"The apartment my wife and I lived in was
destroyed by the Northridge earthquake in 1994. I
remember saying, `We can't ever look at somebody
standing on their rooftop waiting to be rescued after a
flood, shake our heads, then change the channel to watch
a "Friends" repeat, ever again,'" said
Michael Laskow, CEO of TAXI.com.
Laskow is right. What was once something that
happened in mostly Third World countries has now
happened in America.
Those who had the money and the means to evacuate
before Hurricane Katrina's storm surge hit the Gulf
Coast have nothing to go back to. Those who hid in
shelters or in their homes are still suffering and
dying. Food, water, medicine, clothing and other
essentials are not getting to the survivors fast enough.
President Bush announced he would enforce zero
tolerance toward looters. To have zero tolerance in such
uncommon circumstances is cold-hearted. What are these
people supposed to do?
By the third day after the water stopped rising in
New Orleans, there still weren't any supplies being
dropped into the downtown area. Hundreds who weathered
the storm at the Louisiana Superdome suffered intense
heat, starvation and people dying in the next aisle. Can
you honestly say these people should remain calm? I know
I would be at my wit's end if I were enduring such
atrocities.
With more than 60,000 people to evacuate safely from
New Orleans alone, it's no wonder people quickly
succumbed to panic. Desperate people do desperate things
at the thought of being left behind to die. People in
the Superdome and survivors trapped and awaiting rescue
couldn't help but feel abandoned. The elderly, people
with disabilities and children are the first to die.
With a depleted National Guard, it's no wonder things
got out of hand.
The absence of Guard units shipped to Iraq and
Afghanistan made a difference in lives lost when the
hurricane hit. The White House said it had enough
personnel to handle this disaster, but it is just
fooling itself. The National Guard is needed at home.
Meanwhile corporations and private citizens are
donating cash, goods and services to the three states
left in ruin. CNN.com has published a list of
contributors, and it grows longer every few hours.
"The federal government will do its part, but
the private sector needs to do its part, as well,"
Bush said. The president has no choice but to ask the
private sector because government budgets have been
slashed so deeply. The biggest corporations were among
those giving the smallest amounts. Only two oil
companies initially offered help. Corporations that
claimed record profits were giving paltry amounts and
were asking their employees for their money, too.
Katrina has taught America a valuable lesson: We
cannot help others at the expense of our own people.
McKee, a wheelchair user, is an Albuquerque
writer, poet and producer. You can e-mail Barbara
at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
