September 2, 2005
FOUR FOR FRIDAY - THE KATRINA EDITION
Q1: What role, if any, do you feel race and socioeconomic status have played in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing crisis along the United States' Gulf Coast?
Q2: If for one reason or another you were unable to evacuate from your city or town before, during, or immediately after a major natural disaster, and you found yourself without any food, water, or shelter, would you break the law by entering a grocery store and taking food (or a department store to take some new underwear and clothing)?
Q3: From what you've seen on television or heard first- or second-hand, what do you think of the U.S. government's response thus far to Hurricane Katrina and the affected regions in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama? If you were in charge, what would you do differently?
Q4: Do you plan on making a financial contribution to aid in the recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast? If so, will your contribution be higher, lower, or around the same as your contribution to aid in the recovery of other natural or man-made disasters, i.e., the 2005 tsunami, 2001's 9/11, etc.?
Posted by Mikal at September 2, 2005 12:02 AM
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1 This question doen't really mean anything.
2 I would be a Soldier on duty, but yes I would do what is necessary to survive.
3 It seems the hurricaine has highlighted a weakness in disaster planning. On the otherhand you can only plan so much.
4 I will make a financial contribution. In 2001 my contribution was in time and labor.
Q1: This question makes a lot of sense (at least to me it does). I'm betting dollars to donuts that a disproportionate number of the dead, stranded, and dying in Louisiana and Mississippi are trapped--not only by their flooded surroundings--but also by poverty. For the most part, these are people who live paycheck to paycheck without cars, without credit cards, and without the creature comforts and security that a lot of us take for granted. Amid the horrific suffering across the socioeconomic spectrum that Katrina brought to the Gulf Coast, isn't it obvious that more poor people are suffering simply because they have fewer options?
Q2: Yes, I'd be among the looters, and I wouldn't feel one bit guilty as a result.
Q3: Like many people, I believe the federal government's response is a national disgrace. The federal government was slow to pre-position medical and disaster supplies in the Gulf Region, and has been even slower to get federal troops and other disaster workers into places affected by Katrina. Many of our natural disasters are seasonal, and we know that they're definitely going to happen. Money for dealing with the aftermath of these disasters has been siphoned off to deal with terrorism-related activities, which we don't know for sure are going to happen and which often cannot be prevented. The government's change in emphasis--away from emergency management that focuses more on natural disasters than anything else, to an unbalanced focus on terrorism--has weakened the resources available to respond to events like Katrina.
Q4: My financial contribution in the wake of Katrina has been significantly higher than what I contributed during 9/11 and the tsunami.
Q1: I donít think it had a major role, but it is a factor. Mainly socioeconomic, because of all the backwater homes along the Gulf and in the city of New Orleans, I think a lot of the poor did not evacuate, I donít know if they didnít have transportation or if they were afraid to leave.
Q2: I donít know, I would like to think that I wouldnít. But until I am in that situation, I really donít know how I would act when I am cold, hungry and feeling like I have nothing to loose.
Q3: Thatís another hard call; it does seem a little slow but with the magnitude of this disaster I donít know if anyone can really be prepared. I think the size and scope took everyone by surprise. In the coming weeks that will be the test.
Q4: No, I donít plan on making a financial contribution, but I will donate water and food.
One last comment: I do not think they should rebuild New Orleans. I think they should make it in to a national park, Bourbon Street a national historic site, and start buying up all the land that can be affected by the tidal surge to make it also in to a national park.
On Cape Cod, you can pass your land along to your family, but if you want to sell it you have to sell it to the National Park Service. I think that they should do something like that along the Gulf coast, otherwise we will be doing this over and over.
Q1: I think it played a huge role. The uneducated and poor people were the ones who didn't have enough sense to leave. And, since they stay, they can't take responsibility for their own actions and have to blame someone else. The usual mind set of those types of people.
Q2: I wouldn't loot. It's wrong on so many levels. There are other ways.
Q3: The response has been fair. The media coverage is biased. This was the largest natural diaster in history, what did those people expect?
Q4: Mild.
