Where Do We Go from Here? Afterthoughts

It is going to take a very long time for Katrina victims to rebuild their lives and establish some kind of normal existence. The figures I'm hearing are that over all three states, there is an area of 90,000 square miles devastated by flooding and somewhere around 775,000 people who are completely displaced by the storm. That means that they have no home, no job, no income for cash flow and in many cases none of the basic needs for existence. This doesn't even cover the medical and psychological backlash or the grief over lost family and friends.

Like everyone else, I was completely shocked and mortified by the slowness of our Federal Emergency systems and the National Guard to respond. I could understand the difficulty in getting in to the sites that were affected by deep floodwaters, but what I never understood is why we didn't see them dropping food and water by air long before they got there physically. I'm interested to see how the government justifies their actions both before and after the storm hit the coast.

Unfortunately, a disaster like the recent flood is often the primary instigation for a new way of thinking about the interdependency of human beings all over the earth. It seems that we (collectively) are unable to grasp the importance of strong social and governmental infrastructure as it relates to long term survival until we either experience or are threatened with imminent death and destruction. As long as the "Nintendo" is working, we have the luxury of complacency, self absorption and withdrawal from the human problems that surround us. However, when the technology is suddenly interrupted by an inexplicable "Act of God", our eyes are flung wide open, our minds are overwhelmed and our hearts are laid raw with sorrow for what has been lost in the wake of our apathy.

Personally, I would contend that this is not an act of God, but a failure of man to be faithful to humankind and to act in a responsible way to a known impending disaster. Without pointing fingers at anyone in particular, I will say that the agencies, the oversight officials and the committees of both National and State governments that appropriate funds to avert disaster and ensure the infrastructure have all failed in the most miserable and obvious sense. In the richest country on earth, American Citizens died while waiting for water, food and medicine. While the media emphasis is now being spun toward the positive actions that are being taken, we must not forget what a difficult and rocky road it was getting to this point.

I agree that the proportion of this event and the logistics of servicing such a large area with disaster relief is more than anyone would have imagined. However, there were experts who predicted this exact catastrophic effect months (years?) in advance of hurricane Katrina. I assume that our government paid for these studies and then took an educated risk based on statistics that determined their inaction. I also assume that because the levies had held in the past, arguments were posed that the money for this infrastructure would be better spent elsewhere. I wonder if we looked at the list of priorities for those funds today if we would come to the same decision. I think not.

Americans and the American form of government need to be accountable going forward. For citizens, that accountability will come in the form of arriving at the polls fully educated on the records of officials to be elected and fully aware of the impact elected leadership has over our lives. It may also mean taking personal responsibility in the form of donations or volunteerism to provide relief for those already affected by past events. For the United States Government and local governments, accountability is the only way to recover the trust and support of their contingency. This goal can only be accomplished by an unprecedented bi-partisan commitment to rebuild what has been lost, honor those who have lost their lives and commit funding to prevent any similar disasters in the future. Compromise should be a word that is laid aside in our political vocabulary until these goals have been accomplished.

So,how should we act going forward? We should act with care, with compassion, with love and concern and without blinders. This Bible Verse expresses our obligation well:

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12

Don't play the blame game; just try hard to carry your end of the load.

Paula