Why do American people get so upset when storm Katrina struck their state?

Question

I was so shocked when I saw in tv the reaction of the people when storm Katrina struck their place. We in the Philippines were aware of the coming of the strong storm, so why these people did not prepare themselves in the coming storm? Why blame the government in the destruction of their place? Why do they had to loot and kill people?

Answer 1

LOL.. You have a point there. Most of the lives lost in Katrina were lost without good reason. Though you have admit even with your home country being hit every year by strong storms, people still die in them. Katrina hit a city that has lived in danger of a strong storm for over a century but bet it wouldn't happen. Then when it did they found out just how unprepared they were. It's been over 150 years since a storm like this struck the area.

Because of that, most of the homes and businesses were not built to survive such a storm. Most of the buildings built in New Orleans in the last 100 years have been torn down long before Katrina struck. As such many of them were completely destroyed. The levies were old and not designed to handle the stress of a storm like Katrina. They of course failed. You see New Orleans, at least much of it is below sea level. New Orleans has been sinking for years. Instead of requiring buildings to be built such as are built in the carabean who's islands see even stronger storms with little loss in life or property the buildings where Katrina landed often just blew away or floated down the street.

Over 1,000 people died in Katrina. The biggest loss of life from a natural disaster in the US since the San Francisco Earthquake and Galveston hurricane both over 100 years ago. We Americans have built a safe society. We have minimalized natural disasters. Built levies to keep rivers from flooding. Developed flood zones and canals to keep floods from being too severe. We've built earthquake proof buildings. Yet many American cities sit in great peril. We have gone so long with so few major natural disasters that something like Katrina shakes our confidence.

As for the anger at the government. We help out world wide when disaster strikes. Yet in our own nation people are still waiting for help rebuilding their homes. The majority of those expressing the most anger are ironically those who lost the least. Many people are taking advantage of the disaster to enrich themselves or milk the system for all they can get. The problem is that this is breaking the system. The next major disaster might see no help left as the money is gone. Cities that took in Katrina refugees are dealing with their own crisis. Houston for example has seen a surge in crime. Surprising amounts of it by Katrina refugees against Katrina refugees. An already depressed economy in Houston was smothered by the refugees who were given first pick on jobs while Houstonians remained out of work.

So in answer, the reason why these people did not prepare for the storm is the same reason coastal cities in the US are STILL not prepared. I was one of the millions who took part in the Rita evacuation. An evacuation that killed over a dozen people. Had Rita hit Houston as a Cat 5 then tens of thousands would have died. Houston as a city would have been wiped out. What has Houston done? Nothing. What has Mobile done? Nothing. What has Miami done? Nothing. What has New Orleans done? Nothing. The Gulf coast went through a long an unusual period of quiet. Now the weather is getting back to normal and people who built near the coast are suddenly discovering how badly they built. Major US cities are at risk for thousands of people dieing. The worst part is nobody seems to even realize the danger.

It's not just storms. Some of the most populous areas of the country live on top of a huge earth quake fault that is due to shake again. The result could be millions of dead if it is a big one. Other coastal cities live in danger of hurricanes and tidal waves. New York for example if hit by a strong hurricane could see massive damage and loss of life. Yet nothing is done to prepare. There is no way that New York could be evacuated in time even if we saw it coming days ahead of time. Houston couldn't be evactuated with a week's notice. New York would be worse. A tidal wave doesn't give days of warning. Hours if your lucky. LA, San Francisco, Chigago, St Louis, Miami, Houston, Tampa Bay and most of our largest cities are in risk areas for such natural disasters. The time to do something is now before it happens. Americans, we just seem to think it'll never happen to us.

Answer 2

We were not upset that Katrina struck us. and we did not blame the government for the destruction. we were upset at the government for not sending help earlier to get all of the people out of the cities. i dont know how it works over there but usually when there is a natural disaster in the United States the government is spposed to do everthing tha they can to ensure the safety of its citizens. This time that was not the case. We were mad becuase they did not send enough help to evacuate before she hit! We were mad becuase the levees did not hold up to what they were supposed! We were mad becuase afer she hit there was still very little help sent by the Government, and when it was sent many days later it still was not enough! We were mad becusae countless numbers of people died and did not have to! We were and still are mad becuase some of us are still missing family members that to this day have yet to be located! And finally, We were and still are mad that our Government is spending Billions o dollars on a war that should be over(I support the troops just not the way things went down) but cant spend half that to take care of its own citizens and make sure that their lives et back to normal and the quality of living in this country stays high. so get it straight as to what the reactions that you saw pertained to. and the looting and killing had nothing to do with it. most of that is human nature. you will always have people who try to take advanage of others in the face of a natural disaster.

Answer 3

Let me have a go at this as I am an American. The people were warned ahead of time, the local mayor drug his feet. People were warned to get out of town. He had 1,000 school buses sitting that could have moved people out of town. The governor of the state drug her feet and did not help at all. The federal government asked them to do things and it was not done. The governments down there are very corrupt and expect other people to help them. It was a total mess and the blame lies at the feet of the corrupt leaders in that area.

Answer 4

i become at a GABBA ODI tournament various years in the past at the same time as thunder and lightening struck in a huge way. It merely had the loud rumble of thunder and then huge quantities of lightening and extremely heavy rain making the floor so moist it turned right into a puddle each and every of the floor. i become at an AFL tournament at Etihad Stadium listening to South Africa vs Australia being performed in South Africa many years decrease back and felt the stadium shake somewhat which become an earthquake. It merely felt like it does at the same time as in the back of the objectives the position the followers bang flags and make a noisy noise. A that area the flooring vibrate somewhat. If it wasn't for the actuality they suggested it turned right into a 4.4 value earthquake on the radio, i does no longer have even widely used it become an earthquake. i become in Hong Kong many years in the past at the same time as typhoons got here and then Macau which had some really undesirable typhoons which blew timber down, had winds over 150km an hour and wide parts of rain. That turned right into somewhat scary, yet that become no longer at a activities stadium.

Answer 5

Some Americans just are too stubborn. Also, many of the worst hit areas like Pass Christian and some of the New Orleans neighborhoods were so poor that they did not have a TV, radio, or internet connection, and even if they did, they did not have a car.

We got upset because our lives were torn apart, not because we didn't have supplies... well, most of us anyway.

Answer 6

Everyone gets upset when their home is wiped out by nature. Americans are not angry at the government for allowing the storm to hit; instead they are angry because the so-called emergency services of the government did not provide prompt and reasonable service. Then FEMA had the unmitigated gall to BILL the victims for their so-called service! You'd be angry too!

Answer 7

Why they get upset? Because they think they are the best and the worst cannot or should not happen to them?
Why they did not prepare? Because they thought it will not happen to them, so much for a "clever nation, huh?
Why blame government? They always want to blame someone, especially the government.
why loot and kill? That's their specialty, it's like they are bored and so they do it for fun, look at what they are doing with Irag, Iran, Ethiopia, etc. No wonder Saddam Hussein defeated them to his death, may his soul rest in peace.

Answer 8

Americans are apprehensive and aware of the havoc the storm causes and they are alert to avert such a havoc.