More Katrina

I've been reading everyone's responses to my post yesterday, and I feel the need to say something about the nature of poverty.

My grandmother once admonished my mother mercilessly for not having me send a thank you card for a gift. My mother finally told her the truth--we couldn't afford the stamp. Really. And this was thirty years ago, when stamps were a lot less.

When you are that poor, you have nothing in the way of resources and little in the way of hope. I remember that my first thought upon breaking my arm as a child, at nine years old, was, "Oh my god, this is going to cost so much, my mom is going to be so upset."

That's poverty. No insurance, no belief that the world will take care of you. I understand why people didn't leave; I remember having to stay home sometimes because of an empty gas tank. This is why they didn't flee. And now they lost everything.

EVERYTHING.

So do I blame the people in New Orleans for stealing jewelry and televisions? No. They've lost it all and have no hope--no insurance--of getting it back. They feel abandoned and feel like they must therefore take care of themselves. Of course I don't think it's right, but I do understand why. Also, according to most news sources I've been watching, most of that kind of looting stopped days ago.

As far as people taking up weapons. Well. Yet another argument, in my opinion, for decreasing our insane accessibility to guns. After all, why the fuck are there guns at WAL-MART anyway? Awfully tempting to those seeking food and water and clothing right in the same store.

But that aside, I  heard a woman on the BBC today describe the violence going on in New Orleans as "the portrait of Dorian Gray." Basically, violent predators have always found refuge in impoverished communities--because law enforcement officials have abandoned those communities, and it's easy for them to hide there. Poverty breeds these ills, people. Now the truth is revealed.

Ultimately, I simply cannot understand why it is taking so long to get everyone out of there. I can't stop from thinking that it has to do with them being poor and black. I understand why the refugees are shooting at the rescuers--it's the only language they have to vent their frustrations--not everyone has a place to put the anger, like a blog, for instance. If we had gotten to them three days ago this would have never happened. Again, I don't think it's right, but I think it's not unexpected.

I spoke last night with my sister who lives in Shreveport (and it's Louisiana State University that has the temporary pet shelter there). They have filled their house to overflowing taking in friends from New Orleans. She's inspired Charlie and I to register with the hurricane housing folks, just in case someone sees this as their chance to move to the East Coast. It feels good to help.

I'm off camping for the weekend, which feels strange, but was already scheduled. Hope you all find some joy in these dark times.

Comments

[Amanda]

1.

I had the exact OPPOSITE reaction to the violence - I wish those poor people had EASIER access to guns so they could protect themselves from the thugs. Imaine how many fewer rapes would occur if the bad guys even suspected women MIGHT be able to protect themselves. But cities like New Orleans make that impossible with their strict gun laws. The thugs are safe to assume that no one will be firing back.

People often forget that the bad guys? They ALWAYS have guns - no matter what the gun laws say - they ain't buying firearms at wal-mart, that's for the damn sure. And those guns at wal-mart? They are TRIPLE LOCKED - even if you stole one, you'd never be able to use it unless you had a chainsaw.

There's never been more evidence that the police can't protect you. They are handing in their badges and fleeing the city as we speak. My support for the 2nd amendment has never been stronger. And if it were me down there in that muck? Nothing would sound better to me than to hear my husband cocking his twelve gauge - the one we bought at wal-mart for less than a week's worth of groceries.

[Michelle]

2.

"If we had gotten to them three days ago this would have never happened."

Exactly!

This is what I absolutely cannot figure out, is WHY the situation has even gone this far. WHY these people, in many cases, STILL don't even have FOOD and WATER?!

I can't say I totally understand the shootings, but I do understand that these people are on the verge of death and feel utterly abandoned and forgotten, and desperate.

It's just too sad for words.

[stephanie]

3.

"Ultimately, I simply cannot understand why it is taking so long to get everyone out of there."
Because there were so many. A bundred buses can only carry 6,000 people. And with few roads they can use to leave, it's not like they can all leave at once. One of my favorite Program management proverbs is "It takes one woman nine months to have a baby. It cannot be done in one month by impregnating nine women (although it is more fun trying)." Because that's the truth. So, you get 60 out on the first bus. Heck, get 600 out on 10 buses. It's still going to take forever to move 30,000 people. Even if we had every bus in the country there to load people on. You couldn't load them all at once. They couldn't leave at the same time. And there are so many...just so many, and all the rescuers can do is save them one, 20, 100 at a time. Which has got to be frustrating, and angering, for those of us watching the rest of them continue to suffer until it's their turn.
Also more and more people are leaving where they were. Superdome evacuated more than 10,000 people yesterday- but more people have come, so the numbers are no less than they were Wendesday night. We have NO IDEA how many are staying put where they are until things are a little better-but they're crawling out of the woodwork by the dozens. Tourists who have been ok in their hotels. People in apartments that were albe to make do for a few days. Now, on top of all the people we knew about, droves are appearing that we didn't.
It'll take time. Unfortuately time is something we don't have. And...we may not be able to save everyone. People are already dying b/c we didn't get them out in time. But....I still hope we'll be able to save most. All we can do is do what we can with what we have.

[Catherine]

4.

There is nothing more maddening to me than middle-class white people grandly pontificating about what the motivations of poor minorities might be. Of course, I'm doing that too, and so are you, and we are most certainly both middle-class and white; however, you and I both grew up poor. Like, food stamps poor. Government cheese poor. Mom went out to work and we stayed home alone at some ungodly young age because she couldn't afford a babysitter poor. One paycheck away from homeless poor. Mom didn't eat so we could poor. And if I remember correctly, living in the back of a car homeless poor in your case? And we had it SO MUCH better than a lot of the folks down there.

Please people, unless you have walked a goddamned mile, STOP.

[Catherine]

5.

