Posted by Dinah on November 1, 2005, at 8:01:30
In reply to Re: Poll - 52% think Katrina relief not handled we » KaraS, posted by gromit on September 27, 2005, at 18:06:26
If it helps clear things up any, extremely rich white neighborhoods were also flooded, also couldnt' get supplies, and weren't treated much differently from the areas that didn't throw $1000 dinners for Bush. One of the most heavily damaged areas that won't come back for years is a wealthy mainly, if not exclusively, white area where the death toll was similar to any other badly flooded part of town.
I was listening this morning to local officials thanking Wal Mart for coming through to help when no help was coming from the feds.
Bureaucratic stuff occurred regardless of race and class. An equal opportunity disaster.
I wish you all could see this area. Such a wide swathe of disaster, no infrastructure or housing for people to come start rebuilding. I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. This city is devastated and may never be the same, or even similar, again. I don't think I have the words to describe it even. Just imagine mounds of debris piled stories high in residential areas. Whole areas given over to mulching of downed trees. Busing of workers from Baton Rouge, 90 miles away, because there just isn't any local housing.
I don't think it can be compared to many other disasters. Our state government and local governments are facing fiscal disaster. And yes, part of that is due to some choices by state and local governments that I would have wished had been made otherwise. But no one is more outraged than we are at those decisions.
Sigh. I'm sorry if I sound overheated, but two months after this things are still a disaster and the longer it lasts the more discouraged I get. Especially with the comments that are coming our way about our worthiness of being rebuilt. I don't think most of us care who handles the money, although we might care about retaining our local architectural flavor. We just want help.
poster:Dinah
thread:553914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050924/msgs/574077.html