Hurricane Katrina...
For the past several days I've been absorbing all of the data flowing in regarding Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that was left in her wake. There were several times that I wanted to blog, but hesitated because my thoughts were not completely clear. I prefer to put some thought into a post like this and avoid unnecessary and definitely unneeded emotional outbursts.
There is no doubt that the effects of this storm has caused one of the worst natural disasters we have ever seen. There is no doubt that the casualties will be numerous and that people continue to suffer considerable physical and emotional trauma (referring to the rapes & murders that have taken place at the Superdome). I do not question this. I feel for them with everything in me and, if I could, I would spend every cent of my paycheck for relief efforts. But the reality is that I can't do that. What I can do is give as much as I can spare to relief efforts for both human and animal, giving up creature comforts this month. I've donated money to the American Red Cross, purchased supplies to go on the trucks, and donated money to the North Atlantic Shore Animal League (or however it's stated) for pet rescues. I have done as much as I can with the resources I have and all that remains is to keep them in my thoughts, offer an encouraging word, and wait to awed by the generosity of Americans for their fellow countrymen. We are a nation rich in compassion for others and the relief efforts being coordinated regionally and nationally will show the true character of America. As an individual, I may not have much effect, but as a nation, we can accomplish great things.
As the initial shock wears off, it is inevitable and expected that people will look for a place to lay blame. They say the response wasn't adequate for this kind of disaster. Hasn't this been said for every disaster we've had? How can anyone truly be prepared to deal with the consequences of a disaster of any magnitude? Even those individuals who don't live in the effected area will suffer a face-to-face image shock and will need a little time to be able to cope and reason again. This is natural. I agree that response could have been faster, but with the quantity of soldiers overseas, people have to expect some delay as we scramble to find available military resources. Those troops called in from California, and even Iowa, could not arrive by plane but have had to DRIVE to New Orleans. That takes longer than 24-hours. Airlines were just today able to start flying in to evacuate citizens.
I also read that the city has received numerous warnings over the years about the unreliability of the levees in a large storm. This is truly a judgement error on the city's part. It's proximity to both a major river and the gulf is very key in maintaining the economic stability of America, not to mention the rich cultural heritage at the city's roots. If, indeed, there is merit in this accusation, the city must accept partial responsibility for this tragedy.
Up until yesterday, I did not have much sympathy for those stuck behind in New Orleans. Having a two-day warning about the probable capability of damage with this hurricase as well as receiving a mandatory evacuation of a major city, those who remained behind were just stupid. How often is there a mandatory evacuation of such a large population?? I think it was very irresponsible and ignorant to not leave at the first opportunity. My opinion was slightly altered after hearing that there were families who were trying to leave, but took too long to pack (just leave it behind people) and, upon departing, could not find any gas left in the city with which to fill their gas tanks. They were stuck. While you want to smack them and ask "What were you thinking?", I don't consider their mistake to be as large as those who thought they could "weather it out". Idiots. Yeah, you lost your homes, your city and any personal family heirlooms that were in your possession, but you could have saved those...if you'd left when you were told. You might even have lost family members, but you could have saved them too. You are responsible for that personal tragedy.
As events continue to unfold, I swing between sympathy, outrage, righteousness and exasperation. I look forward to the time when all have been evacuated and we can return our focus to repairing the damage, leaving behind accusations of blame. Resentment and anger will only delay the healing process. Hope and optimism will rebuild your city.
5 comments:
I would donate money towards the relief if I knew for certain that it wouldn't go towards rebuilding the city. Unfortunately, all involved are pledging to rebuild a city that has been wiped off the face of the map by hurricanes six times in the 1800's and now once in the 2000's.... and it will happen again. If someone built their home in the crater of a volcano, would we have as much sympathy?
My feelings aren't just toward New Orleans but for all those coasts from clear up the Atlantic coast full of multi million dollar homes. One lady in Florida was quoted on television as saying that she hadn't collected insurance money from the previous two homes that were destroyed by hurricanes and she hoped Hurricane Katrina (still in the Atlantic at the time) would level this newly built home!
I'm all for humanitarian relief for those caught up and I'm all for giving them money, but I would make them sign a waiver saying they give up all future rescues or monetary awards should they rebuild and it happen again. We should turn our hurricane prone coasts into green zones, swamps, dunes, etc. that all lessen the impacts of hurricanes further inland.
Giorgio - Those who could not leave were told to go to emergency shelters, something even the poorest were able to do. This was told to them two days before the huricane hit when all public mass transportation was still running. Had they done that, the rescue efforts would have gone much more smoothly. However, they chose to stay in their homes and as a result, many of them died and others are still being rescued.
As I understand, you can write on your donation check that funds are to be used "for food, water & supplies only" and the receiving agency is required to follow your restrictions.
I don't have a problem contributing to rebuilding the city, although I doubt my measly amount will help much. I read this morning that school children will not be able to attend schools for a year as they attempt to rebuild them. If my money goes toward that, I will still consider it to be worthwhile....even if they are crazy enough to rebuild at an elevation below sea level. The children are a high priority in my opinion.
Besides, if they rebuild...I may yet get to see the French Quarter during my lifetime...;)
The French Quarter survived quite nicely, Gidget, mainly because it is in old New Orleans, built where? On the high ground where the original settlers built.
I agree with you Gidget: how does any government respond adequately to a disaster like this?
The initial assessments early after Katrina passed through were "New Orleans dodges the bullet". The hurricane itself didn't do all THAT much damage, and the local officials and FEMA were prepared for that. They were prepared for hurricane damage.
Then the levees broke. After the hurricane passed. NO ONE was prepared for the entire city flooding.
And that's the problem. No on expected this flood, and there was nowhere near enough supplies in the region to deal with it. Not to mention no roads open to access the city and spread relief to the populace.
I think, given what little I know of disaster preperations we do with the local sheriff's department here, that the problem is plain overwhelming and the scope is so massive that there IS no response that could ever be fast enough to satisfy everyone.
We will learn from this, but dang.... an entire major American city flooded? Who is ready for that?
Yeah, I was looking at a map of the city prior to flooding and one post-Katrina...I couldn't help but feel some relief at seeing the minimal flooding of the French Quarter but tried to hide my glee in the face of so much sadness. I'm glad that architecture will survive for the future.
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