PS. Amanda, yes, that's exactly what this situation needs. More guns.

[Elizabeth]

6.

Is there anything your sister needs for her guests? I've given to the Red Cross, and will continue to do so, but I feel like their ability to help is already maxed out at the moment.

[Journeywoman]

7.

What Elizabeth said. Please let me know if I can help.

Do I think more guns would be an answer? I don't know. I do know that if we had to run, we'd take our swords, some weapon for protection.

Well said.

[cursingmama]

8.

So very well said Cecily. I have wondered both silently and out loud, if this kind of destruction had happened in a primarily white, middle class or upper middle class area how quickly the response would've been.
I have a deep need to "do something", writing a check doesn't feel like enough - but I'm not trained and would only be in the way - so I will continue to work & go about my daily life so that I can write another check.

[colleen]

9.

We have already seen how quickly the Feds can respond to a disaster in a primarily white, middle class or upper middle class area. Remember 9/11? That was a surprise and there was an immediate and organized responded. This situation in New Orleans has been coming for a long time. The Army Corps has been begging for help there for years while their budgets were slashed. We knew the storm was coming days in advance, it is long since past and Homeland Security just noticed what has been going on in the N.O. Convention Center yesterday. This is a national discrace.

[Dawn]

10.

I hate to be the sole person here defending the rescue efforts BUT.......

If the mayor of N.O's hadn't waited until the storm was less than 24 hours out to declare a mandatory evacuation then there would be alot less people there.
He freaked the hell out and started commondeering vechicles from families who had more than one vehicle and giving it to families who had none so they could leave. Had he begun these efforts DAYS prior to landfall raher than hours, that would have made a huge difference.
I don't understand HOW people are saying "Why is it taking so long?" It's NOT!! We are a little over 3 days out and they have already bused out over 25,000 people. They BUILT ROADS into N.O in 3 days and sent 500 buses there to get people out, that's pretty damn quick if you ask me.
They DO have food and water. When the buses came in on wednesday, they brought with them, ice, MRE's and water. If you watch the news, almost every one of those people who is saying they have NOTHING is holding a bottle of water. They are complaining about the MRE's because, if you've ever had one, they are NOT so good, but it's food.
If you want to blame someone, blame the thugs in N.O who are shooting at rescue helicopters who are working 24/7 to rescue people off their rooftops and out of hospitals.
I don't think it has a damn thing to do with the color of their skin. You don't hear the people in Mississippi yelling about no aid and that's because they are able to get INTO Mississippi. We ARE America but even WE are not miracle workers. We have to get IN to get aid to them and between the shortage of roads and being shot at, yeah, that slows things down a bit.
Maybe if they would spend less time stealing 120" plasma tv's and Nike's and raping and killing their own people they would have time to do something to help others and themselves.

[KelliAmanda]

11.

I think there's going to be discussion about what went wrong for a long time to come. But what I've seen on the news (as recently as last night) was that the folks at the convention center didn't have food or water, hence the people dying. And the media keeps repeating that at the convention center in N.O., there was no evidence of anyone being in charge. And I remember them talking about MREs and water just after the storm (and during the storm, if I recall correctly), but those supplies have since run out.

And I absolutely think that race and class plays a large part in this. Even if you don't take into consideration the fact that N.O. has a black majority and how that may have contributed to poor decision making on the parts of certain politicians, it forces one to ask the question - why the fuck are most of the poor black?

[Moxie]

12.

I wrote a post today about how we were all spoiled by 9/11 because the disaster response was so organized. We thought it would happen in New Orleans. It didn't.

If we had known Bush and FEMA were going to be so useless we could have done something about it, 100 people at a time. Now all hell has broken loose and it's going to take a miracle to get all of us out of this mess.

[Catherine]

13.

Dawn: you are so uninformed it's laughable. They interviewed a 20 year veteran photojournalist on MSNBC last night. He's not a reporter, not slick, not rehearsed. He talked baldly and with tears about watching two babies die of dehydration in the convention center in front of him. He talked about dead bodies being piled up along the perimeter of the convention center, covered over with a sheet. They had NOTHING for three days.

Your opinions are shockingly uninformed at best, racist at worst.

[Amy]

14.

Thank you, Cecily, for explaining what so many don't understand -- the poverty of the people left behind. I can't stand to hear another person say that the people stuck in New Orleans "should have left" ... these people couldn't leave, because they don't have the resources to do so. And now they have nothing left, so where are they supposed to go with no money, no car, no food, no clothes?

And what I find most troubling is not how long its taking to get everyone out, but how completely unprepared the city was to care for the refugees. All of the people at the Convention Center and Superdome went there because they were told that was a place of refuge. But they get there and find nothing -- no water, no food, no help, no one in charge. Its shocking that no provisions were made for their care, especially when these people did exactly what they were told to do.

I'm embarassed to be an American. How our country could have allowed this to happen, to the people that need our help the most, is appaling.

[maia]

15.

I totally agree on the irony that you can buy a gun at Walmart. Sad. Unheard of up here in Canada.
Hoping those people get the help they need to survive the next few days TODAY.

[halloweenlover]

16.

Ahhh, I misunderstood your email. I thought you were saying that the BBC quote was that only poor people are criminals. This makes sense, and yes, now the truth is out.

Poverty is a terrible desperate thing and now that these people have lost everything, the desperation must be so extreme and unrelenting. Heartbreaking.

[halloweenlover]

17.

Ironic that Dawn would say "Maybe if they would spend less time stealing 120" plasma tv's and Nike's and raping and killing THEIR OWN PEOPLE they would have time to do something to help others and themselves."

Hmmm.

[halloweenlover]

18.

