Katrina: A Year Later
As most of us know in this country, on this day last year Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. We've seen the devastation that this storm did to New Orleans and Mississippi and sadly a lot of that remains. I was listening to the radio this morning like I usually do on the way in to work and they were talking about how Americans want an immediate solution to whatever problem they are having. Well that's true. Americans want to get over it and move on as soon as possible. Replace what they lost...in many cases that isn't possibly considering the death toll. I was thinking "What if it was me down there?" "What if I was one of the hundreds, maybe thousands, that were stranded there on a roof top or in the Super Dome?" I would want to be able to go back home too. Who can blame people for wanting to go home? Many of them don't have a home to go to and are living in trailers in places they've never been before.
Unfortunately it becomes more and more apparent, at least to me, that race and economics played a huge part in the devastation of New Orleans. A lot of people would like to disagree and say that white people felt the effects of Katrina and lost a lot too. Well yes, that's true, but look at most of the victims that lost EVERYTHING. They are predominantly poor blacks. The Ninth Ward, a predominantly poor black neighborhood, was the hardest hit by the flooding. Look at most of the photos showing rooftop rescues and pictures taken at the Super Dome. You will see that the overwhelming majority of the people in those picutres are African Americans. I know it was a storm and no one could control it but there were ways to avoid some of the problems that caused the flooding like proper maintenance of levees and better evacuation strategies. In the aftermath of Katrina it's blantantly obvious that there were serious errors committed by government officials on every level; from the city's evacuation to FEMA's slow response. I look back at the pictures from this day last year and can't help but feel for these people. The pictures speak for themselves. The one that sticks out to me the most was one in Time Magazine. It was a sort of aerial shot of part of New Orleans and in the flood waters was the body of a woman...just floating there while people on the bridge looked on. There wasn't anything they could do...she was obviously dead. I can still see that picture clear as day in my head.
So here we are a year later and what's been done? Well the French Quarter has been reopened and the Super Dome has been fixed. Both are huge tourist attractions. I know the reasoning behind reopening the tourist spots brings in money but I can't help but think about the thousands of people that are still waiting to go back home. Many of them didn't have flood insurance. Many of them didn't own the homes they lost. It just seems to me that if it was me I would want to help the residents first before trying to attract tourists. It's called compassion. Like I said before many of these people lost everything and are currently living only because of the kindness of others yet the government seems so slow and reluctant to help these people. I know people should be able to help themselves but there are many out there that don't have the means to do so and no one is there helping them out. I'm getting preachy and yeah there isn't a lot that the average American can really do on a grand scale that will help these people. They can give money to the Red Cross and various other foundations but more often than not that money doesn't always go where you want it to go. It's a rough situation and unfortunately I don't see anyone coming up with a solution in the near future. I think it's going to take years and years to clean up and rebuild. Just look at the WTC site. It's been almost 5 years and people are still cleaning up. It's going to be a long process but I think there are ways to help alleviate the burden resting on the shoulders of many New Orleans residents.
Instead of spending billions and billions on a war, wouldn't it be wise to funnel some of that cash to the people of the Gulf Coast? I think that's an excellent idea. Sadly it's not going to happen. You know what else bugs me? There are many people in this country that are so gung ho for this war saying that we should spend more money on it to get the job done but when it comes to helping out victims of Katrina, they say that they're getting enough aid. If that were true, people would be moving back into New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Katrina turned New Orleans and Mississippi into a war zone. We should be demanding that Congress do something and give those people back part of what they lost. I know money can't replace a life and many people lost their lives and many lost family but it would help them rebuild and get back some sort of semblance of normalcy. They won't forget but shouldn't they be able to get over it and start fresh? That's just a thought.
Unfortunately it becomes more and more apparent, at least to me, that race and economics played a huge part in the devastation of New Orleans. A lot of people would like to disagree and say that white people felt the effects of Katrina and lost a lot too. Well yes, that's true, but look at most of the victims that lost EVERYTHING. They are predominantly poor blacks. The Ninth Ward, a predominantly poor black neighborhood, was the hardest hit by the flooding. Look at most of the photos showing rooftop rescues and pictures taken at the Super Dome. You will see that the overwhelming majority of the people in those picutres are African Americans. I know it was a storm and no one could control it but there were ways to avoid some of the problems that caused the flooding like proper maintenance of levees and better evacuation strategies. In the aftermath of Katrina it's blantantly obvious that there were serious errors committed by government officials on every level; from the city's evacuation to FEMA's slow response. I look back at the pictures from this day last year and can't help but feel for these people. The pictures speak for themselves. The one that sticks out to me the most was one in Time Magazine. It was a sort of aerial shot of part of New Orleans and in the flood waters was the body of a woman...just floating there while people on the bridge looked on. There wasn't anything they could do...she was obviously dead. I can still see that picture clear as day in my head.
So here we are a year later and what's been done? Well the French Quarter has been reopened and the Super Dome has been fixed. Both are huge tourist attractions. I know the reasoning behind reopening the tourist spots brings in money but I can't help but think about the thousands of people that are still waiting to go back home. Many of them didn't have flood insurance. Many of them didn't own the homes they lost. It just seems to me that if it was me I would want to help the residents first before trying to attract tourists. It's called compassion. Like I said before many of these people lost everything and are currently living only because of the kindness of others yet the government seems so slow and reluctant to help these people. I know people should be able to help themselves but there are many out there that don't have the means to do so and no one is there helping them out. I'm getting preachy and yeah there isn't a lot that the average American can really do on a grand scale that will help these people. They can give money to the Red Cross and various other foundations but more often than not that money doesn't always go where you want it to go. It's a rough situation and unfortunately I don't see anyone coming up with a solution in the near future. I think it's going to take years and years to clean up and rebuild. Just look at the WTC site. It's been almost 5 years and people are still cleaning up. It's going to be a long process but I think there are ways to help alleviate the burden resting on the shoulders of many New Orleans residents.
Instead of spending billions and billions on a war, wouldn't it be wise to funnel some of that cash to the people of the Gulf Coast? I think that's an excellent idea. Sadly it's not going to happen. You know what else bugs me? There are many people in this country that are so gung ho for this war saying that we should spend more money on it to get the job done but when it comes to helping out victims of Katrina, they say that they're getting enough aid. If that were true, people would be moving back into New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Katrina turned New Orleans and Mississippi into a war zone. We should be demanding that Congress do something and give those people back part of what they lost. I know money can't replace a life and many people lost their lives and many lost family but it would help them rebuild and get back some sort of semblance of normalcy. They won't forget but shouldn't they be able to get over it and start fresh? That's just a thought.
posted by Kyleen at 5:05 AM
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