Another Side to Hurricane Katrina

[Hero]

This is really making me angry and I wanted to see if I'm the only one. I'm sick of people going on the news and saying, "America is racist for not helping us." We've had to send 30,000 armed troops down there to uphold the peace because people are shooting police, setting fired, looting; and the rest of America are in the wrong? Please... It's difficult to just randomly raise billions of dollars and go down there to help. It's going to take time. It's already gunna take 3 months (i think) to get all that water out of there. It's a natural disaster. People don't plan that. The tsunami victims didn't claim racism over the whole world when they were hit by a natural disaster. Everything isn't black & white anymore. The people, only the African Americans, in the hit territory are claiming racism agaisnt the white people. America doesn't have just white people. They need to wake up and spend their time and energy in a better way. The country is trying to help them it's just going to take time. But with them stealing armored trucks (it was on the news) and shooting the police, how are we supposed to help them? People are afraid to go there because they're all in survival mode. The US is on it's way to help, but how are we supposed to help ourselves when those people are fighting back and making racist comments?

 

[Allycat]

Well, in the Tsunami hit area there is mostly just one race and there are no racial tensions, so there's nobody to claim racism.

The whole issue in the US is different, I think. I'm gonna stand by Kanye West in this... in the media, if you see black people, they're looting... if you see white people, they're looking for food. Media, especially in the US are like that.... Outfoxed, anyone?!

Besides the US has a notorious reputation of racial inequality and racial tension (at least it does here.)

Whether or not the US goverment purposely reacted slowly I can't say.... but I totally understand why people would read racism into it, whether just or not.

 

[Anchovy]

Hero, you're my hero. Amen amen, say it again. I mean, folks, let's wake up. It's not just African Americans hit hard by this tragedy. It's not even just poor people. It's EVERYBODY. It's people you wouldn't expect. It's even stuck-up rich white Tulane students (j/k). And claiming that the FEDERAL government is to blame for the high percentage of African Americans affected by the hurricane is just silly. After all, there's a higher population of African Americans in NOLA anyway. Now people probably have a valid point about the media, but I generally dislike the media anyway 😉 And I definitely know of a few people (racist, white supremecist people, but people) who are actually HAPPY about the whole thing, but they're insane. So does America have rascism problems? yes, in many different ways. Does the race of the victims of the hurricane or the race of many people in government have anything to do with the speed and efficiency of aid and cleanup efforts? I don't think so.

 

[SlayersDestiny]

I agree whole heartedly that the media coverage of Hurricane Katrina has swayed the view of many concerning racism and the governments ability to handle this tragedy. Unfortunately its the medias job to report to the masses and many times they will slant a story to make it more appealing. As a society we are more apt to listen to bad news than good and carry it to the next persons ear. Sadly it is the nature of the beast and sometimes I think that media coverage has a tendency to sway other countries opinions of us since it is broadcast all over the world.

 

[killerdwarf]

Hero, you're my hero.

He's mine too, but not for just this...😉

It's even stuck-up rich white Tulane students (j/k).

Anyone you know?😉

Let me just remind people of the logistics of mounting a rescue operation in NOLA. There are basically 2 ways in: I-59 south from Jackson Miss., and I-10 from Slidell, LA. Both of these major highways cross Lake Ponchartrain via huge long causeways reminiscent of the Florida Keys. Both of these causeways were damaged and impassable. I saw footage of collapsed sections of both of them. How do you get trucks and other vehicles over them if they are collapsed? Some Military vehicles can do it, since they have amphibious capabilities...otherwise, it's choppers and boats. Small groups (like n4h's Canuckleheads) can more easily be transported in than larger groups carrying lots of supplies. Additionally, when all communication infrastructure was wiped out, it means exactly that...wiped out. Cell towers were just gone, as were radio towers, etc. And as for different groups not being able to talk to each other, that is the purpose of multi-band radios...to use different frequencies, with no cross over. I wear a Motorola radio every day at work, top of the line, best you can buy, and there is no way it could be used to talk to ANYONE other than people on our system without 12 hours of reprogramming...believe me, I've tried it!😉 Maybe the initial reactions by the government were slow (infighting was a problem), but there is no doubt in my mind that aid would not have been significantly more timely had the reaction been immediate. The INFRASTRUCTURE was DESTROYED...not damaged, destroyed. "You can't run a railroad without rails..."

 

[StuckinTraffic]

Let me just remind people of the logistics of mounting a rescue operation in NOLA. There are basically 2 ways in: I-59 south from Jackson Miss., and I-10 from Slidell, LA. Both of these major highways cross Lake Ponchartrain via huge long causeways reminiscent of the Florida Keys. Both of these causeways were damaged and impassable. I saw footage of collapsed sections of both of them. How do you get trucks and other vehicles over them if they are collapsed? Some Military vehicles can do it, since they have amphibious capabilities...otherwise, it's choppers and boats.

