Katrina

Needless to say, my heart, thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of Hurricane Katrina; from the coasts of Florida to the coasts of Louisiana. The suffering that these victims are enduring and will continue to endure for months (maybe years) to come is just unthinkable. And I shudder to think what will become of that great “Crescent City,” New Orleans. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to partake in its great culture on more than one occasion. It was truly one of the most unique cities in this nation, bar none.

This time last week, we had not conceived the realities that many are now being faced with today as a result of this mighty storm. By Thursday evening though, I was actually at a boiling point of anger and frustration at the United States government for its slothful response to the affected areas. Normally a little anger (through an argument, good discussion, or watching the news) is fuel for me to write and post another blog. This time was different though. I was actually so mad that I couldn’t write. My mind kept cycling through all that I’d witnessed on the news all night long. I couldn’t sleep well, but was at the same time physically exhausted due to the emotional duress my mind was encountering due to the things I’d seen. And as I sat in class Friday, very little knowledge seeped in because my brain couldn’t stop thinking about all this.

I’ve cooled down a little and can now communicate coherently, so I will leave you with a few of my thoughts on the whole ordeal.

For the first time in a long time, the media did its job. I think the media really stepped up to the plate and I whole-heartedly believe that they saved many lives. Throughout the week as I watched the news,I was hearing two different messages. Government officials (Michael Chertoff, Michael Brown and the like) were thanking each other on the great job that they were doing in the aftermath of the Hurricane on one side. Then I’d hear news reporters from EVERY news station expressing how they hadn’t seen any government officials, any National Guardsmen or any sign that conditions were getting better for the victims of the storm.

It was not until Thursday evening that I got the full picture, and that was because of reporters like CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and MSNBC’s David Shuster. They were livid and irate about the fact that they hadn’t even seen any help until Thursday evening, 4 days after the storm hit. I think that it was solely because of their coverage that the government finally woke up, and sent the kind of support that should’ve been there by Tuesday, on Friday.

So here’s what I think they did right:
-Evacuated the region projected to be directly in the storm path (including New Orleans)
-Mobilized the Red Cross and FEMA prior to the onset of the storm
-Set up shelters for people to stay at during the storm if they could not leave the city of New Orleans
-Called up the National Guard in the aftermath of the storm to help out in the recovery operations
-Passing the $10 Billion aid package
-Accepting UN aid

Here’s what I think they did wrong:
-Not having an effective way to evacuate poor, sick and ill people from the “bowl” that is New Orleans prior to the storm
-Not calling up enough National Guards sooner (there should’ve been 20,000 National Guards there on Tuesday, not the few hundred that they had; certainly Tuesday was the day to get them there, not Friday). This includes all locations along the coast (Mississippi and Alabama too, not just Louisiana)
-Not having a Zero Tolerance policy for “true” looting and violence (a reality that sadly led to rapes, murders and beatings)
-Not having high-ranking Government Officials on the ground by Tuesday to give an accurate account of the situation to the Government
-Not accepting aid from numerous countries that offered it (in the form of both money as well as physically on the ground) early on
-Not having sufficient supplies for people who followed directions and actually went to designated shelter areas (namely the New Orleans Convention Center)
-Not getting food and water to the victims once it was clear than many people were trapped in New Orleans

This is what I think the real deal is, which may in large part explain how this calamity could happen. This government is stretched far beyond its capabilities both monetarily and militarily. Consider that when we first went into Iraq, General Shinseki said that we needed at least 300,000 troops on the ground to accomplish the mission. He was fired for his comments, we didn’t get the troops we needed, and now everyone knows he was right. SO, if we actually had the troop capacity to do the job there at this moment in time, don’t you think that we would have the 300,000 there now so that we could finish the job (since we know that’s what we need to accomplish the mission)?

Consider the Tsunami. As I recall, when the Tsunami first hit the USA only offered a pittance of money for the relief effort ($15 Million if I’m not mistaken). It wasn’t until we were trumped by much smaller and poorer countries than us that we finally pledged a reputable amount of money. In times past we were leading the way in contributions. Maybe it is that we don’t have the money and only embarrassment served as the catalyst for us to actually sign a check that would spell more financial hardships for this country.

And now consider Katrina. Why in the world wouldn’t we respond to this disaster with the necessary aid that it warranted in a timely fashion? Chertoff was talking about sending 1,400 National Guards a day and I was thinking, “Don’t you mean 14,000 a day?” 1,400 troops a day to aid an area where Millions of people live Mr. Chertoff? Does that even make sense?

So in my opinion, either there is a horrible mathematician in the White House that needs to be fired, or we actually DO NOT have the resources to handle these problems. And I think that’s the dirty little secret that this White House doesn’t want us to know.

Do not be fooled. THIS NATION IS IN A FINANCIAL CRISIS. Make no mistake about it. This reality will become more and more clear in the coming days and months (watch not only gas prices, but also retail prices, the stock market and of course Iraq). There’s no easier way to have a nation crumble than for it to go bankrupt.

Finally, I implore everyone who reads this blog, please do what you can to help out the victims of this storm. If that’s housing victims for a space of time, or raising money to send to the Red Cross (1-800-HELP-NOW), then don’t hesitate. Even if all you can do is send $20, then do that much.

Do not just complain about the pathetic governmental response, or shed a few tears as you watch the news. Get up off your derriere, and this time actually Do Something!

-Maelstrom