Sorry to hijack your blog, Cecily, I feel badly that in a moment of anger I typed my last comment. I don't know Dawn at all, maybe that isn't what she meant. It just kind of shocked me. Anyway, I don't want to be mean in your comments (well, ever really).

[lisa lou]

19.

The idea that race has nothing to do with issues like this is outrageous. I'd venture to say that it is only white people who make comments like that.

Keep speaking up Cecily, we need it!

[Shelley]

20.

This is a post from a teacher that's right on the border of LA. She writes that people are still looting even in the shelters when they are safe and have food.

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/pregnancy/journals/Forum484/HTML/001136.html

[Dawn]

21.

Apologies if anything I said was taken as racist, that was not my intention. What I meant by "their own people" is just that, their community, their neghbors, their countrymen. I consider the people of my neighborhood and city and state and country, my people, regardless of race.

It just so happens that a large majority of black people are in La. If this had happened in a primarily white community, I personally believe (I guess I should make that clear) that there would still be the same number of refugees hence posing the same astronomical rescue effort, no matter the color of their skin. Maybe it's because I am NOT racist that I believe that the efforts being made are the same as they would be in a white community. I shudder to think otherwise.

What I meant about the people looting and killing each other is that instead of looting televisions and nike's that they also could make a difference by finding nonperishable food items and any sort of hydration to help themselves and others.

And yes, there are people dying of dehydration, that is NOT okay by any means. I wasn't saying that they are all crying wolf, just that there HAVE been supplies delivered, no, not enough and obviously the need was grosely underestimated but it's not as if there has been no effort at all which is what some people would like to make it sound like.

I also think that ALOT more needs to be and will be done but we have to be realistic when looking at the sheer number of people in need of assistance.

[Another Heather]

22.

Dawn, I'd love to know where you're getting your information. I've been glued to CNN, MSNBC, and even god-awful FOXnews for the last five days, and I've not heard one word about the majority of people in New Orleans having access to water and food, roads "being built," or, for that matter, ANYONE complaing about the MRE's. I HAVE heard even the most hardened reporters in tears when discussing the deaths they've witnessed in front of their eyes. I've heard the most conservative commentators vehemently stating that the administration has "embarrassed" the United States with its "completely inadequate" response to this crisis. It seems clear to me--and much of the country, it seems--that the facts are much the opposite of what you describe. People are dying--I myself have seen the pictures of their bodies, wrapped in sheets, floating in murky waters. And it is unacceptable. Completely unacceptable.

Cecily, two wonderful posts. Thank you for writing. I looked at my husband yesterday and said, "I just realized that if we had been in New Orleans on the night of that storm, there's no way we could have afforded to get out. That could be us. Those could be our babies."

That is a sobering fucking thought. And it is sad beyond words that people are dying because they lacked the money to buy a car, or gasoline, or to get a hotel room, or whatever. That is an injustice beyond compare.

[Summer]

23.

It is horrible and horrific what the people in New Orleans as well as the many, many other cities that have been devasted by Katrina have had to go through and will have to go through. But the outrage at the speed at which food, water and other help that have or have not yet reached the people in New Orleans I think is misplaced. I live in California where the natural disaster we face are mainly earthquakes. Years ago, our neighborhood asked the local fire department to come and talk about how to be prepared for earthquake disasters and one of the things they made sure we understood is that if a huge disaster, ANY disaster, was to occur, we could NOT expect any help to come for at least 3 days. Which means that we could not count on any outside help for 3 days maybe more if the disaster was on an extremely large scale, which obviously Katrina was. We would have to fend for ourselves and rely on ourselves and the people around us. I think the question we should be asking is not why aren't the food and water not there but why weren't the people of New Orleans made aware that they would have to be on their own for at least 3 days? If you go to the CDC site and what they suggest for preparing for natural disasters (for example, for hurricanes at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/readiness.asp) they also say that 3 days is the minimum people have to be prepared for before they can expect any help. In this case, if would not have mattered if the people hit by Katrina had the money for 3 days of food or water. It would have been unreachable considering the flooding and destruction, but at least people would have been mentally more prepared for the days of hell after Katrina hit.

Also, hurricanes last year (Ivan?) came close to doing the same thing to New Orleans. Why didn't FEMA and other local agencies have a better plan for the worst case scenario? It's not like they have never had any close calls in the past.

I have been fortunate in my life and never had to face not being able to leave home because we didn't have money for gas or because we didn't have a car. I wonder how people who are in that situation would have responded if the government had come in and said, look, there is possibly this huge hurricane that can wipe the city out. We know you don't have the means to get out, but we can get you and your family to a safe place until the danger has passed. How many people would have taken the government up on it? I know that for me in California, we have had many warnings that the "big one" will hit. But at the same time, I have been through enough earthquakes to feel that the risk is small that a disastrous earthquake will hit my city on a scale that it would level the whole place. Hurricanes, of course, are different in that if they're going to hit land they will hit somewhere, it is just a question of where. But, if you have been through hurricanes before that have been projected to be huge and then turn out not to hit your city or not as disastrous as people have predicted, don't you just get a little desensitized to the warnings and try to live your life and go to work because afterall, you have families to feed and take care of?

[charis]

24.

Cecily, thanks for a great post. You have put into words all the thoughts bouncing around in my head. This is a profoundly sad situation. I am embarrassed for my country. ugh.

I did enjoy, however, listening to All Things Considered last night on NPR, when Robert Siegel took Michael Chertoff to task for the conditions at the NO convention center. It was a beautiful thing, that confontation...

[Patti]

25.

People kill people.

Guns are inanimate objects, they do not have the power to kill by themselves.

People who want to kill other people will find a way, it is human nature. It has happened forever, and will happen forever.

As much as our society has developed, and our methods of killing have become more refined, it's still a person that makes the decision.

