Laguna too has disaster victims

Let’s spare a thought for all the disaster victims.

I’m sure I speak for all Lagunans when I say how saddened I feel

when I see the images and hear the stories of victims of Hurricane

Katrina. What awful devastation. In addition to the many deaths

caused by this storm, so many families are now left with virtually

nothing, their houses completely destroyed. While it’s heartening to

see the country, the federal government and the military marshaling

our nation’s resources to help these poor souls, for too many of them

it will be a very long road back to anything resembling normality.

And at the same time, I’d like to not forget the fate of our own

disaster victims here within our community of Laguna Beach. Like the

victims of Hurricane Katrina, they have been victimized by the random

hand of fate and the results of natural events, namely last season’s

rainfall. Sadly, in this day and age, “out of sight, out of mind” is

often the rule.

It’s also true that even all the damage across California caused

by last winter’s storms does not come close to the devastation caused

by Katrina. But for the families directly affected by these events,

there really is no difference. If you’ve lost your home (and your

land) in Laguna Beach, it’s no different than if you’ve lost your

home in Biloxi -- you’ve still got a mortgage payment due on a house

that no longer exists.

Well, actually, it is a little different. The sheer size of the

devastation in the South means that the plight of the folks there

will not be easily forgotten. They will also get the benefit of full

support from both the federal and state governments. For example,

FEMA was setting up support centers before the storm even hit.

But as we have all heard and read, FEMA and the state government

have quietly turned their backs on our neighbors here in Laguna.

There will be no government help for them.

Thankfully, the good citizens of Laguna and our City Council have

risen to the occasion. Together with city-negotiated contributions

from the displaced families, there is now every expectation that the

hillside supporting Flamingo Road will be rebuilt in a permanently

stabilized configuration.

But, like the citizens of New Orleans, our neighbors still face a

depressingly long road back. And for some of the older residents, the

financial burden of rebuilding a home with no government loans will

simply not be a practical option. So please give generously to one or

more of the appeals to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. But the

next time you see a collection box or hear about a fundraiser for the

Flamingo Road victims, please remember them as well.

o7Marcus Noble lives in Bluebird Canyon.

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