In Reply to: Indonesia Tsunami posted by rds1 on Friday, 2. September 2005 at 05:31 Bali Time:
There are no excuses for the lack of unpreparedness by the US Federal Authorities. (1) Dozens of hurricanes happen every year on the Southern coast, and New Orleans knew and feared for hundreds of years that a direct hit would happen sooner or later; (2) The Federal Government had several days of warning and did nothing (Bush was on vacation), to get ready the help which would be needed afterwards, although they knew the magnitude of the hurricane (5!); and finally the most important (3) the Bush administration has systematically decreased to a trickle over the last 5 years moneys allocated to repair and improve the levees, which were sinking, and provide additional pumping equipment, around New Orleans.
The State Governments of Louisiana and Mississippi asked people to leave New Orleans and the surrounding areas along the coast. Millions did. However, hundreds of thousand could not afford to leave, because they have either no money or no car, or both. Were they provided with some kind of public transport to evacuate? Of course not. We have spent more than US$280 BILLION (and counting) to bring "democracy" to Iraq, but doesn't charity begin at home? Did you know that 14% of the population in New Orleans lives below the poverty level? This is in the great country of the US of A... Add to the picture the corruption of the local politicians in Louisiana (on par with that of the Indonesian officials) and you will understand the reasons for the horrendous aftermath of this catastrophe.