Does any of us really know how much of this was "avoidable" in New Orleans? The official "disaster plan" for the city recognized that tens of thousands would be unwilling or unable to leave. The official plan was to put them in the Superdome. This is what happened. There was neither the time nor the resources to do a house-to-house evacuation, forcing people onto buses--which probably would have left them at the Superdome anyway. And in this country, government would have been severely criticized for forcibly separating people from their homes. At worst--and it is pretty bad--the inadequate planning left the main evacuation sites woefully understocked, and I can't for the life of me understand why there wasn't a law enforcement presence assigned to each site.
If the storm had come and gone as it initially seemed to have done, things would have been OK. But it didn't. No one knew that the levees would break to the extent that they did, and I suspect that is how the Superdome and the convention center came to be without adequate supplies. But once that happened, delayed response was inevitable. I didn't really understand how difficult access is until I saw footage of the convoy moving through New Orleans. Those amphibious military vehicles were just barely above water. If those vehicles can't make it, what vehicle could?
In a situation like this, looting is a symptom that larger, and much more dangerous, lawlessness is erupting. I don't believe this is about protecting property, let along the interests of insurance companies. I believe it is about restoring, or enforcing, order in a chaotic situation. The people who are looting the tv's and jewelry and randomly shooting have at least some responsibility here. Food, clothing, toiletries--fine. I don't really blame people for breaking into the local supermarket. I blame them terribly for losing control of themselves to the point where they can't differentiate between survival and common thievery. And I have no interest in making excuses for common thieves. No one's survival depends upon grabbing as much free stuff as their arms can hold.
I must admit that Portia's statement, "I'm angry at the bad parents who let their children die while they protect the interests of insurance companies" makes me quite angry in turn. No amount of discomfort can excuse raping a child. Why is the United States government more responsible for that terrible crime than the rapist? What about being uncomfortable and anxious absolves the rapist of responsibility? When did the government become responsible for basic humanity? Similarly, I disagree with Vunil that the "rampant crime" in the evacuation sites was just "something that happened" and was "absolutely not their fault." If it's absolutely not their fault, then who's committing the rampant crime? I am not blaming the victim, but I am making a disinction between victim and criminal. All the evacuees are victims--of poor planning, of natural disaster, of bureaucratic delay and incompetence--but some of the victims have taken to exploitation and violence, and I cannot explain that away. To do so would be to lump tens of thousands of decent, caring citizens in with a small number of inhuman monsters. And in my book, that's racist. That's saying that we should somehow not hold people responsible for their behavior because of their race, and that's a statement I will never make. But I am not saying Vunil explicity made that statement, I am just saying that the "it's not their fault" mentality can lead that way.
No one expected the levees to give as they did. No one expected the rescue to take as long, or be as complicated, as it is. I think that explains a lot about what happened, but it doesn't make what happened any easier to take. My heart goes out to people who are stranded in incredible discomfort and unsanitary conditions. But I do not excuse any people for behaving like animals, and I do not hold my government responsible for the fact that some of them do.
Everyone here is entitled to his or her opinion. We don't have to agree, and we won't. In adding my voice to the discussion, I am not attempting to shout anyone else down. I respect everyone's right to say what he or she thinks, and I hope they will extend the same respect to me.
daylily
