I haven't written about the disaster in the Louisianna/Mississippi areas because there really isn't much to say. It was a horrible mess that could have been prevented if their government had really bothered to be prepared.
It's a sad fact of life that governments rarely plan ahead. Each regime does what they need to do if the reward is tangible and immediate. It's a lot harder to justify spending money, time and energy on a project that may help mitigate a disaster in an unforseen future, when you can hope that the next people in power will be saddled with the problem.
The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks are a classic example of this way of thinking. Everyone knew it was coming, and most politicos knew that the World Trade Center was a strategic goal for the terrorists. *I* did, and I'll bet that you did, too. Yet, everyone kept hoping that they wouldn't have to deal with it. The truth is that if such an event is a known eventuality, everyone needs to be ready for it.
Now, due to their states' ill-preparedness, there are many lives and futures lost and many people who were lulled into a false sense of security. It will mean that Federal money and resources will have to be used for states that should have been planning for this all along.
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This is from letters to the editor of the St Pete Times. It is a thought...
"Hurricane Katrina gives us yet another reason to challenge the conventional practice of building - and rebuilding - in hazardous coastal zones. I think we should question the wisdom of rebuilding at all in hazardous areas like the Mississippi waterfront. Specifically, I am referring to waterfront residences and vacation retreats. Should we really rebuild and return to normal? Our "normal" level of vulnerability is unacceptable, and rebuilding in the same vulnerable locations will only result in another tragedy in the future.
What is worse is that Americans living in nonflood zones are footing the bill for this reconstruction. Whether it be through subsidized national flood insurance, or the ready availability of federal disaster recovery dollars, Americans living in nonflood areas are forced to foot much of the cost of reconstruction for commonly wealthy coastal dwellers.
The ever-increasing losses from hurricanes will not end until we understand that disasters are as much human as they are natural in origin.
-- Ronn Raszetnik Jr., Seminole "
But in fairness...How the hell do you REALLY plan for something like this? I won't take away from what I think is absurdity in living on the oceans edge below the oceans level, but it's been there for a couple hundred years and has been just fine. And if you watch the news, they say if the hurricane had gone the other side of New Orleans and blown the other direction, this wouldn't have happened. How do you plan for something like this? It's such a rare event that there's nothing you can do. In disaster planning, this is wayyyyyy beyond the scope of what could have ever been reasonably expected even by the definition of a disaster.
Ur blog seems interesting and well layed. Some good posts too. However, I'll tell ya one thing, most fast food companies give (1) unhealthy fatty food (2) will destroy your life (3) will destory the world. Well, ok, I admit that's a bit extreme but the entire industry cares about quick returns on investment and are killing people's health. I hate KFC, I'd rather eat my own hand. ;-)
It is devestating that people in our country, the richest nation of the world, are dying of dehydration and starvation. It's also important to remember that he Governors of these states are saying that they HAD plans, but could not carry them out because of the lack of National Guard and Reserve forces due to the war.
PC - I am sorry, but is there nothing that you do not attribute to the war in Iraq and George Bush? With regard to dying of dehydration and starvation I, along with everyone reading this blog, have seen the reports and the all out efforts being made by government, citizens, organizations, etc. There are many heroes out there. No one in government is trying to impede efforts to get in quick and help bring some relief to the victims of this horrible natural disaster.
Please, show some restraint and set aside your vendetta. It is wrong to politicize this tragedy. There is work to be done and lives to save! These poor souls need allot more than you have to offer.
I wasn't going to say anything, but I am glad you did Kathleen.
On the radio this morning one of the hosts commented that she wondered how long it would take to blame the Democrates or Republican and make a hurricane political. She stated it became political in about 45 seconds.
Sometimes it isn't about blame, who did what to who, or when it started. Some things are what they are, and this is one of those things.
My thought and my prayers are with everyone exeriencing this disaster!
Bravo Kathleen. Ditto.
I can't help wondering what would've happened if the government had paid for everyone to evacuate before the hurricane hit. It seems like it would've saved a lot of money in the long run (not to mention lives). But hindsight is 20/20.
Michelle's point about rebuilding in hazardous areas is certainly a valid one. I can't help wondering about that myself.
Saur, all I can say is that hindsight is almost perfect. The problem is that given the exact same circumstances again, we would do the exact same thing. As an example, have any of us given any thought to the moneys that have not been appropriated to better earthquake prediction the last 10 years? Just a thought
As regards the comments about rebuilding in dangerous places. GREAT POINT! The circumstances that drove a particular location do not necessarily apply any more and if a place has to be rebuilt, maybe it makes sense to do somewhere safer. In the wake of the floods along the Mississippi in the early 90's whole towns have been relocated to higher ground. It made more sense then rebuilding and waiting for the next flood to destroy it again
I'm glad those floods were brought up. I remember flying over them and thinking that it looked like the ocean was growing rooftops. From the air, as far as you could see, there was nothing but water with rooftops growing from it. The destruction was far more widespread and far more destructive but some of the things that make this different are:
1. Unrelenting news coverage. There was not this sort of news coverage 13 years ago.
2. The damage was spread out over a very very large area. This is relatively concentrated and easier to report on.
3. The floods didn't result in a large loss of life. I don't think there were more than twenty total but I don't exactly remember. This one...who really knows how many died and who knows how many will die.
