Responding to Hurricane Katrina

In the last twenty-four hours or so attention has begun to turn from rescue and recovery efforts in the city of New Orleans, and elsewhere, and shift toward the proverbial blame game.

On Friday (9-2-05) members of the Congressional Black Caucus came out blasting the federal response to Hurricane Katrina which has devastated the Gulf Coast Region from Florida to Alabama to Mississippi to Louisiana. One thing worth noting is that Representative Carolyn Meeks-Kilpatrick of Michigan (Yes, she is the mother of embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick) noted that evacuees should be not be called "refugees," because as needed to be noted they are all American citizens. It's easy to forget after seeing the images that this disaster has indeed taken place on American soil, but it has, it happened in our backyard, but has now moved to our front porch.

Back now to the matter at hand the blame game. While members of the Caucus made some excellent points, their comments started a discussion which it is too premature to be having, the discussion about who is to blame. It's important to keep our eye on the ball because what really matters is that the lives of so many are forever changed. No matter what happens in the days, weeks, months, and years to come, it's important that people remember, this tragedy came as people were living their dreams, and now if we don't all stand up and help, people will continue living nightmares. The focus should remain on the rescue and recovery efforts, the focus should be focused on saving and restoring lives, but I will however comment on the blame game, because there is certainly enough blame to go around.

On Friday evening (9-2) I sat in my room cleaning up, packing up for school, and continuing to monitor news coverage of Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath. I was struck by one comment that of Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant. The transcript is included below:


TOM OLIPHANT: Well, I think the key task for someone in my line of work at a moment like this is to try to analyze whether what counts is the president himself or whether the president himself is emblematic of something else. And at this point I don't think there is any question that Bush is emblematic of this larger, deeper failure of government. I don't think he's any worse than government in general has been. I don't think he's any better. And as a result, I see him more as a symbol of what has gone on for years, again, and it's not one party or the other party or one ideology or another ideology; government has failed here. And what Bush didn't do before the hurricane or didn't do right away after the hurricane is only emblematic of that failure.

Oliphant was on to something. If we truly had a government which was of the people, by the people, and for the people, this type of disaster may have been avoided, or atleast the response would have been more significant. What Oliphant alluded to is right on, there is too much apathy involved in our everyday lives. Some people don't care, some people won't take a stand, and some people are too afraid to make some noise. I care, I will stand, and I ain't never scurred to make some noise. Part of the reason I aspire to be a journalist is to hold the government accountable on behalf of the citizens by asking the right questions, I want to inform the public about the answers to those question, and I want the dialogue to be ongoing.

Now the blame can't be placed solely on the shoulders of President Bush, Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff, or FEMA Director Mike Brown. Some blame has to be placed in the hands of Louisiana's Governor Kathleen Blanco, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, and other leaders who should have at different times acted more swiftly to do the following:

1) Maintain the already devastated wetlands, which would have provided a certain level of protection (This fell into the laps of Blanco, Nagin, and other local players)
2) Improved the levee system (This fell into the laps of local and federal players)
3) Devised an efficient evacuation plan (This too fell into the laps of local and federal players)
4) Put their plan to the test

As can be seen at this blog (http://www.dcthornton.com/?p=2047) no one's actions have been perfect.

When all is said and done I hope that lives are saved, and that those in power learn to do right by citizens, but most importantly that citizens learn to stay informed, stay aware, and stay vocal.

That's all for now in regard to Hurricane Katrina. My thoughts and prayers remain with the many victims and their families.