunity all over America? Maybe because it is home. :confused3

[ducklite]

I have adopted Central Florida as my hometown. Because of this, I CHOSE to live here. I wasn't born here, have no family roots here (a cousin lives near Tampa and a great uncle lives near Bradenton, that's it). In my case, I would come back here and rebuild. This is where I WANT to live, as opposed to where I started and never got around to leaving.

Anne

[dixipixi]

Because it is HOME. Our lives are here. Friends and family. The people we grew up with.

We own our own business...no way would I trade that for a 16 hour daily stint anywhere else. We own our own home and land...I wouldn't trade that for a cramped apartment anywhere else. Sure, we have damage, but we are working to get everything cleaned and repaired.

Life is not all about material things...they can be taken away in the blink of an eye no matter where you live. It's about HOME (not the sticks and stones) but the spirit that makes a community like family to each other.

We have been through a terrible ordeal, but it has made us closer. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But I wish everyone could know how it feels to know their neighbors and that you could depend on them for anything. To truly know the spirit and companionship of working side by side and knowing that the one thing that made today better was that someone was there to share your burdens.

[brerrabbit]

Read the tag, sixth generation Texan, I would not consider leaving because its my home. Good, bad, indifferent I will stay. Six generations of family buried in the same cemetary, the cemetary where I will be buried. Family land given to my Gr-Gr-Gr Grandfather by the Mexican Government when he settled his family here in 1834. My home has been badmothed by some, praised by others and it's still my home. I cannot imagine not living here. I think that it's one of the things that makes our country great. Should the worst happen I will make sure my family is safe and then I will dedicate myself to doing whatever it takes to rebuild my home and my community.

[chadfromdallas]

I cannot imagine not living here. I think that it's one of the things that makes our country great.


Hell, my family history in Texas dates back like yours, but I would relocate in a heart beat :rotfl:

[Planogirl]

My American past doesn't extend too far back but I don't think that I would leave Texas (except for maybe to move to Arkansas). It's familiar and comfortable to me and it deserves my support when times get rough.

Besides, I've put up with the Texas government. Everything else seems manageable after that. ;)

[minkydog]

It would depend. My DH & I are only 2nd generation Americans. Which means that in the recent past someone left everything behind and moved to the other side of the world to seek a better life.

I live in the metro Atlanta area, which is a thriving place, very pleasant and I could easily see myself retiring here even though we have no family for 400 miles. However, if I lived in the town I was raised in on the Mississippi/Alabama coast I would definitely be starting over somewhere else. We have pioneer blood coursing through our veins. The drive to survive surpasses any ties to a hometown.

[Conversationist]

You misunderstood my post.

I can understand people sticking around in MS and Al if their house can be lived in and repaired with a minimum amount of effort. (And you have a job or are living on investments)

What I do not understand is the people (who have lost their jobs) who will put up with the hassle of living in shelters and or tent cities for years while they wait for housing. It does not seem worth it.

The beauty of the Gulf Coast is gone for another 30 years. It is not the same. (Millions of trees are dead from the flooding and water)

Start fresh in a new City. Working at McDonalds would be a short term solution. There will be better career options in other Southern cities in the short and long term, unless your chosen career is in construction.

The family should move together, for the support everyone is talking about.

[brerrabbit]

I don't know exactly where you come up with this stuff but let me point out a few errors in your thinking. 1 they will need a lot more than construction workers in the area. Workers have to eat, this means service jobs in resturants, and grocery stores. They need basic services, clothes, doctors, banks, movie theatres etc. These services all create jobs. 2 "the beauty of the Gulf Coast is gone for 30 years", are you kidding me? The Gulf Coast has survived for millions of years before man showed up. I find the beauty of the area in the land, the beach, the salt grass marsh and the gulf. That was there the day after the storm blew through and will be there long after I am dead and gone. "Millions of trees are dead fronm the flooding" Well last time I checked there were some trees knocked down but I know for a fact that a lot of the huge live oaks that were there 200 years ago before I was a twinkle in my daddy's eye are still there and will be there for years to come. I have seen pictures from friends who have traveled to the area and dispite the devistation parts of nature have survived and will survive. The "Beauty" you speak of is no doubt the casinos, and hotels that were washed away, well as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are plenaty of reasons to continue to live in the area and rebuild. The idea that it will take 30 years to rebuild is a little flawed. People who truely had everything they owned washed away and had no insurance, and have no economical or emotional tie to the area can and probably will decide to move on. And thats the right decision for them. But to sit back and say the area has no appeal to you from where you sit and that you cannot understand why anyone would want to stay there is a little judgemental, don't you think?

[Tigger_Magic]

You misunderstood my post.

I can understand people sticking around in MS and Al if their house can be lived in and repaired with a minimum amount of effort. (And you have a job or are living on investments)

What I do not understand is the people (who have lost their jobs) who will put up with the hassle of living in shelters and or tent cities for years while they wait for housing. It does not seem worth it.

The beauty of the Gulf Coast is gone for another 30 years. It is not the same. (Millions of trees are dead from the flooding and water)

Start fresh in a new City. Working at McDonalds would be a short term solution. There will be better career options in other Southern cities in the short and long term, unless your chosen career is in construction.

The family should move together, for the support everyone is talking about. It's quite simple -- home is not just a location, it is also a state of mind. You can strip away the grass, shrubs, trees, etc. and home may still be home for many people. You can flood the house, even to the 2nd floor or attic... and it's still "home" even with the water damage, mud, silt, and debris all over the place.

A "new city" is not home and it could take years, if ever, for it to become "home." Been there, done that.

