As the news filters slowly back from New Orleans of the rampant devastation and danger, I am growing both more concerned for the innocent people caught up in the thick of all this and more irritated than ever at the people blaming President Bush for the disaster and his response to it, as if they expect him to wave a magic wand and make things better.
I've been reading the headlines all week, and it's still dawning on me just how bad the situation really is. First of all, we all breathed a sigh of relief on Monday when it appeared that the hurricane turned away and dropped to a Category 4, as it seemed that predictions of massive destruction were well overblown. It wasn't until the levees gave way that things got this dangerous, and the situation has been deteriorating since then. Again, it's been a gradual process, with the SOS's getting more and more desperate as the week wears on; it's understandably hard to absorb the scope of the aftermath if you're not there in the thick of things.
Second, since when is it the federal government's job to bail people out of bad situations? It's nice for disaster-stricken countries/communities that we have a generous federal government so willing to adopt the role of charitable organisation and divert billions of dollars in fixing problems, but that is not its job. It's a bonus - it's a gift - and the people of New Orleans should appreciate that instead of complaining that the federal and local governments are letting them down. The city had back-up plans - the Superdome and other relief shelters - which were touted up-front as being last resort contingencies, because of course the first order of business would have been for people to take responsibility for themselves and get out of there instead of expecting the city to make all their travel plans for them. Now conditions are worsening and it's somehow the government's fault for not coordinating these massive relief endeavors on a grander scale?
We saw this hurricane coming good and well. People were warned and then ordered all last week to evacuate, and I do recall reading articles over the weekend interviewing inhabitants sitting on their front porches who had decided to simply weather things out and take their chances. That's their prerogative, but are these the people now roaming the streets with guns, cracking open with forklifts the buildings left by responsible people who had the judgment to leave when the leaving was good? I know this sounds harsh, and I'm sure it takes guts to pack up what you can in a car and drive off, leaving everything behind and not knowing whether you'll have anything to return to or even if you'll be coming back next week when it's all blown over, the laughingstock of the neighborhood because it wasn't so bad as predicted. (I can only assume that's why people didn't leave last week, well before the interstates clogged up - because they refused to believe it would really get this bad.)
What's alarming to me is how easily the bad side of human nature is taking over. Crises like these always call out the best and the worst in people, but it seems as if usually the good tends to prevail with a bit more victory. On the Titanic, you had your occasional cads trying to squeeze onto a lifeboat with the women and children, but the decent men in the crowd were always plentiful enough to keep them in line. Now utter and complete anarchy prevails, and the mobs seems to have no good influences from any quarter. Is this a reflection on our times or simply on the character of the city?
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Michael called me on Wednesday to let me know that rumours of gas shortages had hit the airwaves and to advise me to get gas if I were low. So I ran out to the nearest gas station, figuring it could never hurt to take precautions. On the way there I noted a high volume of traffic, and thought to myself, 'Ha, ha, wouldn't it be funny if all these people were headed to the gas station in a panic to buy gas?' Ha, ha, indeed. The lines were incredible and the parking lot was overflowing; the price was ridiculously higher than it had been the day before, and the radio stations were all blaring the news of the gas shortages as if it were a real live crisis. I still had half a tank, so I turned right around and came home. The governor is assuring us that the pipelines will be back up by the weekend, so I shall simply conserve gasoline, as he admonishes us all to do, and not hoard.
When I visited Atlanta three years ago, Catherine told me how it was practically a state pastime to panic every time there was a winter storm brewing; so much as hint at possible snowfall and the news channels all carried reports on the lines forming in grocery stores to get bread and milk. Apparently it's a Georgia tradition to panic, lemming-like, early and often. To my knowledge a few individual gas stations have run out, but I'm sure that's due to the panic and not to any actual shortage. It's exactly like a run on the bank - and I, for one, refuse to participate in it. I may find myself stranded at home next week, but at least I'm not wasting any money on high-priced gasoline this week!
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I've been playing 'Down At The Twist And Shout' for Jane several times this week. It's our first attempt at unit studies.
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2 comments:
I actually was thinking along the same lines as you today. I read an article about how some journalists as recently as three years ago warned the country that New Orleans wouldn't withstand a major hurricane, and the levee system needed to be repaired. Obviously they weren't. And, ultimately, whose fault was it? The Government's! Because it wouldn't allocate funds to repair New Orleans! All The Government's fault!
Couldn't the city at least have held a fundraiser or something to get started?
On my blog, I'm going to link to a great article about Lucedale as an antidote. :)
-- SJ
We agree, Rose! It's one of those horrible tragedies and I know that some people were unable to leave (due to health issues) and they are entirely excuseable. But having lived along the Coast in S. Texas -- and having evacuated twice on threat of a hurricane -- I find it hard to sympathize with those who chose to stick it out down there. It IS always a gamble, of sorts, but better safe than sorry. And to cry "foul" at the government is dispicable. It just shows how far we've taken this "government shall give me all means to make me happy, happy, happy" hogwash. (I wanted to say something other than hogwash but I refrained.)
Do I think we should offer help where we can? Yes. Do I think the looters and snipers should be taken out? By golly, yes. But do I think the government should rebuild each individual's life. By golly, no. We MUST learn, at some point, to take responsibility for our own actions.
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