Don't Blame Bush For Katrina
An article I read in the Murray State News opinion columns struck a cord with me. I had been feeling this way about the whole Katrina ordeal, and this article said it all. I don't (and never have) blamed Bush for the horrible situation in The Big Easy. The problems have been there the whole time. And being that it is so much under sea-level, it was only a matter of time before it happened like this (and a wonder it hasn't happened sooner). Now... maybe we could've prepared for it a little more. Hell, a lot more. Skaggs was right when he said that the levees should have been built instead of the Superdome in 1971. They had that chance, then. So why isn't Richard Nixon's administration under fire? Or Gerald Ford? Or Jimmy Carter? Or, even the President who I think was a wonderful foreign-policy president, Bill Clinton? All of those guys are just as guilty as Bush in this particular situation if you ask me. What about John J. McKeithen, the governor of Louisiana in 1971?
People are demanding a federal investigation of Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Association because there wasn't enough done initially to save people. Ok, now FEMA is getting a little too much heat as well if you ask me. People are freaking out because of how bad this thing was, and jumping to point fingers. As Skaggs said in his article, "FEMA is not a first reponse agency.. but a federal financing agency." I agree with some of what he said, but, he is not totally right there.
FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. They coordinate the work of federal, state, and local agencies in responding to floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Also, they are supposed to provide financial assistance to the victims for reconstruction of their lives.
FEMA has certain key responsibilities of emergency management:
-Mitigation, or reducing the severity or likelihood of the hazard.
-Preparedness, or ensuring you have the capability to respond to the hazard.
-Response, or immediate actions taken to save lives, property, the environment, and the economy.
-Recovery, or subsequent actions taken to restore property, jobs, and services.
So, as far as RECOVERY EFFORTS go, FEMA should've been a lot more prepared. But before you go cutting nuts off, listen to the numbers. As much as 80% of the city, much of which is below sea level, flooded, with water reaching a depth of 25 feet in some areas. Much of the city is actually located between 1 and 10 feet below sea level, and as such, is very prone to flooding. This kind of catastrophe is knowingly going to be harder than any normal hurricane flooding and destruction. I guess the real question is, should New Orleans have been a little more fearful of a category 5 hurricane? The answer is YES! They were WELL aware of the risks involved in living there. For instance, most of the cemeteries in the city use above ground crypts as opposed to underground burial. Have you heard of that anywhere else?
So, should New Orleans and the local and national government have seen this coming from a mile away? Yes, there is no doubt in my mind. New Orleans' situation hasn't been a secret since it became established. Does one person in particular deserve the horrible fate of accepting the responsibility of a disaster that has leveled an entire city? No. For all of you hardcore Republicans, mark this one in your record books... I stood up for Bush in this instance. Well, kinda. It won't happen often.
-Me
P.S.- One more thing... Bush's approval rating has dissipated to the lowest since he accepted the office at his inauguration in 2001. Now, I don't personally blame HIM for Katrina's aftermath and response efforts... but I am happy that people are approving or disapproving of him because of an issue that has to do with the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA... and not some fucking Middle Eastern country that we've been more worried about than ourselves for 5 years.
P.S.S.- My last PRAXIS exam is tomorrow morning bright and early... pray for me.