Topic : 08/28 Hurricane Katrina: One Year Later

 I agree with so many of ya'll. From  the fact other regions were not covered,  recovery takes so much time, the government involment (including  FEMA) and so much more.

I Lived in Arkansas when the storm hit. So many people flooded up that way from all the areas effected. Many are still there. Many plan to stay. Its was a tradgedy as a whole. Many of my church members took in strangers, all the churches (with an exception of a few) all came together and fed the refugees.  This storm, and Rita effected so many more people than the people people who had to leave their homes.

I really don't see why a city who's most damage came from flooding because some idiots a few hundred years ago decided to build a city whose sea level is lower than the sea, then add on a retaining wall that was weak and the government telling lies about how well it would hold, would get so much more attention than the areas that were completely wiped out.

Now I can talk about the government, because I now live in Louisiana. The leaders of this state are not competent. I thought we figured that out a year ago. But look at who elected them. I hate to say this about a state that I live in, but this is one of the poorest educated, poorest ranked in everything. Enough said right?

Now I know rebuilding takes a LONG TIME! Most people have not understood that fact yet. A lot of people don't want to go back and rebuild their lives there. Some can't. Last I heard there are still some areas that are restricted. Thats because they are still UNSAFE.  There are so many more things to consider than just going in and rebuilding. most people couldn't afford flood insurance, so mant of those people wont be able to rebuild. The the toxin level is not safe for them to rebuild.So how can we expect everything to be almost on track to be getting close to how things were before?

Nothing will ever be the same! All the people who were devistated in the gulf coast will never be the same, their families will never be the same. Every place on the map that these people scrambled frantically to will never be the same.  I feel for everyone who was effected by Katrina, and Rita...and every hurricane that has existed, and will be to come.

Many things went wrong. There is no doubt about that. Some good has come out of it, but also a lot of bad. Its hard to grasp a concept of everything that went wrong that could have gone right, had there been different decissions. 

I want to say THANK YOU!!!! to all those who have helped in the Gulf Coast, are helping and will help there. I think those people should be thanked more often than they are. They are or worked so hard to evacuate, provide help, and help tear down these unrepairable  homes, and help rebuild the ones that can.

I think the reason this storm has gotten so much media coverage is because of everything that went wrong. Yes if the Mayor demanded everyone out, and actually provided the transportation to those who couldn't afford it, then more people would have srvived in New Orleans. We can only think now of the if onlys. Just as in any tradgedy.

 Hopefully everyone can learn from what went wrong. And I hope New Orleans can get things together, and since people insist on living there, I hope the levee will be rebuilt quickly, and be better than before, and can survive a cat 5.
Thanks for letting me say my piece

  I am very angry about all the coverage being on New Orleans.  I am a victim of RITA.  I am originally from Texas-also the Gulf Coast region I am REDNECK to the CORE.  Dr. Phil your a Texan why can't you see the other victims.  I lost everything there was nothing left except a concrete slab and peers.  My kids lost everything too, with my mental state they lost a mother too, my husband lost a wife.  My family is endanger of a divorce too, but what about us nothing!!!!!  No help now I am depressed crying all the time, broke trying to replace everything and can't.  Where is our help???  No where in sight that I can see.  People that can't see or understand my frustration---THERE WAS ANOTHER HURRICANE CALLED RITA.  WE ARE VICTIMS TOO.  Even though we aren't from New Orleans.