My thoughts and wishes are to the people in New Orleans, and may they receive help and guidance soon.

[Leah]

26.

Yes it is wise to keep three days supply on hand in case of an emergency. Living in a part of Michigan where disaster rarely if ever strikes, even *I* know that.

BUT - when you struggle every day just to put one or two meals on the table, how the hell are you supposed to come up with three days supply of water and non-perishable foods?????

[Anna]

27.

"So do I blame the people in New Orleans for stealing jewelry and televisions? No. They've lost it all and have no hope--no insurance--of getting it back. They feel abandoned and feel like they must therefore take care of themselves." You got that right. The disaster and its shameful aftermath have laid bare this nation's ugly, deep-rooted classism and racism for the world to see.

Hope you have a good camping trip. Maybe by the time you return they'll have managed to get everyone out of N.O. ... Gad.

[sandy]

28.

Anybody want some history to these insane events? Check here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/timeline/timeline2.html

[Abigail]

29.

De-lurking to say thank you, Cecily, for actually talking about race and class and poverty and not succumbing to the pressure to pretend those things don't exist anymore. I'm so angry. Yes it is an incredibly difficult situation, and yes evacuating all those people is an enormous job. But how hard would it have been to get water and food IN to them? Not. That. Hard. The federal government has other priorities, poor black people not among them. This administration's f'ing over of our country will be felt for years and years.

[Anne]

30.

“BUT - when you struggle every day just to put one or two meals on the table, how the hell are you supposed to come up with three days supply of water and non-perishable foods?????”

In that same train of thought here in Hawaii we’re also told to fill our tubs with water, for drinking, after the storm and there is no powered and possibly no water. But what do you do when your kitchen, stocked with extra food, and tub filled with fresh water, is now several feel deep in floodwaters?

Disasters are such complicated matters, and true being prepared can help but there was not time or way to get everyone out, nor does everyone want to or is able to get out. IMO the most important aspect of disaster preparedness is what is the plan for AFTER the disaster, how are you (and by you I mean those in charge) going to cope in a worst case scenario?

I forget who it was who brought this up but it’s totally true that at best it will take 3 days for real help to come after any disaster in the mean time that only thing that can help the situation is good communication; what exactly has happened, what’s happening now, what’s being done, what can be done by the survivors as a means of helping/coping/surviving, how can we (survivors) communicate with the outside word?

I thankfully didn’t live on Kauai in 1992 when it took a direct hit from category 4 hurricane Iniki but I remember similar frustration/anger/fear by both residents and trapped/stranded tourists regarding what was being done and how/when could they go home. Now granted there a LOTS of important differences between the aftermath of Iniki and that of Katrina, an urban vs. rural environment being one big one that I can think of, but I do know that having access to information, ANY information about what was happening really played a vita role in getting people past the initial crises. What I feel is completely lacking/has completely fallen apart in NO is the communication system. Survivors don’t know what to do, where to go for help, what is being done if anything to help them all this feeds into their fear and frustration. And for the local law enforcement and emergency personal it is equally as bad; where can they turn to for help, where is help needed most, etc., all in all it’s a terrible situation – a really worst case scenario.

I’m praying for all the people of NO.

[Summer]

31.

Leah,

I wasn't saying that the tens of thousands of people in the Superdome should have had 3 days of food and water on hand. I realize the reason most of them could not evacuate is because they did not have the money or the resources. And I said that even if they did have that supply, it wouldn't have mattered as the hurricane or the flood that followed would have made it impossible for them to get to it or use it. All I was trying to say was that instead of us questioning why food and help did not get to them sooner, the question I have is why weren't the people told in the days before the hurricane hit that if disaster happens there will likely be no help, no food, no anything for the days that immediately follow? At the very least, they would not have had the expectations they did and the anger and frustration reach such awful levels.

I feel we really need to figure out as a country what went wrong here and avoid the same mistakes in the future.

As I read the comments it seems we all feel similarly. That what happened to the people in NO after the hurricane could have and should have been handled so much better and without as much emotional turmoil as we have seen.

[aderyn]

32.

Cecily, you read my mind. Everything you said reminds me of what came out of my own mouth last night, from the poverty to the helplessness to why the fuck are there guns at Wal Mart in the first place. I feel horrible about all of this, it's hard to fathom. I live in Illinois, never have I lived near a body of water bigger than Lake Michigan. I've only seen an ocean twice. My mind is reeling.

[aderyn]

33.

also, i said last night i wished i was a nurse so i could go down there and help.

[Anne]

34.

I just read a CNN story that just highlights the disconnect/breakdown of communication especially as it stands between survivors & the local emergency personnel and in this case FEMA. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html

The library I work at has been dealing with FEMA since we had a flash flood almost a year ago and I can totally see why they are so slow to act. There is so much red tape/bureaucracy involved, so much this is “our” responsibility and that is “their” responsibility even in the time right after the disaster when being organized is so important. It really disappoints me that a federal agency charged with dealing with disasters doesn’t seem to have it’s act together enough for ANY disaster to mobilize as quickly and efficiently as possible to deal with the immediate aftermath. Sure FEMA acts as fast as it can I just think they could act faster in the case of hurricanes (when we can do some planning ahead of time) to help mitigate the affects of the storm. Instead it just seems like we hear a lot of “we were unaware”.

[OnTheFence]

35.

We are victims of Hurricane Katrina, but we are lucky. I live in Alabama just ten minutes from the Mississippi border. Chaos is everywhere and there is not enough help, even where roads are clear and help can easily come in. Also people who want to help physically are being turned away in LA by our own military. I am so happy to see so many willing to take strangers in. We are looking to house a family that has been displaced in our own area.
God Bless all those helping those on the Gulf Coast ~~ Kim

[Kay]

36.