4. The flood water receded relatively fast. The flood water in New Orleans will take a very long time to get rid of. The rest should drain relatively quick on it's own.
5. The floods had no real economic impact on the rest of the country so nobody outside that sphere of damage really cared. Sad to say it, but it's true. The economic impact of this is immediate and significant and is and will be very well publicized and therefore, since it is a me me me society, we all care tremendously.
6. The floods weren't George Bush's fault. The floods were dealt with and none of the disgusting politicizing you began seeing almost immediately occured. It's already been mentioned here so no need to mention it, but it is disgusting and repugnant. I'd personally like to beat the hell out of Al Sharpton until he died a slow painful death for trying to be on the news making this a black thing. Making comments that things aren't moving fast enough because it is a black community and weer it a white community, aid would be faster does nothing but hurt everyone and personally, I think it deserves a death sentence because that is more fucked up than anything I have heard thus far and I have heard some pretty fucked up stuff. Sad. Just plain sad.
7. After the floods, there was not the sort of bullshit you see and hear reports about going on. Looting to survive is one thing, but big screen tv's and nikes? Give me a break. The gangs going around raping and murdering that reports are coming out about...this is too much. Since when did we become islamic? We condemn it when it happens overseas and here we are doing it ourselves. Sad. Just plain sad. And really, what's the point in shooting at the people trying to save you and then being pissed there isn't enough being done to help you? idiocy like that is going to hurt to inocent ones more than anything because who can you trust there anymore? How do you seperate the good from the bad? What's wrong with these people? Maybe it's just me because I personally just can't manage to place my mind in the reality that those people are in. Were I there, I'm not exactly sure I wouldn't act different. I've never been in a situation like that of complete and utter hopelessness.
8. The people that were flooded had been flooded before and knew to get out. The folks of New Orleans seem, to me, to have not taken all the warnings very seriously. It's not really that they couldn't leave per se. It's more that they chose not to because they didn't believe it was going to be as bad as it was. And, in some ways they were right. The storm itself really wasn't so bad at least as far as New Orleans is concerned. It's all the things that happened AFTER the storm that are making it so bad. The levee break was unfathomable to most people. Who'd a thunk it? Were it me there, I probably would have chosen to ride it out too. To make it worse, they knew it hit florida and wasn't so bad. Even though it was pretty well covered that it was getting much much worse in the gulf, not that many people really are news whores like I am and probably didn't follow it so much. Storm's coming but so what? It wasn't that bad in florida so no need to worry. At least that's the impression I get but then again, what the hell do I know?
There's some things to talk about. I need to do some work at the job. Until later...
And one more quick thought...
Paying to evacuate all those people would have done nothing to aleviate all the costs of rebuilding and salvage that will ensue in the storm's aftermath. The only thing it may have saved will be lives.
This tragedy makes me so sad.
So many innocent people without homes, lives, family members, jobs, belongings.
It is unbeliavable.
I know that many of you who normally agree with me may disagree with me on this. I posted a slightly different version of this in Polanco's blog too:
As a nation, we have been ill-prepared for disasters and continue to be. That doesn't mean that we need to be ready for every scenario, but we could be better than we are.
For instance, I think it is very odd that we don't have enough helicopters for such a national disaster, and another country (China) is having to loan us some. I suppose our copters are overseas in Iraq? I don't know.
And this leads me to the next point. Those of you who know me realize that I'm a moderate. Overall, I dislike George Bush however (for various reasons I can get into at another time). Please understand I don't dislike him because of his supposed religious beliefs, but I dislike many of his policies. I also think that a man with an average intellect (at best) could be very nice, but at the same time ill-suited to be at the helm of the United States. (Note: I didn't like Clinton either, but had different reasons.)
So now that I've prefaced all this, I'd like to say that I do believe that Bush has handled this poorly. One of the first scenes we saw was of him stepping out of a helicopter with his dog in his arms to address the survivors. Now, these are survivors who are starving and would probably rather eat that dog than see it. They also had lost all their pets. Every one of them. Where were Bush's handlers on this one?
