February 19, 2006
Katrina Is Not History
As the investigation into the failed response to Hurricane Katrina drags on, we see what has become a pattern of graft, cronyism, incompetence. FEMA's almost billion dollar purchase of mobile and modular homes largely sit decaying in a filed in Hope, Arkansas, while tens of thousands of people still remain homeless from the hurricane. The big benefactors of aid have clearly been the recipients of the no-bid contracts (like Halliburton) and hotel chains which have received up to $400 a night to house evacuees.
Six months after the hurricane, the Gulf Coast is still largely a shambles. A new wave of death from the hurricane is rolling in - this group assumed to be from the stress of dislocation.
With the effects of Katrina still present and unaccounted for, we are rapidly moving towards the 2006 hurricane season. It is predicted to be as bad or worse than 2005. Preparations for the upcoming season look to be in doubt.
While the rebuilding of the levees in the New Orleans' area slowly proceed, questions are being raised about their construction. Apparently, there is evidence that the soil composition of the fill dirt may be inadequate. Reportedly much of the fill is sand and peat with inadequate amounts of clay to help create a reasonable levee. We could see a situation where the levee's look good, but will wash away at even below a Category 3 hurricane. While New Orleans and surrounds may not be hit with another hurricane in the coming year, the odds are not in their favor. Further, if the levee's are built with poor material, it is unlikely they will be rebuilt again until they fail.
Other Articles of Interest
2/19/06 Cynthia McKinney, The Hurricane Hit That Hit the Poor - Katrina's New Underclass
2/11/06 Rupert Cornwell, Independent, Bush Lied Over Katrina, Sacked Head of Disaster Agency Says
Eric Lipton, NY Times, Key Documents Regarding the Government Response to Katrina
Posted by rowan at February 19, 2006 9:12 AM | [eMail this article!] |I promised myself I would keep my mouth shut for at least a month...damn! What with the usual foot dragging that goes on in congress unless the representative sponsoring a project is especially powerful or aligned with someone who is, the given problems with local corruption that seems to be genetic in New Orleans politics, the fact that the Bush Administration is struggling to confiscate every nickel and dime from anywhere it can to pay for its fiasco in the Middle East, and the glaringly grotesqueness that southern white Republicans driven by the need to finally win the civil war y driving the nation back into the middle or early fifties, are bent on the destruction (among other things) of the African American Race, it would seem their high ground stance would preclude their behaving so outwardly and obvious, but just when we credit them with brains, bingo, that is when they surprise us again! Crap! The longer we dally, boys, the more dead we will have on our hands we'll need to blame on someone else! And don't even look at me like I have disrespectively named an impossibility as the true culprit here!!!
Posted by: Ed at February 21, 2006 7:32 AMDon't tell us we only whine. We also provide solutions! There are only two high profile individuals, honest enough in all respects, honorable in their allegiance to the ideals of the Constitution, not some warped, divisive view designed to corrupt and void the freedoms of women and well fare of children, and who have proved their fidelity decade after decade. Vote Oprah/Nader on the Green Party ticket in '06! What is it with citizens who complain about crooks and exploitation, who refuse to vote for appropriate champions as their opposites, with the excuse they are beng practical? Oprah/Nader on the Green Party ticket in '06!
Posted by: Ed at February 23, 2006 2:54 PMSorry, I meant, '08.
Posted by: Ed at February 23, 2006 3:16 PMOh, nuts! We all know now the soil composition was one of the failures, so figure the cost of making it right and get on with it at a speed that will complete the entire project before the coming season! Nothing Else is RIGHT! There is no excuse for the criminal negligence of Federal entities declared ultimately accountable to save us from such disasters...Law Suits are not the way! Initiative in making it right NOW is the way! ...But if that doesn't work, sue their pants off!!!!
Posted by: Ed at February 23, 2006 3:44 PMThe new self evaluation the administraiton did of its response to Katrina sounds like the usual pap. Why aren't we getting reports on toxic chemical and mold levels out of the area? Why aren't we hearing what has happenend with water supplies and sewer systems? Why is New Orleans having to beg for international funds to rebuild the city?
Looking at how ineffective the response CONTINUES to be with the Gulf Coast, is it really any surprise that after 3 years Iraq is still in tatters?
Posted by: Rowan at February 24, 2006 11:10 AMIf Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, and Cuba lined up to clean and fix New Orleans the right way and properly fortify it against something as monstrous as what might only be classified as a Category Six Hurricane, we might see a better response out of DC. They might even feel empowered to put a glass dome over the city and air condition it FREE IN PERPETUITY at a steady and comfortable seventy degrees!
Posted by: Ed at February 24, 2006 7:44 PM