I live in Louisiana and this is what I posted on my blog today....

We are fine and our power is back on. We just got back from dropping off a van-load of clothes and supplies to the Salvation Army. On the way - we saw a helicopter landing at Woman’s Hospital - most likely with moms and babies. There are helicopters in our skies about every 15 minutes. We also got gas - where it is still $2.49. I haven’t seen a single price above $2.70 anywhere in Baton Rouge.

A couple of things....
1. This was the FIRST TIME EVER that a MANDATORY evacuation of New Orleans has ever been ordered. That was on Sunday. The storm hit Monday. Logistically, there was NO WAY to evacuate all the people out of that city once the mandatory order was given. For the past 5 years the hurricanes have always turned east at the last second and “spared” New Orleans. Alot of people CHOSE not to leave b/c of all the “false-alarms” in the past. This is not the fault of the federal government.
2. Hurricanes are the best and worst of storms. You can see them coming, you can generally think you know what path they will take and how strong they will be. Katrina didn’t turn into a cat 5 until Sunday. We were not even starting to be concerned here in BR until Saturday when she started strengthening. This is not the fault of anyone.
3. No one knew the SuperDome structure would fail. It was “supposed” to sustain up to 200 mph winds. It didn’t. No one could have predicted that on Day 0 or Day 1 or until it happened. This could be somewhat the fault of the city or state governments for not making sure it would do so.
4. The levees had been reinforced - although not enough. New Orleans was pretty much “dry” before the levee broke. That did not happen until Day 2, I think. I think everyone can share some blame in the levee situation.
5. No one knew our interstates would COLLAPSE into jigsaw pieces of concrete. Not sure when that happened, but there were no roads to bring in buses for evacuations. This is no one’s fault.
6. There were utility crews and rescue operations staged in and around the area. With a hurricane as big as Katrina - you can’t get too close, because you don’t know when the storm will shift. A little shift makes a huge difference in the damage. This is no one’s fault.
7. We talked to a guy getting gas this morning who owns an ambulance company from Arkansas. He was in New Orleans in the water until 11pm last night evacuating hospitals. He was on his way back today to get more. He, himself had looted stores for supplies and stolen school buses to get people out. BECAUSE NO ONE IS IN CHARGE DOWN THERE. He’s been shot at by thugs. That is not the President’s fault. City/State officials should have had a plan.
7a. There is no working communications system that is working. This is a problem that also occurred at 9/11. This is the fault of the federal government for not improving communications for first responders nationwide. We are in SERIOUS trouble if this is not fixed soon.
8. Rescue operations had to be halted in some instances b/c NEW ORLEANS CITIZENS (criminals) were firing at helicopters, hijacking vehicles with food/supplies, and putting rescue workers lives in danger. That is also no government official’s fault.
9. The federal government can’t just go in and take over a state or town without local request happening. We are a democracy, not a dictatorship. We have laws. They may not seem to make sense, but they are to protect the individual states’ rights.

Alot of finger-pointing is going to happen. Some of it will be deserved, and some of it will be political, just for the sake of blaming Bush, or Blanco, or Nagin. I can’t fault anyone’s actions for Days 0, 1, or 2. Not the local, state, or federal government.

However, once everyone here realized the situation would be out of control - we SHOULD have requested immediate military help and rapid deployment SHOULD have been started. Food and water drops should have occurred. Leaflets telling people where to go and what to do should have been dropped. Troops are now in New Orleans. The bad thing is there are fires breaking out. I hope it gets under control soon.

I’m angry. I’m angry b/c my community and my state is hurting. I’m angry that a bunch of drug addicts who stole guns caused rescue efforts to be halted. I’m angry that an entire community of drug addicts was allowed to function even BEFORE there was a hurricane. I’m angry that people are hurting other people.

I’m also sad. So very sad.

[wessel]

37.

Rape is never excusable. Enough with the excuses. Preventing aid workers from reaching you or your fellow citizens is likewise inexcusable. Boy, do we twist ourselves into pretzels trying to excuse and rationalize terrible, degrading behavior.

Oh, and before the flames begin, let me just say that I grew up in the deep south in utter, abject poverty, the likes of which my current day friends cannot even believe because, I guess, I have "succeeded." So I DO know what it is like to be afraid and hopeless and to know that you are all on your own in the game of survival. It didn't make me want to sexually molest anyone weaker than me, nor did it inspire me to shoot my neighbors.

We can be compassionate toward those who deserve compassion and at the same time reject reprehensible behavior. QUIT MAKING EXCUSES FOR BAD PEOPLE.

As far as racism goes, I find it the worst kind of racism, the worst kind of put-down, to essentially spread a belief that an entire race or class of people are incapable of decent human behavior and that therefore, we shouldn't expect any better of them. What an insult!!! How about all the people who aren't looting, raping and killing? Let's give them some credit. Most of them are poor and black so gee, I guess being poor and black really isn't an excuse to be a thug and a rapist, is it?

[Julianna]

38.

Very well said, wessel. Amen.

[Jenn in AK]

39.

