Scars We Bear

Today I want to write something about an abstract concept, the scars on people here after that hurricane. I have seen in many people scars, both physical and psychological ones, that have accrued the past 2 months after Hurricane Katrina stryck and nearly destroyed New Orleans.
To say that everyone here has "issues" right now is to say that Taiwanese legislators are "orderly" or that George Bush is "wise". Anxiety and sorrow seem to be our current natural state (for me it is anxiety about the future). Ha! The lines at pharmacy prescription windows in the hurricane ravaged area are longer than those at gas stations (probably because they are seeking anxiety or depression medication).
Uh, everyone here is merely trying to cope. But one observation I have is the sign of differences among the people here. They can be stark, and you can notice that just by looking at someone. In my case, my house, family and work situation were intact when I returned home after the storm. But when I meet a colleague, friend or stranger who has lost everything I begin to feel guilt for having such a relatively small loss.
In a sense, people in New Orleans are either haves or have nots..or ore precisely the haves and once hads. Now we live, work and play alongside each other, feeling uncomfortable in the distinctions between us. How can I, who suffered wind damage that can be repaired, not feel uncomfortable alongside one who's home was totally destroyed by 12 feet of water that sat in the house for 2 weeks and left in a moldy shattered mess?
My past is intact, but the other guy's is lost. Perhaps his daughter grieves at the flooded Barbie dolls, the favorite bike, family pictures etc. Jane lost nothing material. It seems unfair and makes me feel a little guilty. I don't know if there has ever been such a social restructuring in New Orleans, the awkwardness between friends or strangers that was created by the disparate way Katrina treated us.
There are now the haves and had, the lucky and the defeated, the depressed and the destroyed... But grieve not for those who lost everything and must live in a trailer the next 8 months. The great irony is that some of the hads seem happier than the haves. Some have adjusted better than those who had more minor losses. Maybe it helps when you are one of the majority that lost everything, the common bond that those people might have.
Oh well, there is a commonality to this also. None of us knows what the future of our city is, or for that matter, the future of our own families. But we all now seem to be working together more, yes..more unified than before this storm changed our lives. Everyone here is always yelling "Good Luck", and meaning it this time. Out shared burden has changed our perspectives for the better. And there is the change that may led us to some degree of normality during our recovery.