Houma Nation aerial survey reveals total devastation

[Blackbear]

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FROM: INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY NEWSPAPER

_http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411578_
(http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411578)

Houma Nation aerial survey reveals total devastation

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Posted: September 15, 2005 by: _Brenda Norrell_
(http://www.indiancountry.com/author.cfm?id=448) / Indian Country Today
GOLDEN MEADOW, La. - United Houma Nation tribal officials and
representatives of the National Congress of American Indians surveyed Houma tribal
communities on the Louisiana coast by helicopter and found communities blown away
and under water.

In Plaquemines Parish, the 40-member Houma community known as ''The
Village'' was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; and the community of
Boothville, adjacent to Venice on the tip of the peninsula southeast of New
Orleans, was devastated by flooding.

''What we saw there is just heartbreaking, total devastation,'' said Houma
Principal Chief Brenda Dardar Robichaux of The Village, which was beyond the
protective levee. ''It was all blown away. Everything is gone.

''If you didn't know the area, you wouldn't know that there was anything
there before,'' she told Indian Country Today on Sept. 14, one day after the
aerial survey.

Surveying Boothville, the team found Houma Vice Principal Chief Michael
Dardar's trailer home flooded to the windows.

Further, Dardar's home had been moved by the floodwaters and was lodged
between two trees. His mother's home was gone and his daughter's home flooded.

''This is kind of hard to put into words,'' Dardar said. ''I'm 43 years old
and have been in this community for the majority of my life. I saw Hurricane
Camille come through in 1969 when I was a kid, and to see it now with the
eyes of an adult - it is heartbreaking.

''It is like losing your balance - you lose your sense of direction because
you have lost contact with the ground.''

Dardar left during the mandatory evacuation of Plaquemines Parish on Aug. 27
before the hurricane hit two days later. Now, the homes of 400 tribal
members are underwater in his community of Boothville, adjacent to Venice on the
peninsula southeast of New Orleans.

The homes of another 650 Houma tribal members are underwater in St. Bernard
Parish. Still, other homes of tribal members have sustained water and flood
damage in Jefferson, Plaquemines and Orleans parishes.

Dardar said he can only look ahead to the cleanup and recovery. ''I've lived
in Venice for 40 years and I can't see living any place else.''

In the low-lying bayou at the tip of the Louisiana coast, Robichaux said the
levee failed and the water pumps could not keep up with the surge of water
during the hurricane.

Robichaux said 3,400 Houma tribal members are either homeless or their homes
have been damaged. It has not been determined whether any lives were lost.
The tribe continues to search for tribal members in shelters and is asking the
American Red Cross and church shelters to help.

''It is our concern that a lot of tribal members in shelters may not be
receiving the help they need because of language and cultural barriers.''

As Houma officials struggled to locate Houma tribal members in shelters
across the nation, Robichaux said, ''We are struggling so we don't lose a part of
our heritage and who we are.

''We still have tribal council members at evacuation sites out of state. It
is still a frustration trying to find out where our tribal members are,'' she
said, adding that only about one-half of the council members have been
located.

Robichaux sent the tribe's gratitude to Indian country. ''We really
appreciate the well-wishes and support that has been given to our nation. We ask for
continued prayer and support.

''It is just heartbreaking to see these communities this way. We are very
fortunate that NCAI was with us and could see the challenges we face in
rebuilding our communities.''

NCAI Communications Director Adam McMullin and NCAI Director of Emergency
Management Robert Holden released a report from their visit to the United Houma
Nation on the following day, as they arrived on Mississippi Choctaw tribal
lands on their tour of the Gulf Coast region.

McMullin and Holden described the hot meal of crawfish etouffe with tribal
members meeting at Robichaux's home and the reports of devastation.

''My home is under nine feet of water,'' said Hope Larios, a member of the
tribal election committee living in St. Bernard Parish. ''I haven't been able
to return, but I am fortunate enough to have been given a place to stay.''

NCAI said the 3,400 affected tribal members live in St. Bernard,
Plaquemines, Orleans, and Jefferson parishes, all suffering varying degrees of damage.

''But regardless of the extent of the damage, it is clear that the people of
the Houma Nation need help and need it now,'' Holden said.

Tribal officials have expressed frustration at the lack of attention paid by
both federal and state emergency management officials to Native people whose
lives were changed by Katrina.

NCAI is currently visiting Indian tribes in the Gulf Coast region to assess
damage in an effort to distribute relief funds to the tribal communities that
need it most.

''The people of this tribal community are in the midst of the largest
natural disaster in the country, but I don't think they will let the impact destroy
their sense of community as they are reaching out to each other to share
homes, food and inner strength,'' said Holden.

''To see the aftermath of Katrina is really sad, but several tribal members
seemed to have lifted spirits knowing that Indian country as a whole is
inquiring on their well-being and is now reaching into their hearts and their
pockets to assist in the relief effort.''

NCAI President Tex Hall said tribes on the Gulf Coast would not be
forgotten.

''The hurricane's destruction has touched all of us and reminded us that all
Native Americans have a responsibility to care for each other. So you can
bet that NCAI is going to stick with the Gulf tribes and see this through
together with them.

''I have already sent our own staff to the Gulf to meet with the tribes and
bring back a first-hand report so we can get working right away.''