Just a few thoughts. First the whole "money diverted for Iraq" thing: the money to fix those levees has been screwed by different people for several administrations, so Bush is just following suit and showing he has no spine. Also, on the offering up your home, two things: first of all, they are saying for people not to get too far away from the disaster unless it is a sponsored housing situation. If they get too far or out of the loop, they can lose out on aid, etc. when (if) it becomes available. Also, please remember that these people, unless they left before K hit, have been in a highly infected area for disease. Just a thought and I completely understand the "want" to do something here. :-)

Here's another one for you: "There is a nursing home in the center of the French Quarter, called Maison D’Hospitalier. It is the oldest nursing home in the city. My cousin is the director of nursing there. There are 70 patients and 30 staff members who can not get out of the quarter, they have no air conditioning. They were told initially not to evacuate because of the trauma to the patients. They were told 2 days ago by a N.O. policeman that they had to get out anyway they could. At that time they got 2 buses to evacuate the people. The buses were commandeered by FEMA and taken to the superdome to evacuate the people there. I am now residing in Houston and through the grace of God and the help of wonderful people; we were able to get 50 rooms at the Holiday Inn at Bush International Airport. We have nurses and CNNs to relieve the staff upon arrival. It was decided that m cousin and 2 assistants would try to get out of the city and get to Houston to get things arranged for the arrival of the patients. I was so frightened for their lives. I know that the 2 cars that these women were in were surrounded by angels. They had one gun for protection. They got out of the French Quarter driving 80 MPH, and crossed the Mississippi River Bridge passing thousands of homeless people and dead bodies. They got safely here last night, only to find out that the busses that were to leave at noon, which were being sent from a church in Baton Rouge, never arrived at the nursing home. Miraculously the land telephone line at the nursing home is still working, (all cell phone use is down) and we have been able to keep contact with them. It is the ONLY phone in N.O. that I have been able to reach, I know GOD is working. When my cousin learned that the buses did not get to the nursing home she and the two assistants broke down sobbing for the patients that they have been so dedicated to. After making contact with the nursing home again last night, the remaining supervisor told us that FEMA was going to Air Evacuate every one out this morning. As of this moment, that has fallen through. "

Got that one in my email today. Pretty sick for FEMA to do that...

Jenn

[Leslie]

40.

While I still devour every word that Cecily writes, (as per usual) THE reason why I rarely comment, or even read the comments anymore is because there is always someone who feels the need to get up on their soapbox and lecture another commenter about their views.

Usually passing moral judgements along the way.

Why can some people not let someone else just state their opinion? No one says you have to agree with it. They are entitled to have their say, as you are.

I cautiously approached the comments today, and I wasn't disappointed!

Back to lurking for me.

[anonymous]

41.

Leslie, and some commenters come out with vague accusations against no one in particular. Huh? This is a blog with a comments section; Cecily blogs about her thoughts, and her readers comment in response. That's what a blog is. As long as people are being respectful, what is wrong with disagreeing?

[Leslie]

42.

Point well taken anonymous.

As long as people are respectful, I don't see why there should be a problem. It's when people are not being respectful, are being criticical, or putting others down, that the trouble starts.

Taking it upon yourself (on someone else's blog!) to tell another commenter they are "uninformed", which is tantamount to calling them an idiot. That their views are "laughable", or "racist", really isn't necessary.

The reason I'm deliberately vague is because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings, or offend them by naming them. There is nothing to be gained, and embarrassing someone, upsetting them, or getting into a fight with them is not my intent.

I would no more fight with someone here, than I would in a public place. Or worse, someone's living room. This is after all, Cecily's space.

Hopefully, they will recognize themselves, realize they were being a wee bit judgemental, and not do it again.

No need to use an elephant gun to kill a flea.

Cecily has a space for people to comment on what SHE writes. Not for us to argue with each other.

As I said, this is why I rarely comment, or even read the comments. I simply cannot take the vicious backlash from someone who doesn't like what I, or anyone else said. And that's all I have to say about that.

[heather]

43.

i hate this feeling that I can't do anything to help. i am living in germany , and monetary help ( we're military, can't afford about anything ourselves) doesn't feel like enough. my husband is thousands of miles away from me fighting for people who sometimes don't even want his help, and our own countrymen, women and children are dying and going through hell. I want to have him home, fly down there baby and all and help. I wish I could invite them into my meager little home, feed them, let them shower, give them my bed, whatever it takes to make this pain a little less for them. i do know what it is like to be poor. i hate it. I remeber being pregnant and afraid to go to the doctor when I bled because I couldn't afford it....afraid for my babies life, but afraid that if it was a false alarm, I would spend money that we needed for the baby. my heart breaks for these people...i feel helpless to help

[VHMPrincess]

44.

I don't usually comment on political stuff, but here goes.

1. The Louisiana National Guard
"Note that the commander-in-chief of the Louisiana National Guard is Governor Kathleen Blanco (D). How she's deflected all blame for the delays in deployment is beyond me, especially when (as of Wednesday) only half of the available Louisiana National Guard was deployed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts..." --> where were they?? The should have be VERY close and easy to get on the scene. Our first questions about response should be HERE.

2. Looting. Stealing stuff that isn't necessary for survival (ie. big screen TVs, Barbie Jeeps, etc) is STEALING and wrong and their is no way to justifiy it all. I hope they prosecute each one in their own time.

3. Notice the difference between the tsunami victims and the Katrina victims. I could be wrong, but I don't remember VIOLENCE being one of the reactions of the victims of the tsunami. I believe that they were helped quite a bit, but did a lot to help themselves. I didn't hear about ONE incident of relief workers being in danger from civilians. Or civilians being in danger from each other.

4. In a city where the population is 70% black, I would EXPECT the refugees/those left behind to BE 70% black. Is that a false assumption? And the mayor is black. It doesn't seem like the response was slow simply because they were black. COME ON. I think the response was slow because of logistics, underestimating the outcome, lack of coordination, pure disbelief that this could happen, etc. NOT because they were black.

4. I don't know about the gun issue. If we were in that circumstance, we would most certainly be armed. Would we shoot at rescuers? No. Guns don't make people bad or crazy. PEOPLE do the shooting. I do, however, think the store should have thought their plan out a bit and moved/locked up the guns, knowing that looting may take place and people that break into a store at a time like this that are not in the food aisles are not the type that should have access to guns. I saw an interview on FoxNews w/a psychologist (please forgive my spelling) - he said a great number of the people he was treating in TX, as they got off the bus from New Orleans had mental illness prior to Katrina and were having a hard time coping. This may explain some of the violence, I don't know.

