A Village Called Versailles PDF

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Matsumoto, response to questions...

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1. What specific circumstances allowed the Vietnamese community in East New Orleans to rebuild so quickly after the flooding? Following Katrina, the community was able to rebuild so quickly due to their connection to the land, their resilience, and adaptability. The father mentions that the area was the most concentrated area of the Vietnamese and may consider Versailles their home. Since the Vietnamese living in Versailles were from areas close to one another in Vietnam, it was easy for residents to form solidarity. Vietnamese Community Center on the West Bank was used as a point to gather/launching point. The community worked hard to make the homes livable. Personally I feel like a large reason why this was made possible was due to the father’s efforts to reach out to former church growers in areas surrounding New Orleans after the disaster. The father reinitiated having masses 6 weeks after the disaster, many individuals drove 6 hours from Houston. The father’s consistency was a large factor in why people returned to rebuild New Orleans East. Mimi states that the clusterlike mobilization of the Vietnamese community is what allowed outside resources to help so quickly. 2. What effect do you think their earlier experiences as refugees played in the determination of the Vietnamese to return to Versailles? The refugees have been moved around several times, and they saw Versailles as a home. They felt like they were being ripped away from their homes for a second time. Mimi had stated that the conference center reminded her of a refugee camp she had been in the past. I feel like because of the elderly’s earlier experiences as refugees, they have been accustomed to overcoming hardships. One of the elderly stated that he had fled Vietnam with no hope of returning however, he had hopes of returning after the hurricane. They were able to rebuild East New Orleans and persevere because they had lived through much worse and saw Versailles as a home they didn’t want to let go of. New Orleans Land Commission recommended East New Orleans to be used as a green space and Versailles was not included in redevelopment plans. Many elderly community members participated in protests. 3. What lessons might be drawn from the way the Versailles community involved its youth in opposing the landfill? An enhanced C&D landfill area was designated to an area by Versailles posing health risks to community members. The Versailles community involved its youth in opposing the landfill by letting them get involved. Per one of the youth, pre-Katrina the youth weren’t very involved in community meetings. Youth were involved in writing letters, raising awareness within the community, and protesting. In my own experience, I feel many Asian families like to keep the youth out of decision making and “serious” planning. In this case, I feel like involving the youth can have its benefits. The youth can come up with unique solutions and find different ways to implement the plan. 4. Much of the land that makes up New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and East New Orleans is below sea level. How do you feel about the building and development in an area where extraordinary measures are needed for protection against flooding, even in

normal times? I feel like it is extremely necessary. Post Sandy, in New York I participated in dune planting in the Rockaways in the event of future disasters. I feel like this solution was low cost and easy to implement. Why wait until another disaster to fix what could be taken care of today. If dune planting or something similar is implemented today, future costs and the scale of the destruction would not be as large of a factor. 5. Discuss any other reactions you had regarding the film. What new insight did you gain from the documentary? I was in elementary school in Katrina, and while I understood it was a natural disaster, I did not realize the scale of the destruction. Also prior to watching this documentary, I did not know about the Vietnamese Community living in New Orleans. It was saddening to watch the elderly peoples fleeing from the hurricane, after having lived through so much...