Thousands of people forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina have crammed into the New Orleans convention center, where they've had no food, no water and no word on when help would come.
And people are dying.
What is going on there? This is the greatest, richest, most powerful nation on earth. You can put people on the moon, and invade countries on the other side of the world.
Why this chaos? Why the uncoordinated rescue efforts? Heck, why the surprise? Hurricanes have struck before. Surely disaster planners have thought of this sort of thing?
Pull together folks. Fast.
4 comments:
I have to agree with you on this one. I have no idea what the problem is with getting these people help. I can only imagine one of two things.
I understand New Orleans is actually below sea level and sits in a bowl on the delta. I would presume the water is still too high to get any decent truckloads of supplies moving into the city. They are cut off on all directions except the air.
The other possibility I pondered was the perspective of poverty. I believe the people who are stuck and stranded are the most impoverished of the city. The ones with no resources to get out before the storm hit. There is a certain level of entitlement that people in poverty feel. They have never been taught to be self-sufficient and resourceful. They expect everything to be handed to them as it is when they receive welfare checks. It is my guess that they live their lives wondering when they are going to get their next hand-out, so the idea of waiting around in the city until they can be helped is pretty normal.
Now this is going to p*** some people off, but I saw some women on TV today with hungry babies and I thought to myself that I would not sit there and wait. I would find something- anything that could get my and my child out and I would do it. Even if it meant floating on a piece of driftwood with my baby tied to my back and then walking 15 miles. I would get the h*** out, on my own, using my own resourcefulness.
Okay- sorry to hijack the thread!
You know what? I hope I don't sound mean. I am not a mean person. I do have compassion for the people in New Orleans.
I was merely trying to articulate some of my thoughts from today. Hopefully I am not antagonizing anyone. That is not my intent.
The whole thing has had me perpetually on the edge of tears -- not that me being upset matters a tinker's damn at the moment. But the frustration of my helplessness and the utter FURY of the government's apparent helplessness. Where is the NATIONAL RESPONSE for crying out loud? So far the most leadership I've heard of is from Harry Connick, Jr. My GOD, the ignominy!! Maybe there are others, but he's the only one I've HEARD ABOUT!
HOLLYWOOD!! YOU SAVE THE WORLD IN MOVIES -- SEND THE STUNT PLANES TO DROP FOOD!
There are deep sociologic problems underlying much of the tragedy, but right now they don't matter. What matters right now are the old people, the children, the babies, the sick -- and they're all stuck in the filthy hellhole while most of the rest of us sit at a distance and watch them suffer. I wish I could pull them to safety through the television screen.
I want to go out in the street and scream DO SOMETHING DAMN IT. DO ANYTHING. DO IT NOW. But all I can do is blog my frustration.
http://happy_as_kings.typepad.com/
My husband's company is matching funds that are donated, so there is small consolation in that.
I'm also spreading what word I can:
http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/newscomm/
But none of it's enough. And the slowness of response, and the inadequacy of the response is shameful. All while the babies and children and old people are suffering. So I sit and cry.
Well, there are a few things going on here, in my opinion. One, did NO not ever think this might happen? Did they not have a plan already in place?
Secondly, if I hear of one more *tourist* who did not heed the warnings to get out I am going to scream.
Thirdly, some parts of the gov't are responding. The Coast Guard did over 1000 rescues in 24 hours. And they are still going. Search and Rescue in an urban area is the most dangerous there is. Add to that the people shooting at them, and you have a horrid situation.
The media is *not* helping. The Gov't is not responding as it should, but neither are the states affected. It seems like everyone was caught off guard by this. I heard one woman comment that she had moved to Biloxi from Florida to get away from hurricanes. Umm, excuse me, the Gulf gets hurricanes too! I think that things will get better, the military presence may help - they know how to organize many branches of an operation at once.
I feel like they somehow need to go street by street, load people up in boats/trucks/whatever, and take them to safety. Give them water and food, then relocate them to another city. No choice in leaving now - you are going. Now they are trying to rescue, provide shelter and deal with the bodies all in one place. Spread it out a bit to reduce tensions.
Maybe now people will start preparing in advance for natural disasters and heed warnings to get out of town.
My heart breaks for the suffering. My heart especially breaks for the children and the elderly.
Anne
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