I believe quite a bit in personal responsibility. Granted, some people didn't really have a choice in leaving New Orleans. I can understand that. I do not understand reacting with violence against other human beings and can think of no reason in which that is acceptable. The circumstances you find yourself in may or may not be your fault. How you react most certainly is.

[VHMPrincess]

45.

ALSO - we drove home from PA Sunday listening to FoxNews on the radio. They were interviewing people as they entered the Superdome, where they had been told to go w/sleeping blankets AND FOOD AND WATER. They were asking people in line. One lady carried only her purse and a diet coke. When the guy asked her where her other stuff was and what she was planning on eating, she very flippantly said "if we need it, I'm sure someone will provide it. Why should I carry all that stuff?". Again, I understand not having $$ to buy tons of storm rations, but not even 1 bottle of water or a container she had filled at home? I couldn't see what she looked like (race, age, physical ability) but I would think she could've managed to trade her diet coke for a bottle of water or two. Again, it's that whole, personal responsibility thing. She had no plan at all for taking care of herself.

[Kathleen]

46.

We're watching death by bureaucracy. It's that simple.

When the levees broke, the situation went from a natural disaster to the equivelent of a nuclear bomb going off. That water washed away the posibility of this being well directed at the state level. Yet we still do not have a clear leader or plan.

Among my circle of friends are military and civilians who making their living responding to humanitarian crisis, disaster planning and the like. The news has filled me with sorrow, listening to them grow more and more angry has filled me with anger as well.

There is no excuse for this lack of leadership or central planning. None.

[Another Heather]

47.

VHMPrincess, with respect, I must strongly disagree with your notion that it is somehow the responsibility of the citizens of New Orleans to foresee their fate. To some degree, I understand what you're saying, but I think it's wrongheaded thinking to place any blame on the victims of this tragedy--at least regarding the food/water/safety issue that you address in your second post.

Let's say for the sake of argument that everyone in the Superdome DID take ample water for three days (which is what they were told to take, by the way). That STILL wouldn't be adequate, there would STILL be people dying of dehydration since we're now six days later, and it STILL wouldn't take the responsibility for their deaths off of the governemnt.

Furthermore, I don't believe that it was logistically possible for everyone in the dome to take that much water with them. How are the elderly or handicapped expected to carry a three day supply of water? But really, that's beside the point.

The point is, in my mind, that whatever "personal responsibility" these people bear for their own well-being, the fact remains that the government has still failed them. Even if every person had adequate food and water for six days, they would still be living in shit, wallowing in filth, breathing the stench of corpses. That is NOT their fault. They are VICTIMS of a system that failed them.

I don't know about anyone else, but the notion that the government just "didn't know" or "couldn't possibly foresee the scope" of this thing disturbs me. I pay my taxes to fund a Department of Homeland Security that I expect to have considered all kinds of worst-case scenarios, and has PLANNED for them. To discover that the DHS is unprepared for a tragedy like this, and that they can use the excuse of "not knowing it was going to be this bad" is troublesome, to say the least. The DHS is supposed to respond quickly and decisively, and it is their failure, no matter the personal responsibility of New Orleans residents. If two newspaper reporters for the New Orleans Times-Picayune could foresee this YEARS ago, there is no reason--no reason at all--that the government agency built to respond to such situations couldn't have planned for the worst.

[MollieBee]

48.

People are still trapped and dying.

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/

[VHMPrincess]

49.

Another Heather - I totally agree the response was inadequate and took too long to get there.

I believe the major military enforcements got there Friday and started evacuating them to TX then? And I believe they expect the last of the superdome/convention center people to be evacuated today, six days later.

I had a long post written here (sorry Cecily) and erased most of it... I'm pretty sure nothing I write could change your mind, as I'm pretty sure nothing you write could change mine. We will have to respectfully agree to disagree. The only thing that will really do anyone any good is to look forward and learn from this awful tragedy...

I simply pray that the people in every state, at the local/state and federal levels, are watching and taking notes. They need to have a quicker response. They need to have better plans for evacuating large numbers of people quickly and efficiently, and getting those people medicines/food/water in a much-more timely manner.

Unlike a terrorist attack, the state of Lousiana KNEW this was coming and a million people got out early. What if there was a terrorist attack on a major city while it was full? The toll would be much higher, with many more likely injured.

I would also hope that citizens are taking notes. Making sure you have supplies on hand, have an evacuation plan of their own, where to go, how to let relatives know of your plan, etc. And also, that when there is a warning, take it seriously. Even if past warnings didn't pan out. You never know when it's going to happen for real. I live in DC and people usually laugh or shrug off when the terror threat gets elevated. It is very sad - they are very REACTIVE instead of PROACTIVE about their own safety.

[kari]

50.

I'm not going to too much arguing here, because I can do that on my blog, plus I'm too upset to go throwing blame this way or that... except for one thing. A friend of mine has been deployed to the region as part of a FEMA/Homeland Security rescue operation. She lives in Northern California, and left a couple days ago. She won't get there until TOMORROW because there aren't enough transport planes available - most of them are in Iraq! Yes - they have hundreds of Californian EMTs, firefighters, etc., on buses trying desperately to get there before too many more people die. I'm heartbroken at what is happening. Thank you for this post, Cecily.

[dani]

51.

Wessel and VHMPrincess I agree with you and applaud your ability to voice your opinions in such a manner, despite the fact that they differ from the mainstream on this site. Cecily, despite the fact we disagree on many issues, I think you are an incredibly caring person and what a wonderful gesture to offer your home. I wish there were more I could do, I have donated to red cross and Noah's Wish(thh pet rescue group). My friend who lives in NO has been lucky in that she is safe although she has no idea what shape her house is in. Kay I am glad for your safety!!!