That's exactly it. The military can and has air-dropped supplies, vehicles, equipment and troops in. It's just a matter of time. The screaming of the vocal minority (and by that I don't mean actual minorities, I mean those who are able to capture the mike because their voices are louder than the rest) is, of course, what the media will pick up on. Their view is that conflict makes a good story.

 

[StuckinTraffic]

This email literally showed up in my Inbox as I was posting my reply. Caveat - I have not checked the veracity of this, just posting it here as an interesting addendum to the discussion.

On Friday night before the storm hit Max Mayfield of
the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented
action of calling Nagin (Mayor NO) and Blanco (Gov. of LA) personally to plead
with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of NO and they
said they'd take it under consideration. This was
after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68'
waves before it was destroyed.


President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in
meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting
all of the paperwork required for a state to request
federal assistance (and not be in violation of the
Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency
Act).


Just before midnight Friday evening the President
called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign
the request papers so the federal government and the
military could legally begin mobilization and call up.
He was told that they didn't think it necessary for
the federal government to be involved yet.
After the President's final call to the governor she
held meetings with her staff to discuss the political
ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was
decided that if they allowed federal assistance it
would make it look as if they had failed so it was
agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.
Saturday before the storm hit the President again
called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign
the papers requesting federal assistance, that they
declare the state an emergency area, and begin
mandatory evacuation.

After a personal plea from the President, Nagin agreed
to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full
mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused
to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal
action. In frustration the President declared the area
a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana
did so he could legally begin some advanced
preparations.


Rumor has it that the President's legal advisers were
looking into the ramifications of using the insurgency
act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that a
state request federal aid before the federal
government can move into state with troops - but that
had not been done since 1906 and the Constitutionality
of it was called into question to use before the
disaster.


Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past
decade to NO for levee construction, maintenance, and
repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the
gambling ships. Toss in the investigation that will
look into why the emergency preparedness plan
submitted to the federal government for funding and
published on the city's website was never implemented
and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of
gaining additional federal funding as we now learn
that the organizations identified in the plan were
never contacted or coordinating into any planning -
though the document implies that they were.


The suffering people of NO need to be asking some hard
questions as do we all, but they better start with why
Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid
pack activation documents until Wednesday which
further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard
from adjoining states. Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps
harping that the President should have commandeered
500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his
own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have
over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the
local school busses and the city transportation busses
- but he never raised a finger to prepare them or
activate them.


This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major
city has all but been destroyed and thousands of
people have died with hundreds of thousands more
suffering, but it's certainly not a time for people to
be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to
blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray to
God for the survivors that they can start their lives
anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the
mistakes to avoid them in the future.



Bill Clayton

Ed Bluestein and Parmer Site Services Manager

 

[SlayersDestiny]

Very interesting Miffed, where did you get that email? Seems like someone has done some homework. Thanks for posting it!!

 

[SpikedBuffy]

Anchovy and Hero.... you are now MY heroes!

All I have to say is no matter what freakin color you are... you do not RAPE, SHOOT, YELL AT, DISRESPECT or STEAL from anyone who is a victim like you or anyone who is trying to help you. I know that you are having a hard time what with losing all your possessions, but it's in times of crisis that people should be bonding, not becoming neanderthals without a brain.

Maybe people should quit screamin racism and start screaming manners and logic.

 

[StuckinTraffic]

Maybe people should quit screamin racism and start screaming manners and logic.

Hear, Hear!

SlayersDestiny, you're welcome, a friend of mine who works in another county (I work in county government) sent it to me. I don't know where she got it from, probably just one of those things that gets passed around. I thought the statements were pretty interesting and germane to the conversation. No idea if they are true or not but, if so, they shed light on what really happened. Instead of the media's knee-jerk reaction of blaming the federal government, maybe the residents of NO should be looking closer to home.

 

[killerdwarf]

they better start with why
Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid
pack activation documents until Wednesday

Thanks for posting the e-mail, Miffed. It sure is educational. Keep in mind that the rules have to be followed for stuff like this, and especially when windy politicians see others intruding on their bailiwicks...

Just a quick correction: I-10 and I-55 are the two major routes into NOLA...my excuse is my mapquest map was this big (holds up his fingers pinched together) and it was hard to read. I-59 joins up with I-10 at Slidell, bound for Hattiesburg...A third way in is across the Lake Ponchartrain Tollbridge, which runs right across the middle of the lake...but it was inundated too, by all accounts. So, 3 ways in, all blocked, and if Miffed's e-mail is right, 68 foot waves in the gulf as the storm came ashore. Is it any wonder the papers were being signed BEFORE the storm made landfall?

 

[Wesley's Sylyna]

Honey you have every right to be mad about this.
The ball was dropped and noone did anything for over a week before help was sent.
A lot of people had to take care of themselves. And some where goiving enough to help others before help came.

I want to send my prayers and thanks out to those who have helped, weather just money or gone down there to help those people. They are the heros in this.

That could have easyly been Fl, where I was at, at the time it hit.
If had been Fl, I would still be down there helping people right now.