Preparing Your Emergency Kit Surviving catastrophic events like hurricanes is anything but easy, and given the climate changes which are well under way, it would be a good idea to have a general survival plan just in case one should find themselves in a situation like the people of New Orleans did. When Hurricane Katrina struck on August, 2005 it caused major damage and loss to human life. If there was a lesson in Katrina, it is that citizens cannot, and should not count on local or federal government to assist them during these emergencies. Only by revisiting the chain of events which led to that fateful day can we get a full impact for how badly prepared US emergency forces were to deal with the situation and the politics involved.
Katrina formed over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, and became a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed southern Florida. It caused moderate flooding there, and also took lives. Later, while in the Gulf of Mexico it became a category-five event: one of the strongest hurricanes on record. By the time it made landfall once again on the morning of August 29 on the Mississippi/Louisiana state line, Katrina had actually subsided to a category-three.
It was six days from the time it first began to form until it made landfall. Six days. Every one had their eye on the hurricane, and yet during those six days, federal and local government couldn't evacuate those poor people. It is a little difficult to believe the response time considering how quick to act our government is in other, more profitable endeavors over seas. To be fair, the hurricane was unpredictable, gaining and loosing strength and even changing directions on a couple of occasions, but here we are - almost 2 years later and the people of New Orleans are still trying to recover. Homelessness, crime, poverty and poor living conditions are a part of the course there even now. Surely, the richest country in the world should be able to provide assistance quickly and effectively to its citizens. The Politics of Emergency Response If you don't think that politics enter into domestic emergency relief efforts, or believe that politicians would put politics aside during an emergency to help out people in trouble, you should consider this: During Hurricane Katrina, Cuba and Venezuela (third-world countries) were among the first to offer the U.S. assistance in the form of $1 million dollars, over 1,000 doctors, 26 metric tons of medicine, two MASH units, 10 water purifying plants, 18 generators, 20 tons of bottled water, 50 tons of canned food and 66,000 barrels of heating oil, but their offers were refused by the U.S. government. It doesn't make sense, does it? I mean, why would our own government turn away their help when so much suffering might have been avoided with those supplies? Assistance by Russia and France was also offered, but once again the U.S. government declined, only to request for it later. While government plays politics, people were dying of hunger, thirst, lack of medical care and shelter. At least 1,836 people died in Hurricane Katrina. I say "about" because some bodies will never be found. It was the deadliest, costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, costing over $81 billion in damage. Two years later, and there is still a large number of homeless people, or folks without electricity, running water and other basic services. The lesson is: don't expect help from anyone. Be prepared to help yourself. |
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