Digest Number 2050

[Guest guest]

I was taken aback by some of the comments that were made on this site

regarding Louisiana and the most recent hurricane Katrina. First, though I

think that I should say that the Louisiana purchase of 1803 doubled the

size of the United States and gave it territories that became the states of

Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado (a portion), Nebraska,

Missouri, Iowa, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota (a portion),

and Montana( a portion). Also, you should know that the Southern part of

Louisiana the state has the largest amount of wetlands of any state but 79

percent of the state's land area is agricultural and Timber land. It is not

all Marsh land.

 

Now as far some of the less than compassionate comments I have read

regarding the plight of the victims of the hurricane, I would have to say

that all of us live under the possibility of a major disaster of some type

or another. For each of us it is something different. And usually it is just

a matter of time. As I recall the city of New Orleans has existed for many

hundreds of years. In fact it predates the United States. As far as I know

no previous storm has been as devastating as Katrina. In fact the last

hurricane that produced any serious flooding of a portion of town was in

1965. Many New Orleans residents may not have been born at that time or been

old enough to be aware of the danger. I can ensure you that know when

encouraged that population to move nor was it reinforced that it was a

dangerous place to live. The issue for me was the lack of planning and

support and the disregard for the poor and the infirmed. Hurricanes provide

sufficient warning so that there is time to evacuate. Those people with

means did just that. However, busses were not sent out to provide

transportation for those with greatest need. They had no where to go and no

way to get there. For these people I have great compassion.

I wonder if the next earthquake in California, which is overdue, destroys

Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and any number of other areas, will

there be other people with so little compassion that they will point to the

west and say "see I told you not to live there". " You should have known

better By the way Wait four days before we think about sending food and

medical supplies."

Please lets think about we are saying. If we need to be judgemental

shouldn't our criticism first fall on our elected leaders for not addressing

the safety of our cities and of our populations. If New Orleans was at

greater risk than other areas, then why weren't there plans to increase the

safety of the city. According to a FEMA administrator who was forced to

resign the funding for increasing the safety level of the city was diverted

to the war in Iraq. Let's give this time. I think we will all learn a

great deal in the next few months.

 

AL