That name will forever haunt the residents of New Orleans - particularly at this time in August. Today is the first anniversary of the natural disaster visited upon the Big Easy, in the shape of Hurricane Katrina. After battering the Gulf Coast with winds in excess of 125 mph, Katrina breached the levees (flood barriers protecting New Orleans from the sea and the Mississippi River). The results are only too well known. Large parts of the city disappeared under many feet of water, about 1,500 are known to have died. Only 200,000 of New Orleans' population have returned.
What appalled me this morning was the report carried on BBC Radio 4 that even now, dead bodies are still being found. Little of the mess has been cleared up, or new houses built. Recently re-elected Mayor Nagin said people could return to rebuild their homes on the original sites.
I am wondering though. The levees were breached, and images at the time showed them to be a pretty makeshift, tumbledown affair. I'm not aware that anything new has been built that is able to withstand wind and water better than what was there before. I am probably going to offend my American readers here, but I think it's a crashing disgrace that the most powerful nation on earth is not able to build proper flood defenses. Have a look at Venice, have a look at London, have a look at The Netherlands. Plenty of expertise around. Money shouldn't be an object. Or is it? Only now, one whole year on, does President Bush have the moral courage to admit that the disaster management structure in his country is a shambles. Has anything been done to improve it?
I am through conviction favourably inclined towards the good ole US of A. I experienced a feeling of severe let-down a year ago, when absolutely NOTHING happened for three days in the aftermath of Katrina. And what was being done was haphazard and piecemeal. For goodness' sakes, the US government puts itself forward as the world's troubleshooter (arguable distinction). But I think they'd better turn round and see what their own backyard looks like, and clean that up. It's not pretty, guys.
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Tomorrow the 29th is Katrina's 1 yr anniversary, a terrible tradgedy!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Sugar
i agree with sugar it was a terrible tragedy and that 1 year has gone so quickly.
ReplyDeleteAstra!
Many of my friends and myself are horrified as to how that was handled. I absolutely agree with what you said. No offense here. Far from it. It made us aware that if something should happen to us here (like an earthquake) that we are pretty much on our own. Scary. Like you said, we are supposed to be the most powerful nation on Earth and this happens? Very scary!
ReplyDeletePamela