One symbol that appears to connect New Orleans to Haiti is the blue tarp. As a staple to prevent further damage in a hurricane aftermath, tarps are needed for all homes in areas that experience hurricanes. After Hurricane Katrina, many that stayed in the New Orleans area used these blue tarps on their roofs to protect any damage to the interior of their homes. Aside from Katrina, hurricanes of any strength warrant any use of these tarps in the Gulf area. New Orleans has somewhat of a connection to Haiti, not only from Haitian immigrants that came during their independence revolution but also through the amount of damage caused by natural disasters.
Because of these two connections, the Church of the King in Mandeville held a drive for blue tarps to send to Haiti. The church sent an 18-wheeler truck of supplies to Haiti, with tarps as one of the supplies sent. Many residents in the area, not only for the church but also in the New Orleans area, have tarps on hand. With the hurricane season over, many of these unused tarps can be donated to relief efforts in Haiti to give temporary shelter, much like the way tarps are used around the Gulf after a hurricane.
Aside from the tarp connection, the natural disaster connection between New Orleans and Haiti is also significant. With the Saints making it to the Super Bowl recently, attention to the changes since Katrina are another focus on New Orleans. Mentioned in the linked article above, some of the most significant changes to New Orleans have been to make it more flood protected, including creating elevated homes to survive a flood and storm resistant homes in the Ninth Ward. Additionally, more charter schools to improve the education quality and recovery tours have also come about in rebuilding efforts.
