Most of us reading and participating to these forums agree on this, Katrina was terribly mis-managed.
Others though, outside of our liberal blogs, don't necessarily agree on the root causes and effects; worse, they may think that this "natural disaster" should not be politicized.
So What can we do?
We need to focus our time and energy into real action, and reach out to the public opinion, outside the Kossak world. We need to spread our message and point of view, through Letters to the Editors of newspapers, neighborhood papers, ethnic or religious publications, college alumni magazines. Call local radios and TV stations. Write to our legislators.
More to make our message resonate, below the fold...
While the hurricane was a
natural disaster, our lack of preparedness and slow response to it was a
man-made disaster.
And to those who would dismiss this reflexion as political play, we need to assert our duty, as a society, to reflect on the best way to handle such major events and ensure the security of all citizen.
Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all."
4 years after 9/11, and with the restructuring of Homeland Security a major undertaking of our government, our response to one of the most anticipated disaster facing the nation was, by all accounts, catastrophic.
Not surprisingly, the federal Republican White House, Homeland Security and FEMA are dodging the blame and pointing to the local Democratic authorities of Louisiana and New Orleans.
It is critical that we strongly weigh in on this debate!
Local authorities may be in part to blame for insufficient evacuation, yet it is clear, however, that this disaster was of national proportions and required both preparedness and response at a national level.
My take? Well, we just saw what a reduced government (with less taxes, less budget, less social responsibilities) can not do. It can not protect its citizen when it's time to do so. Especially when its reduced capacity is compounded by sheer incompetence.
So What can we do?
Most have already mentioned how we can, in the short term, give to help the relief efforts.
Then, before you speak up, make sure you read this excellent research and compilation of the errors that were made, and this timeline of the federal vs local response (Other good diaries with compilations of talking points? Please link to them in comments!)
Now to fuel the much-needed national debate on what happened and what needs to be fixed, you can Write Letters to the Editor with your point of view.
My favorite tips to get it published:
Make it local: ask how your city/community is prepared against a major disaster (and underscore how unprepared the nation was to Katrina, especially New Orleans with underfunded levees);
Ask whether your mayor and governor have competent aid in emergency management (and underscore the fact that Michael Brown was appointed at the head of FEMA with no related experience whatsoever);
Ask how much of your local National Guard and equipment is deployed in (or rotating to or from) Iraq;
Ask what the impact of your local budget cuts or tax repelling initiatives would have in such an event;
Oh, and of course, you can recommend this diary so that more of us see it and synchronize our message and actions ;)
Together, we need to raise the visibility of these issues. We need to act, to protect ourselves.