Long term effects of Betsy on Lower Ninth Ward
Ida Belle Joshua by Nilima Mwendo, 2003; 4700.1684
National Guard assists New Orleans residents, 1965.
TEMPESTS: Storms in the Archives
Ida Belle Joshua: I moved in the Lower Ninth Ward in 1949. Our goal was to pay for our house, to educate our children, and to travel. And, of course, Betsy came along and interfered with all of those life plans that we had. We watched everything wash away.
Suddenly we heard something under the house go [claps] boom, and I didn't know what it was. And so he ran back in, and he said, "Grab the kids and come on and get in the boat."
My husband and other men who had boats stayed down here for about a week rescuing people and bringing them over to the bridge. And then there were a few Coast Guards that came down and rescued there. I don't remember the number of people that died but it was very far and in between because we still were a community.
And people were . . . you know, if you would pass . . . one time one man around the corner shot a gun up to get our attention and he said, "Please come back and get me." And my husband said, "I'm going to come back." And so they did come back and they brought them and they went over to and put them on the bridge. They went to various shelters.
We could have rode it out if it wasn't for the [levee break] explosion!
Betsy was a crisis that really . . . that really created problems in this area. In some way it created problems, but in other ways it stimulated the activists. Because after Betsy we started fighting for urban renewal. We sent . . We sent representatives to Washington [D.C.] so that we could get legislature here so that we could have some urban renewal.