[anonymous]

52.

Leslie, I agree with you 100%. I guess I didn't know at first which posts you were talking about so I missed your meaning. I agree that people should be very careful before they throw around accusations that someone is racist, uninformed or that their views are laughable, just because they have a more conservative or different view. That upset me too.

[Maryann]

53.

Greetings from Houston,

My very dear friend grew up in LA and even though she lives here, she is devastated by the loss on many levels. I've been her shoulder to cry on, and learned a lot the last several days.

Note to VHMPrincess - The rest of the Louisinana National Guard is deployed to Iraq. That's why they're not there to help. http://abc26.trb.com/news/natguard08012005,0,4504131.story?coll=wgno-news-1

My personal opinion is that our current government is a bunch of buffoons, and even if their own mothers were trapped, there's no way they could have gotten them out. It's just a coincidence that there happened to be a lot of black people there.

What gave me tears of joy this morning was to hear about this: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/honore.profile/index.html. General Russel Honore was sent in with a convoy of food and water, and not only has he delivered the goods, but he has taken it upon himself to provide the leadership that has sorely been lacking thus far.

Here's an excerpt from the article: "Hundreds of National Guard and active duty troops are carrying weapons in the city. But the way they carried those guns was a concern to the general.

He ordered all he encountered to point their weapons down, said CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, who was with the general. Honore repeatedly went up to military vehicles, National Guardsmen standing sentry and even to New Orleans police officers, telling them to please point their weapons down and reminding them that they were not in Iraq."

According to CNN this morning, he also refused to ration the supplies. He said that if they tried to ration food and water, people would just panic more. He is giving out whatever people say they need, and telling the suppliers to just "keep it coming".

Thank GOD for this man! It's about time! If he ever runs for president, he'll have my vote.

Three cheers for everyone trying to find a way to help. We are helping several families directly with various supplies. These people are left with nothing - absolutely nothing. I can only imagine how I would feel in their shoes. Above all, it's just a very sad situation.

[Libertate]

54.

I am sorry, I wish what you said was all true. Unfortunatelly it is not.

I just came back from there after working for Red Cross (Blood Services).

We had armed bandits walk up to our med tents, cut the cables to the generators and walk off with it.

How desparate do you have to be to kill inecent children and elderly so you can run your fridge?

The only people who do not have guns are the law abiding ones. Because they abide by the laws. The only people who do have guns are the ones who will have it anyway, law or no law.

I went with an open heart, open arms, and would have given everything.

I come back with a completely charred soul, a horribly mangled image of humanity.

[Jhondra]

55.

FYI--

There are more shelters being set up to accomodate people with pets (pet shelters beside human shelters). The LA SPCA is starting to upload pictures of pets to try to find their owners and national rescue groups are being allowed to go in to look for pets. Pets are being moved to adoption centers outside of LA.

http://www.petfinder.com/disaster/

http://www.ksat.com/weather/4915490/detail.html

[April]

56.

I think Clinton's got it right. There will be a time to evaluate the response. There will be a time to investigate what happened. There will be a time, when I fear, the truth of the depth of the incompetence and the mismanagement of the administration will be clearer.

But, right now we need to all stop pointing fingers. We need to help. End of story.

[Catherine]

57.

April: Now is not the time to be pointing fingers? Well, we're only halfway through the hurricane season. There's another tropical storm gathering power in the Gulf right now. We have, by most accounts, a completely incompetent FEMA director. Would you like to just leave him at the helm and hope for the best? NOW IS THE TIME WE MUST ASSIGN PROPER BLAME FOR THE PITIFUL RESPONSE TO THIS DISASTER SO THAT NEXT TIME, PEOPLE WON'T DIE NEEDLESSLY. Bush keeps parroting the "blame game" phrase. This isn't a game! Thousands of people in the city of New Orleans died as a direct result of the federal governments lack of response.

[Rachel]

58.

Hey, if we all sold stuff on ebay to donate to Katrina efforts instead of taking the time to attack each other on Cecily's blog, I bet we'd have $500 by now!

I agree with bits and pieces of what alot of people said...I saw Oprah today, (well, I didn't really see her, I just saw her on the tv) and it made me bawl...

And it is VERY easy for the finger pointing to happen, because we aren't fighting for our lives, and we're all sitting at home typing happily on our computers.

I find myself very often judging when I haven't walked a mile, so I really don't know what should have been done.

Yes, Bush had some responsibility, but so did the local and state agencies. Why were the elected - to play parcheezi?

There I go judging...

grrr...time to stop writing!

Cecily, if I ever have another girl, can I name her Cecily? I mean, would that freak you out? Cause I LOVE that name!

[Rachel]

59.

the* they

[sara]

60.

One comment in response to the statment that the tsunami survivors didn't turn on each other and start raping, killing, looting...

Am I the only one who remembers the reports that child sex traffickers were picking up orphaned children to *sell*? Talk about depraved fucking indifference.

I also seem to remember reading about problems in many of the villages where almost all the women were swept away while the men survived - the surviving women were pretty much fought over for who got to "remarry" them.

[armchair ethicist]

61.

I really think you've given poor people the shaft here. Most of the poor people that I knew growing up (and I'm about your age) behaved decently most of the time, and MOST especially when things got bad (worse). On the contrary, the people who flip out and act like animals when things get really bad are the people who have lots of things, the people who are used to getting their way, yeah, the selfish folks who try to stuff themselves with more and more stuff to make their lives fulfilling. It's not poverty that breeds these social ills, Cecily, it's a lack of self-discipline. All kinds of people are prone to it, poor, rich, white and black, in good times and in bad.