In USA Today......?

Question

A letter to the editor questioned whether the fact that people from Louisiana still live in FEMA trailers and the fact that already debris is being moved and rebuilding has started in California has ANY thing to do with the color of skin, the amount of personal worth and the voter registration of the victims. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

I'm not surprised. What happened and is still happening from Katrina is a nightmare. As Barbara Bush said about the 1000's of Katrina evacuees in a Texas gymnasium who many had lost their homes and loved ones... "These people are poor and underprivileged anyway, so this is working out well for them." So I am sure the government's opinion is that these Fema trailers are continuing to work 'out well' for them too.

Answer 2

You know, too much has been made of the terrific work done in California. It IS terrific work, from all I've read, so don't get me wrong.

But these wildfires wiping out neighborhoods is NOT the same as a Class 5 hurricane decimating an American city.

People in California were able to evacuate, roads were passable and never once clogged, the numbers affected were never that big and certainly NEVER rose to the level of killing San Diego or Los Angeles.

In New Orleans, people were drowning in a giant bathtub, with all transportation options flooded after a certain point (and not available to a largely poor populace prior to the hurricane).

This is apples and oranges, and I don't think race can be pointed to as an issue. I *do* think FEMA did things better, but the proof will be when there is a disaster of similar magnitude - another hurricane somewhere, an 8.0 earthquake in LA or a 9.0 in Seattle, or heaven forbid something that is not force majeure.

Answer 3

It might look that way. Rich , white , living on a hill top , in a big house and getting help right away. Vs. Black , poor , living below sea level in a small house and still waiting for help. I think a big part of it though is the state government or governor. Louisiana has a democrat. California a republican. Bush is quick to help fellow republicans. Couldn't care less about a democrat.

Answer 4

I don't think you can ignore the racial and political compositions of NOLA and Orange Country. Nor do I think you can blame the victims in NOLA for their situation. My guess is that, even after the fires swept through southern California, a lot of the people probably had a lot more personal resources available to them than the people in NOLA (recognizing, of course, that there are plenty of poor folks in SoCal, as well). You would assume that would mean the government would quickly step in to help people who lost literally everything (because they didn't have anything in the bank), but that's not really what happened.

Did the government learn a lesson from Katrina? Maybe. But I don't think it's unreasonable to say, "Hey, wait a minute, why are things so different now than they were then?" and then attribute that to the racial and political distinctions between the two places. We don't exactly have a great track record for responding equally to crises in different neighborhoods.

Answer 5

I'm in So. Cal. Between San Diego and the San Bernardino Mountains. They just started to let people back into the mountains with a permit. The fires in San Diego and Orange County aren't even out yet. I don't know where this person gets her information but like I said the fires aren't even out yet. There has been no starting of rebuilding anywhere.

In fact Corona Ca. is under a cloud of ash right now because the Orange County fire is spreading to Riverside County.

Where do all this people get the idea that everyone in Orange County is rich. It has it's working class and upper middle class just like everywhere else. Santa Ana is predominately Hispanic and Garden Grove is predominately Vietnamese. Those that were burned out are of all working class of people. Do they think they are just the idle rich. Geeze.

Answer 6

Probably because the citizens of California are rebuilding themselves and not waiting on the government to do it for them might be a big factor. I am curious why it is just one area that is havng trouble. And no, it cannot be skin color becaus Boluxi is prominantly black and seems there is no problem there.

Answer 7

while i have compassion for the victims of the katrina mess, i find it astounding that there are people still living in fema trailers. regardless of race or personal circumstance, this is just absurd. it's been two years.

and here is something strange from me, kudos to "the terminator."

Answer 8

well... first off... it's easy to rebuild when you have several million in your bank account and when your entire local city wasn't basically completely destroyed...

no so much when you're poor, have no money to start over and the place where you work didn't open back up for a year...

comparing one to the other is almost impossible... the two situations are so different from almost every angle...

Answer 9

Just like KRR and DOLLY said it is about people doing for themselves instead of waiting for a handout. alot more of the gulf coast was devasted than just new orleans but you do not hear about that. WHY? because they are moving on and rebuilding their lives.

Answer 10

Sounds like you watch (and believe) the news. I have been there lived among them (and escaped) so many of them have lived nearly cradle to grave on the welfare system they are still waiting on our incompetent bloated government the feed them change their diapers and house them. Piss on them if they are too damn lazy to do something for them selves why should we the tax payers. I left when there were no jobs. .......Good day.