The Tragedy in New Orleans
The floods in New Orleans following the deluge of hurricane Katrina, I think, are of a scope that few of us can imagine. They are certainly not as devastating as the tsunami in Indian Ocean was, but that is a little like saying that World War I was not all that bad, because World War II was worse.
Make no mistake, this is among the 10 biggest tragedies in American History. While the body count will likely not reach the levels of September 17, 1862 (the Civil War battle at Antietam), there is a very good chance it will surpass other dark days in American history such as December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001.
The desperation and behavior of the people left in New Orleans is something that I, like most Americans, assumed we would never see on our own shores in our lifetime. Riots for food, street gangs armed with pipes in broad daylight, and the looting of hospitals are only some of the bright spots in todays news reports. I certainly never thought that I would see an American city so devastated that they left dead bodies in the street, for lack of anything better to do with them.
And elsewhere in the country, equally despicable sniping and partisan bickering has begun. Already the articles are appearing declaring that New Orleans was a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed because of its catering to the gay community.
Elsewhere… an article is getting very wide blog coverage that the devastation was needlessly severe, due to budget cuts in levee maintenance to fund the war in Iraq.
I am quite confident that the self-righteous writers of the first article have a special spot reserved for them in the afterlife, probably right next to the fire, where it’s extra warm.
The problem with the second article is that it is probably right. After its establishment in 1995, the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) provided levee repair and maintenance, as well as the construction of pumping stations. However, beginning in 2003, major budget cuts devastated SELA projects. It has been well documented that the money formerly used for flood control in SE Louisiana was being redirected to the conflict in Iraq, and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security.
Allow me to editorialize for a moment: What could possibly be more within the domain of the Department of Homeland Security than building a great big wall between approximately 1 million people and two bodies of water (Lake Pontchartrain to the North, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south… not to mention a minor waterway called the Mississippi River that runs through the city)? But apparently Michael Chertoff didn’t see it that way. Neither did Tom Ridge before him. I can only assume that they were busy coming up with new colors to scare people with.
They did not have the money to repair levees that needed it in 2004. They didn’t have it in 2005, either. How much is it going to cost the U.S. Government to recover from this disaster? I’m certainly no expert, but the $250 million that would have allowed the Army Corps of Engineers to fund all of the SELA projects is beginning to look like a bargain.
Slate.com just the other day featured an article about President Bush, handicapping his chances for becoming the most unpopular President in history. Given the above story, let’s just say he went from dark horse to strong contender (see the entry for August 29, among others).
Before I get a new reputation as a screaming liberal (especially with my recent thoughts on Iraq), let me turn hard hearted conservative for a moment…
- All of these people KNEW that they lived in a city below sea level.
- All of these people KNEW that the levees were in danger of failing (the Times-Picauyne had covered the story no less than 9 times)
And yet they stayed. I’m not a complete jerk, I do think the government should help these people, with all the resources (which, admittedly, have seemed slow to arrive) they have at their disposal.
But funds for rebuilding? In my opinion, only on one condition. If the rebuilding plans place the new structure above sea level. If that means New Orleans becomes a ghost town, so be it.
The government does not have an obligation to assist people to put themselves back in the same dangerous situation that they were in before this disaster. In a situation such as this, the government should help people improve their lot in life, not stick them back in the flood plain that got them into this mess in the first place. Help them move. Help them to live somewhere safer. Because, whether we like it or not, this will happen again.
My initial reaction was much the same, but the more I watch and hear news from New Orleans and the rest of the affected coast, the more I think we have to separate out our frustration with those who stayed and the sharp realization that many who did so stayed behind because they had no means to leave the city. There was much talk before the storm hit about how they were going around getting people to sign waivers… I wonder now if they made it to some of the impoverished neighborhoods were so many stayed behind. If so, I really hope the press corps wakes up from its six-year vacation from critical thinking long enough to ask why, if they could go door-to-door to get waivers signed so nobody would sue the government, why they couldn’t have also gone door-to-door to ask if there were people who wanted to leave but had no means to do so.
I heard William Cohen on CNN yesterday talking about how this disaster is little different in its effect from a terrorist attack — the end results, mass chaos, destruction and injury are much the same — and how this event has shown how ill-prepared the Dept. of Homeland Security is to deal with a massive emergency of any sort.
He suggested that there should be little distinction between natural disasters and terrorist disasters when it comes to getting aid to people post facto. And while clearly a terrorist attack would require evidence collection and other police and intelligence activities not typically seen with natural disasters, the human factor is remarkably the same. What have we been doing these last four years? Oh, right, attacking other countries. I almost forgot. Almost.
Did you see the Times-Picayune has called for the resignation and/or firing of every FEMA/Homeland Security official involved? I say bravo.
I agree with your assessment about the rebuilding of New Orleans. My fear is that what you suggest is not, in fact, what will happen.
I do suspect, however, that the levee reinforcements and other work requested by the Corps will magically happen. In most cases, I’d say better late than never, but that certainly doesn’t apply here. It was an expensive and tragic, heartbreaking mistake Congress and the President made here (not funding levee improvements).