| Commentary & Analysis |
| Katrina Deaths: Who Is Responsible? |
| by Eric H. Doss |
| Today, the victims of Hurricane Katrina were finally heard in the halls of the United States government. Five survivors of the deadly storm appeared on Capitol Hill to shine a light on the racism and neglect they claim to have received at the hands of the federal government. One victim compared the scene to the Holocaust, while another advanced her theory that someone bombed the levee system in an attempt at genocide. It is impossible for any reasonable individual to claim the response to Katrina was flawless, or even good. To contend that federal, state, and local governments colluded to enforce a policy of racism and genocide is a huge leap in logic. |
Four of the five individuals who testified today claimed that racism was the main reason the response was unacceptably slow. In America, there is no excuse for such a mangled and slow response. There are, however, other events that influenced the response. First, all previous disaster responses have been predicated on the event happening and then the response commencing. Katrina, as a hurricane, did only moderate damage. The real destruction began after the storm had passed. People who could not get out of New Orleans were trapped by the rising flood waters. What caused these people to be imprisoned in their homes?
New Orleans is below sea level. Everyday levees and pumps prevent the city from disappearing into the ocean. New Orleans is not only in a bad location, but it suffers from vast corruption and dishonest politicians. The levee boards, the very people entrusted with the protection of the city, are mired in fraud. This is no secret. For years the corruption and dishonesty of these boards has been a widely publicized fact. For the residents of New Orleans, this combination of location and vice proved fatal as the winds from Katrina moved slowly northward.
One of the most important cornerstones of America is the belief that all citizens are responsible enough to make their own decisions. No one forces or prevents Americans from practicing religion, free speech, or assembly. There is also no government entity that tells people where to live. Many of the people in New Orleans have lived there for years and have endured hurricane after hurricane. Many of these chose to stay. Many of these people also perished in the aftermath of the storm. Who is to blame for their death?
Citizens of New Orleans were warned three days in advance of the approaching hurricane. Up to thirty six hours before landfall many meteorologists were predicting a devastating storm, a catastrophe. Yet people remained. Mayor Nagin created shelters of last resort inside the city. These were not evacuation shelters; they were stop gap measures meant as a final option. The entire blame for every death cannot be placed on the governments involved. There has to be a measure of personal responsibility. Government officials have promised to rebuild New Orleans. Citizens have called for government action to prevent another catastrophe and demanded accountability for the failures during Katrina.
It would be irresponsible for the government to subsidize the rebuilding of New Orleans. To allow and encourage people to return to a city that is technically under water is dangerous. The best evacuation plan cannot save every individual in New Orleans. The only way to prevent any further pain and death is to discourage former residents from returning. When the next hurricane floods New Orleans, and one will, there will be tragic and senseless death. Even if the response improves by nine hundred percent, over one hundred people will die. Where is the justice in spending billions of dollars to rebuild a city that will be a death trap for its citizens? Poverty is the main reason cited for the large number of people stranded in New Orleans. If billions of dollars are spent rebuilding the city, the residents will still be poor. If the billions earmarked for rebuilding are spent lifting the former residents out of poverty and helping them establish themselves in a better location, the needless death can be avoided. The only responsible and just solution is to work to prevent more senseless death in New Orleans. |
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