1. I have never been to Louisiana, but I do know that a large population of people in the area where the hurricane hit are of a low economic standing. Many of the people who stayed during the hurricane didn't have much before and are even worse off now. I feel tremendous heartache for their situation and wish that life in the U.S. could be better for those in need. It breaks my heart to see people looting, but when you are desperate, you do what you need to. That's not to say you need to be looting stores for TVs, but if the situation calls for it, you need to take some food and clothing, especially if no help has been provided for the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing and medicine. Every state has it's share of people living in poverty, and unfortunately they are the ones to suffer the greatest in these circumstances, but they are still human beings and need to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve care and the help they need to survive and get their lives back on track.
2. I would definitely take what I needed like food and clothing. Under these circumstances you can't really blame anyone for doing it as long as they aren't hurting others.
3. I think they were slow to act. They can spend billions of dollars on other non-essential crap, but they can't figure out a way to evacuate people in a better way or deliver them the necessary food, water and security they need? It disgusts me and I hope the government comes through for the people of LA and MS.
4. I would like to make a contribution.
I just want to comment about what Dave said above: Just because someone is poor it doesn't mean they don't have "enough sense". They are POOR and don't have the means to leave, do you think they wanted to watch their loved ones drown or die from lack of medication and food? Not all poor people are criminals, they are victims of a society that has marginalized them for so long, the cycle is hard to break. It doesn't mean if one is poor they shouldn't be responsible for their actions, and I'm sure a lot of people are. There are also a lot of "educated" people who are assholes and don't contribute anything to society except greed. It's unfortunate that some people have decided to loot, shoot at others who are trying to help them, and hurt their neighbors because they may think it's to their advantage to do so, but it's not the majority. I hope that one day you don't find yourself in the same situation, because until that day, you have no way of knowing how you will react, especially if your life or the lives of your family members are in jeopardy. Have some compassion.
1. I don't believe race but definetely socioeconomic status yes played a big role... evacuation was not an option for many many familes with limited resources... authorities should have offered at least transportation out of the area...
2. i would for food and medicine that i need at that moment.. not clothes or things i can take just because is there and available...
3. this is a rich country. I can't believe the response has been so slow and so inefficient... i hear more of what red cross or other organizations are doing than what the government is doing... federal rescue efforts need to be led and managed better!
4. yes, higher
dave: 'those types of people?"
1. Much.
2. To save my life or my children's lives, yes. Of course.
3. Pitiful. Disgraceful. Sinful. What would I have done if I were in charge? Everything.
4. I have. Different.
Q1: The group I worked with was primarily poor. They were job jumpers and laborers. They were mixed in race and background. I believe socio-economics did play a role. I don't believe that race played a role. Unfortunately, New Orleans has taken the spotlight and the folks that fit that socio-economic mix are primarily black. The area that I'm in, Bay St. Louis, had a very even mix across the color line, but a very similar makeup to New Orleans along the economic line.
Q2: I would loot to survive. If I was strong enough, then I would create a working shelter with the effciency of the shelter I happened upon.
Q3: The role of the Feds has been fabulous, but a little late. As the residents here say, "Where were they on Tuesday?" The National Guard was here in small numbers, and they were immediately setting about to clear roads for Search & Rescue crews. However, the full force that was brought to bare by the following Monday (Labor Day) was a waste of ill placed resources. Communication will be the primary take-a-way from this event. Even today, commuincation between counties is strained. Cell phones are spotty and land lines are a tired joke. If I were in charge, I would work with all the various private and public organizations to organize a method for incoming civilian help. I would ensure that they all had a set of three 800 numbers: Donation, Information, and In-person Volunteers. Then, I would make sure that one of the first Natl Guard units was a comm unit that could work with local authorities to get them up and running on 800MHz, ASAP. This topic could be a dissertation, but those are some bullet points.
Q4: Unfortunately, I made a contribution to the Red Cross. The contribution was higher than my previous contributions. The Red Cross will have to prove to me that they have changed their leadership and solidified their mission before I give them another dime. (I've been in Hancock County Mississippi, the hardest hit area, and I've seen the way the Red Cross treats the survivors...disgusting.)
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