[Blackbear]

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This Message Is Reprinted Under The Fair Use
Doctrine Of International Copyright Law:
_http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html_
(http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html)
************************************************** ************

FROM: INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY NEWSPAPER

_http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411560_
(http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096411560)

Houma Nation homes underwater

(javascript:PrintWindow();) Posted: September 13, 2005 by: _Brenda
Norrell_ (http://www.indiancountry.com/author.cfm?id=448) / Indian Country Today
Houma officials search for tribal members as NCAI arrives to survey
damage

GOLDEN MEADOW, La. - Houma Nation tribal officials believe the homes of at
least 1,000 tribal members are underwater and the homes of thousands of other
tribal members have structural damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina on the
coast southeast of New Orleans.

United Houma Nation Principal Chief Brenda Dardar Robichaux met with
representatives of the National Congress of American Indians and prepared to survey
tribal communities by air on Sept. 13, as the search for tribal members
continues.

Of the 15,000 Houma tribal members, at least 3,400 have been affected by
Hurricane Katrina.

Robichaux said it was the first time the United Houma Nation, which is a
state-recognized tribe, has received representatives and support from NCAI.

''I can see we will have a great working relationship,'' Robichaux told
Indian Country Today after meeting with NCAI on the night of Sept. 12.

''We have tribes and Indian organizations that have come to our rescue. They
have been very, very supportive. That is not the case with the federal
government,'' Robichaux said.

As Houma officials struggled to locate Houma tribal members in shelters
across the nation, Robichaux said, ''We are struggling so we don't lose a part of
our heritage and who we are.

''We still have tribal council members at evacuation sites out of state. It
is still a frustration trying to find out where our tribal members are,'' she
said, adding that only about one-half of the council members have been
located.

''My home is underwater,'' Houma Vice Principal Chief Michael Dardar told
ICT after the meeting with NCAI. ''The water is up to the rooftop.''

Dardar left during the mandatory evacuation of Plaquemines Parish on Aug. 27
before the hurricane hit two days later. Now, the homes of 400 tribal
members are underwater in his community of Boothville, adjacent to Venice on the
peninsula southeast of New Orleans.

The homes of another 650 Houma tribal members are underwater in St. Bernard
Parish. Still, other homes of tribal members have sustained water and flood
damage in Jefferson, Plaquemines and Orleans parishes.

Dardar said the Houma have long been labeled by others as the ''hidden
nation'' and ''the forgotten people.''

''Never has this been truer. All of a sudden we are receiving a lot of
attention, but people really don't know who we are.''

After expressing his appreciation to American Indians coming to the Houmas'
aid, he said, ''But as far as the U.S. government goes, we are in the same
position we have always been in.''

The United Houma Nation, located in the oil-rich bayou lands, has battled
for federal recognition for more than 20 years.

Hope Larios, Houma tribal member and election committee member, was at work
as manager of the Hilton Hotel in New Orleans after the hurricane hit. When
she evacuated two days later, she feared for her safety.

The mother of two and grandmother of three children did not return to her
home in Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish before she drove out of the city of New
Orleans.

Now the situation is dismal for her home and belongings.

''The water is over the top of the roof,'' Larios told ICT on Sept. 12.
''Now there is an oil spill, which is contaminated. We were told today that it
would be four months before St. Bernard Parish is livable.''

The oil spill at the Murphy refinery spread into communities. Larios said
parish officials told residents that they did not know when people would be
allowed to collect personal items. Because of health concerns, residents were
warned they would not be allowed back to their homes without an array of
immunizations and safety equipment.

''They also said they want to bulldoze our homes,'' Larios said.

Larios is with one of her sons and his family, staying south of New Orleans,
while the other son is in Houston.

When asked for her message to others, Larios said, ''I think people should
count their blessings every day, have a lot of patience and be strong in
spirit.''

Robichaux said the Houma once lived in what is now New Orleans, and a plaque
at Louie Armstrong Park states that the area was once their ceremonial
grounds. The Houma migrated south and southeast of New Orleans and the majority
settled in Terrebonne Parish.

While there are clusters of tribal homes in communities along the coast, in
recent years some Houma have migrated back toward the urban area to secure
better education opportunities for their children.

''These people were devastated by Hurricane Katrina,'' Robichaux said.

Troubled by the oil spill moving toward Houma homes and frustrated in the
search for tribal members, Robichaux is concerned about rebuilding. ''A lot of
our tribal members had little or no insurance.''

Still, Robichaux said the outpouring from American Indians and NCAI has
given Houma tribal members hope.

''We are so grateful. Their good will and lots of prayers will get us
through this.''

During the roundtable discussion on Sept. 12, NCAI representatives discussed
how to locate Houma tribal members in shelters across the nation and how to
assist them in obtaining necessary paperwork for Federal Emergency Management
Agency and other assistance.

Still, Robichaux braced for the dismal scenes ahead as she prepared to view
by air the area where homes were underwater, accompanied by NCAI
representatives, on Sept. 13.

''We will be seeing our communities for the first time.''

The tribe has established a fund to help its members hit by the hurricane:
United Houma Nation Hurricane Relief, 20986 Highway 1, Golden Meadow, LA
70357.