Also, the feds allowed Louisianna's corrupt governments to carry on, unchecked. While monies were being sent to Louisianna to shore up the levees and dams, they weren't getting spent on them. Now it is a federal problem due to Louisianna's lack of accountability. How much of this was Bush's fault? Let's just say that if something is allowed to happen, it's as bad as doing it yourself, IMHO.
It has been asked why they didn't forcefully evac people. That might have been something that wouldn't have been tolerated then. Now, after people have seen how destructive hurricanes can be, policies may change. But can you imagine the hue and cry there would've erupted if they'd shown poor black people and the elderly being forced onto buses and shipped out? So that wouldn't have been a solution, though it may be in the future.
I am also not sympathetic to those who chose to stay behind. That's right, chose to. Even the poorest people have radio and/or TV and can afford a bus pass out of the city. They figured they knew better, and look at the price they paid. Some of them also probably stayed so that they could take advantage of the situation in the aftermath (i.e. looting).
This is showing us true human nature, and also just how ill-prepared the government is. Our forces are stretched to breaking point because they are "needed" in so many other places besides the U.S.
Mr. Gator, *LOL* Being educated has nothing to do with manners, dear. But, I believe it's always nice for us to open the doors for others (male or female). If you opened the door for me, I would say 'thank you' most graciously and grace you with a smile.
Jeff, Overall, I'm in agreement with your assessment. I know that I would not have chosen to ride out the storm, but I also would've kept going north, trying to get a hotel room that would hold up. It's a tragedy of epic proportions, though. I don't think it's Bush's fault either (we agree there too) but I do think that things could've been handled better.
Barbara, I know. And I worry about you and my uncle and cousins who live in CA. I keep hearing that 'The Big One' is coming and I hope to god it's not right.
Mallory, Michelle, and AP3, I do agree with you wholeheartedly. No one should be allowed to rebuild there again. It should be turned into a vast parkland, perhaps, as a memorial to those who died there. But any residential rebuilding needs to take place above sea level and to stricter hurricane code.
Fred, Kathleen, and Polanco, your contributions are always of value. Thank you. I think it's true that none of it is Bush's fault, but some of it does fall on the shoulders of the Louisanna polticians (see my note above). And I do think Bush could be handling it better. It's now too little, too late.
The Inquisitive Hand, thanks! Glad to 'meet' you. I agree that KFC is reallllyyyy greezy (when it's that greasy you have to say it with a 'z'). ;o)
I hate that the blame game gets going like wildfire and things like this become political.
I just wish to God those people would have evacuated and those that refused would have been forced to, and those that couldn't would have been rounded up in buses and driven away from immediate danger.
Of course, if a forced evac. would have happened, and the hurricane didn't cause such devastation, then people would have been bitching and moaning to no end about being forced to leave.
I support those who are doing what they can to help those in desperate need, God bless them all.
TC,
I always like to read what you have to say. I hear you loud and clear.
Rotting corpses in the streets, chaos everywhere, people shooting at cops, 5 days later the supplies and assitance turned up and the richest nation in the world was made to look like some backwater.
Glad to see Bush has got his priorities straight.
Dan, yup, you're right. Sad. And, as The Lazy Iguana posted elsewhere, Canada has offered to help and could have med tents and all sorts of aid to us tomorrow, but Bush is holding them off (doesn't look good for him if foreign countries are coming to our aid...) His pride is damaging us terribly.
I have a good story to share...
The company I work for is HCA, Hospital Corporation of America. Hospitals are everywhere, St. Petersburg General, Largo Medial Center, Ed White, Northside, and many other states.
HCA had to evacuate two hopitals. At the Company's expense 20 helecopters were hired, including a Blackhawk and another military helecopter that holds 30. (Forgive me for my non-military knowledge and non-helecopter knowledge.) Anyway, HCA evacuated about 200 patients and 1200 employees with family members.
After our patients, employees and family were evacuated HCA, at their expense, sent these 20 helecopters to Charity hospital and the other state hospital in need of evacuation and helped evacuating their patients and employees.
I watched and watched TV Friday night to hear this on the news. NOTHING. All I heard was a story from Charity Hospital that the government finally got boats in and the hospitals were evacuated. No mention of HCA.
To top all of this off HCA will have 3800 employees on payroll indefinately. HCA will relocate any of these 3800 employees to work in another facility if they want.
So many horrible stories, I finally had to share this. Below is a news article I found by searching on google.
http://biz.yahoo.com/
bizj/050902/1159953.html?.v=1
It's so sad what has happened, but we are coming together as a country (without the government) and helping these people who have lost everything. Here in Austin, TX they are taking people into the Convention Center and counseling them, as well as setting them up with food stamps and MedicAid before they can leave. The org. I worked with this weekend (Fri-Mon.) placed over 200 people in homes with families willing to take people in. We have another 2500 homes willing to take people in. I am just amazed that we have come together the way we have!
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