Katrina Criticism

This morning while getting ready for work, I listened to a commentary by Austin Bay on NPR's Morning Edition. He decried Americans' criticism of our nation's response to the disaster. He said that the response was swift and even relatively orderly, and that American's had unreal expectations.

My problem with his editorial is this: he's debating a different argument than the rest of the country--or a different argument than me and my co-workers, at any rate.

I agree with his position that the response, once it began, was quick and reasonably efficient. But the response to the need for action came too slow and too late. In fact, there shouldn't have been a need for such a momentous post-hurricane response rally. Unlike the tsunami disaster in December - or most earthquake disasters - we had three days to get ready for the hurricane. Granted, we never know exactly where a hurricane will hit. But everyone knew New Orleans would be severely effected (and levee breaks had been predicted four years ago). Everyone knew the Gulf Coast was in danger. Towns started their "voluntary evacuation" warnings on Friday (my problem with the idea of "voluntary evacuation" is for another time). Why didn't the National Guard - those left in the U.S., anyway - and the Red Cross and FEMA start preparing on Friday? It was already decided that the Superdome would be a designated shelter (I'm less clear on the history of the Convention Center--when it was declared a shelter point, etc). There should have been copious amounts of water and food and an emergency generator or two. Supplies should have been made available to hospitals.

The argument that the hurricane could have missed or suddenly lessened in strength is moot. Why do we teach thousands of youth to "always be prepared" if grownups don't do it? Would it have cost money for these possibly needless preparations? Of course it would(and here there is the salient question if enough resources would have even been available). But far better to be over-prepared and unnecessary (just ship the water back into storage for the next time) than under-prepared and overwhelmed with victims and stranded evacuees who are figuratively (and too often literally) dying of thirst and heat exhaustion.

Currently the are estimates of 10,000 casualties. With that many casualties, to say that the nation's response to Katrina has been adequate is absolutely shameful.

(Those who would like to be even more upset can read an essay posted by Robert Tracinski on Boston's Craigslist on why the "welfare state" is to blame for the catastrophe. The only thing I can agree with in his essay is that releasing prisoners onto the streets because they didn't know what to do with them was a bad idea - hello, obvious statement).

Kudos to all the states opening their doors to vicitms. This includes Massachusetts, of course, as well as Wisconsin, making room for hundreds at the State Fair Grounds and dormatories in Milwaukee (because the Milwaukee Public School System is such a great place ... please note the sarcasm of that last statement. Of course, all of the kids who will be in the Texas Public School System won't be too well off, either.)

But now it's back to work for me... I get to choose which business card design and crack-n-peal address label design we want for HEARTH/CEEH. Quite exciting. On an even happier work-related note: the all-staff meeting has been cancelled! Wahoo.