Why has the USA not cleaned up after Hurricane Katrina? And how can they sleep at night?

Answer 1

I don't know...I believe that the City of New Orleans and the US. government-sponsored organization, FEMA, failed to actively stress the severity of the conditions, as well as provide adequate transportation/housing services for those who couldn't afford it otherwise, prior to the arrival of the hurricane. It's frustrating to see the lack of public attention to the problems which are currently enveloping the city...all we the public can do is offer emotional support, some financial contributions, and participate in clean-up efforts to aid the progress of rebuilding New Orleans...good question.

Answer 2

Because Katrina happened in a part of the country that most of the USA really doesn't care about.... And they can sleep cause they don't have to sleep down here.

I think if you talked to your state senators and representatives you will find that an awful lot of their constituents are telling them NOT to do anything more about Katrina. Do a search - right now - on the internet - any search engine you choose - for "sick of Hurricane Katrina" and see what comments you find from people all over the country.... Then check out the dates. People were tired of it only three weeks after it happened....

I'm tired of it myself. Really tired. More tired than any of those people posting comments, I promise. Why? Cause I'm still living it every day.

Compassion seems to end where the pocketbook begins. I'm in Mississippi - you know, the place that actually got hit by the hurricane? - and I have been shocked and saddened to find out that even people in the rest of our own state... even a matter of 40 or 50 miles away... are fighting the state legislature tooth and nail to keep projects and money from getting to the coast if it might affect them in some way. "Why should our tax dollars pay for THOSE people to live THERE?" is what they say.

Nevermind that those of us who have been rebuilding are taxpayers too... and that prior to, during, and after this disaster our tax dollars went elsewhere... often to finance projects that we never benefitted from. That's just how it works....

So I think that's why the USA has not cleaned up after Katrina. You can blame FEMA and the Bush administration.. global warming... Elvis.. anybody you want all day.... But when it comes right down to it.. How many people would still want the government to put everything they've got into helping us out down here if it actually means it might cost them something?

Answer 3

I'm a committed cynic.
I had the pleasure and good fortune to be allowed to work Douglas Aircraft (California)some years ago.I always felt that the U.S. was prepared and able to cope with most stuff. They just pick up and start again after most disasters, chuck cash at it and the problem goes away.
The Katrina mess has exposed the weaknesses of that arrogant belief held throughout government departments. And shown the good citizens of the USA that they are living a lie.They never sorted the mess out because they were unprepared, underfunded and unable. The most frightening lesson to be drawn from this is the similarities of perception of the abilities of two great waring powers.
We all quaked in our boots for years at the Great Russian Threat, yet after '89 it became obvious that the Ruskies never even had the organisational skills to distribute cabbages to market before they rotted.
We are only surprised at the Katrina debacle because we all need to believe that Uncle Sam can-do.

Answer 4

I don't know! I just read that the U.S. has squandered 10 billion in Iraq, and I just shook my head, because that money could go to help the Hurricane Katrina victims and help clean up New Orleans. What makes me so angry is that the government and Bush act like they don't even care about New Orleans anymore. In his State of the Union address he didn't even mention anything about New Orleans. It seems to me he only cared about it when he was getting backlash and everyone was upset about how he and his administration mishandled the Hurrican Katrina mess.

Answer 5

I'm sure all of you overseas never hear about the way we Americans help each other when things go wrong. We opened our homes to strangers all over the country. We donated money when we, ourselves, were losing our jobs. We left our families behind to help in any way we could. Our Red Cross and similar organizations were overwhelmed with volunteers. We even had groups risking their lives to save the pets. Your media never showed any of that, did it? These things don't get repaired overnight. Why don't you pay N'orleans a visit? You'll see that most people are gone (onto new lives in other cities) and what is left are Americans still cleaning up the mess.

Your media wouldn't be getting their information from ours now, would they? If we can't get straight answers from our media, how are you getting them? And don't you have your own country's issues to think about?

Slick: What have you done to help? Do you really care, or are you just interested in bashing Americans?

Answer 6

Too busy rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq.
If it ain't in the news everyday it soon gets forgotten.

Answer 7

b/c pres. bush is a no good son of a b*tch