Despite your overwheming pessimism, everyone has to make choices based on what is best for them, not on what you or anyone else wants them to do.

[Tigger_Magic]

Just another thought...

"Home" often includes familiarity, a sense of sameness, a feeling of community, a relative idea of safety. It incorporates a culture, a style, a way of life that many people share and understand. "Home" connotes a history, experiences, a lifestyle, a place where one belongs. "Home" is usually where you go when there's no place else.

It's nearly impossible to just pick up and move "home", especially when one's home is someplace like NOLA. This is a place that is so rich in culture and history that it would be difficult for those driven out to ever reestablish that somewhere else.

Maybe the OP would be willing to show us all how easy it is to just pull up roots and leave home, find a short-term job at MickeyD's and then easily reestablish "home" somewhere else? :confused3

[bsnyder]

Like Brerrabbit, my family's been here a long time - 4th generation for me. But it's not just a sense of belonging here, that would compel me to stay. There is also a sense of obligation. This city, this area, has been good to my family, we've been blessed beyond our wildest dreams. We've felt the presence of a caring community, over the generations, in good times and in bad.

I would feel it a duty to help rebuild. And it would be a privelege to do so.

[Southern4sure]

I would like a link where you got your info on AL. All my family and friends live in and around Mobile, AL. Yes it was rough for about a week but Mobile is basically back to normal with the exceptions of Dauphin Island, Alabama Port and Bayou La Batre areas. These areas were hit pretty hard, I know this because my mom lives a stones throw from Bayou La Batre. The beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are quite beautiful once again, I know because I have a couple of condos on Gulf Shores. To answer your question, nope I would not "start over in another city" if a storm hit.

[staci]

I would stay 'home'. This is where my family is, my friends, my memories. Even without the four walls I live in currently, this area is my 'home'. I cant imagine leaving the people here who mean so much to me. I am a sentimental person, and although much of my extended family is in another state, my friends are here, and they are like my family. I may move 30 miles or so each direction, but it would not be without my immediate family and close friends by my side.

[snoopy]

I've thought a lot about this and I'd have to say if it were D.C. (or my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland) that was so devastated by natural disaster, I think I'd find another city to live in. I don't feel enough attachment to where I live to want to risk my life for it, and I've always felt home is where you hang your hat. Then again, my family is spread out, and I don't have deep roots in this area, many of my extended family aren't even in this country.

[Laurajean1014]

No way.

[Mackey Mouse]

This is my 4th house and I have lived all my life in the Boston area, North of it, South of it, but always in MA. If my town was destroyed, my house gone and I had a chance for a life in another town in another state, I would take it. My home is my family...not necessarily where I live or what house I live in and keeping us together and alive would be what I would strive for. If that means relocating, so be it.

[snoopy]

It's quite simple -- home is not just a location, it is also a state of mind. You can strip away the grass, shrubs, trees, etc. and home may still be home for many people. You can flood the house, even to the 2nd floor or attic... and it's still "home" even with the water damage, mud, silt, and debris all over the place.

A "new city" is not home and it could take years, if ever, for it to become "home." Been there, done that.

Despite your overwheming pessimism, everyone has to make choices based on what is best for them, not on what you or anyone else wants them to do.

And some people feel that home could be wherever their loved ones are. I know as long as I have my husband and my kids, home could be just about anywhere.

I guess I don't really see how the OP is pessimistic. I think its a valid question. I can certainly appreciate those who have that deep love for where they live. I personally love where I live too, but I also think I could adapt to a new city pretty easily as long as I had my health and my loved ones by my side.

[Mackey Mouse]

Hey Lucy...

GMTA......loved your previous post, my sentiments exactly.

[snoopy]

Hey Lucy...

GMTA......loved your previous post, my sentiments exactly.

Hiya Ethel. :goodvibes We were posting at the same time. :)

[disney4us2002]

Without the house or job, I'd find no reason to stay here. Family is in NC, WV, IL, FL, NY - none here. I think it could be exciting starting over from scratch. My boys would not be happy about leaving their schools and friends though.

[Puffy2]

To the orginal question, I doubt it. At least if my hometown was destroyed in the way that N.O. has been. I think that those who adjust and find other employment in other states as quickly as possible will be the most successful at "starting over" - plus those that stay in N.O. risk having it happen all over again, and even if it doesn't, what about the complications from water pollution and mould down the road? I wouldn't take my children back into a situation like that.

[Planogirl]

I think that it at least partially depends on where home is. New Orleans is "just" a place in some ways but New Orleans is more than that too. It was always its citizens that mostly made it the unique place that it is. I believe that many of those who say that they won't return actually will once the shock wears off and the city starts to get back on its feet.

As for it happening all over again, yes that's possible. However, people continue to go back to places where bad things happen and there's always a chance of repeat. As for mold and water pollution, those can be cleaned up.

[Tigger_Magic]

To the orginal question, I doubt it. At least if my hometown was destroyed in the way that N.O. has been. I think that those who adjust and find other employment in other states as quickly as possible will be the most successful at "starting over" - plus those that stay in N.O. risk having it happen all over again, and even if it doesn't, what about the complications from water pollution and mould down the road? I wouldn't take my children back into a situation like that. People rebuild in the same places in CA after mudslides and wildfires destroy their homes; people rebuild on oceanfront property after a hurricane blows everything away. People in the midwest rebuilt after the 100-year flooding a few years back.

It's all a matter of choice: some people may pack up and leave, while others choose to stay and rebuild. Everyone has to do what is right in their situation. There's no one right answer (such as pack, leave, get a job at McDonald's and move on) for everyone.