Some thoughts on the one-year anniversary of Katrina
Consider these two scenarios:
1. A group of amoral, compulsively religious, insane Islamic extemists mow down the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon, kill around 3,000 Americans, and do major damage to the national economy and the national spirit.
2. A group of amoral, incompetent, careless, negligent, clueless, dishonest scumbags are responsible for the deaths of hundreds (1,600 in Louisiana alone) of Americans, not to mention leaving thousands homeless, financially devastated, and sick with grief and trauma.
After tragedy number 1, people felt traumatized, stuck American flags on their cars, held prayer vigils, stopped buying French wine, became obsessed with "security," decided it was okay to destroy part of the U.S. Constitution, and encouraged the quashing of dissent.
After tragedy number 2, in which Americans destroyed Americans, people were, for the most part, generous and kind and horrified. Except for those who thought the victims "deserved it," of course. But there has been no national call for structural change. Those of us who were victims of the government wear the T-shirts and display the bumper stickers and will never, I hope, shut up about what happened. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has hardly been criticized, the "plan" to protect New Orleans from future storms is nonexistent, and there is no national movement to hold accountable those whose laziness, negligence and callousness brought about a tragedy which most people still cannot fathom.
If we are horrified by foreigners attacking our nation, we should be beyond horrified by our own citizens undermining the health, safety and welfare of Americans.
It is important to remember that Hurricane Katrina, despite predictions, did not hit New Orleans. What happened to New Orleans was the result of years of negligence by a number of government agencies, most notably the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. New Orleans has not taken a direct hit since 1965, when Betsy suddenly turned around in mid-journey, strenghened to one mph short of a Category 5 storm, and hit Grand Isle, which--as far as hurricanes go--amounts to hitting New Orleans.
A direct hit is due. The breached levees have been repaired, though the pumps are not working. But the entire levee system in New Orleans is a disaster, the coastline protection is continuing to fade away, and--as I write this--the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet is still there. There is little that people can do to protect their houses and businesses from wind damage, but it is outrageous that Gulf Coast communities are not protected from storm surge.
What we "learned" from the Katrina experience is what many of us already knew: The U.S. government does not give a damn about "homeland security," and the insurance industry will go to any length to not pay claims. I do not see either of these realities changing.
1. A group of amoral, compulsively religious, insane Islamic extemists mow down the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon, kill around 3,000 Americans, and do major damage to the national economy and the national spirit.
2. A group of amoral, incompetent, careless, negligent, clueless, dishonest scumbags are responsible for the deaths of hundreds (1,600 in Louisiana alone) of Americans, not to mention leaving thousands homeless, financially devastated, and sick with grief and trauma.
After tragedy number 1, people felt traumatized, stuck American flags on their cars, held prayer vigils, stopped buying French wine, became obsessed with "security," decided it was okay to destroy part of the U.S. Constitution, and encouraged the quashing of dissent.
After tragedy number 2, in which Americans destroyed Americans, people were, for the most part, generous and kind and horrified. Except for those who thought the victims "deserved it," of course. But there has been no national call for structural change. Those of us who were victims of the government wear the T-shirts and display the bumper stickers and will never, I hope, shut up about what happened. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has hardly been criticized, the "plan" to protect New Orleans from future storms is nonexistent, and there is no national movement to hold accountable those whose laziness, negligence and callousness brought about a tragedy which most people still cannot fathom.
If we are horrified by foreigners attacking our nation, we should be beyond horrified by our own citizens undermining the health, safety and welfare of Americans.
It is important to remember that Hurricane Katrina, despite predictions, did not hit New Orleans. What happened to New Orleans was the result of years of negligence by a number of government agencies, most notably the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. New Orleans has not taken a direct hit since 1965, when Betsy suddenly turned around in mid-journey, strenghened to one mph short of a Category 5 storm, and hit Grand Isle, which--as far as hurricanes go--amounts to hitting New Orleans.
A direct hit is due. The breached levees have been repaired, though the pumps are not working. But the entire levee system in New Orleans is a disaster, the coastline protection is continuing to fade away, and--as I write this--the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet is still there. There is little that people can do to protect their houses and businesses from wind damage, but it is outrageous that Gulf Coast communities are not protected from storm surge.
What we "learned" from the Katrina experience is what many of us already knew: The U.S. government does not give a damn about "homeland security," and the insurance industry will go to any length to not pay claims. I do not see either of these realities changing.
posted by Diane at 12:15 PM
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