When people only know of Mardi Gras and the French Quarter - that shows that they don't have a clue what New Orleans means to the entire country. The Louisiana Purchase was because the city of New Orleans and now the entire area is the LARGEST PORT SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY. This means anything that the midwest needs or gets from areas outside of itself has to go through New Orleans. It also means that IF YOU WANT TO PUT GASOLINE IN YOUR CAR AND DRIVE without paying every dime to foriegn countries - you need New Orleanians and South Louisianas to do the work to bring oil out of the ground. HOW ABOUT FOOD - 40% OF THE COUNTRIES SEAFOOD COMES FROM LOUISIANA, COFFEE, SUGAR and RICE - DO YOU THINK OF NEW ORLEANS WHEN YOU DRINK YOUR CUP OF FOLGERS IN THE MORNING? Didn't think so. Please learn about your country's history before claiming the only things that come from New Orleans are beads and beignets. It upsets me that for 300 years this area has been doing everything to support a country asking for nothing in return. Everyone comes for the fun and leaves before the work starts. Last I checked, we're a part of this country, a big part. The media has portrayed us as a big party, they can't show how cities have disappeared because of the oil industry taking over. They can't show how the government has robbed our shores of oils, with barely a penny being given back to fix the damage. They don't show that New Orleans was one of the largest medical cities in the country. NO- THEY WANT TO SHOW WHEN TOURISTS VISIT AND SHOW THEIR BOOBS FOR BEADS. They don't show the historical or cultural aspect of Mardi Gras. They don't show that the Krewes do a lot of the community on their own dime. They don't show that the locals are Uptown watching the parades with families and friends like a 4th of July cookout. YOU WANT TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT NEW ORLEANS BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO SEE THAN WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING TO THIS COUNTRY. This was a man-made disaster admitted by the Army of Corp of Engineers - which is Federal not local. WHERE WAS THE NEWS MEDIA WHEN THE CORP ADMITTED TO THIS BEING A MAN-MADE DISASTER? Yes, your area evacuated, but would it have been the same if Katrina hadn't just hit the Gulf? Would it have been as successful if New Orleans & Louisiana hadn't created a CONTRAFLOW SYSTEM - WHICH NO ONE ELSE HAD? Our evacuation was the biggest and fastest ever. 1.5 million people made it out of this area in less than 40 hours, being surrounded by water on 3 sides.

I am sitting here watching the show,  disgusted that there are still families living in campers or nothing at all.  My husband works for Clayton Homes in Bonham TX and they spent last summer building a lot of homes to be sent to Louisiana for these people.  Well they aren't there.  50 of them are still sitting in Bonham, in the lot behind the plant, and there are many more sitting in Texarkana.  Why is FEMA not placing these people in Mobile homes?  People can not live is a small travel trailer.  These homes are fully furnished and ready to move into.  They need to go to the people who need them, not just sit in a lot collecting dust.

I've watched the show and wondered why these people aren"t happy with their trailers.  At least they got a place to go. I ain't never seen bigger bunch of crybabies in my life. When the depression hit nobody handed them anything they did what they had to do and they made it. People through history had always hard times, nobody said living in this world was going to be easy.  I'am sorry for those people but sometimes you've just got to do things for yourself. What happened to those people in other states that lost their homes?  I never heard nothing about if anybody ever helped them. What's going to happen if hurricane Ernesto hits Florida? Is anyone going to help them?Instead of complaining about  the trailer park where you live, why don't you do something about it?And also instead of complaining about how small and crowded it is which one of your family members would you like not to be there? And then to complain about something as small as mold really takes the cake, just use bleach. Quite simple. This reminds me of when Moses led the people out of  slavery and they still complained. They didn't count their blessings and spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness, be careful you don't wander around in the wilderness.

The Army Corp of Engineers, which is a Federal Government entity, has ADMITTED TO BEING THE CAUSE OF THE FLOODING IN NEW ORLEANS AND NOT HURRICANE KATRINA. Our levees failed because of design flaws from federal agencies. This wasn't just one city. This is an entire coastal area that was destroyed. There are many hurricanes and disasters all over the country and I feel deeply for you all because I know what our city has gone through. We aren't getting the help you think we are, only on personal, church and charity levels. The money has gone to FEMA, not the city of New Orleans. IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, CALL THE FOUNDERS OF NEW ORLEANS IDIOTS IF YOU WANT - BUT THIS CITY WAS CREATED AS PART OF A STRATEGIC PLAN TO PROTECT THE REST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER which includes every state all the way up through the midwest. Had it not been for the forefathers building where they did, someone else would have and taken control of thousands of miles land on both sides of the river. And then who know what the rest of the country would be today. This area still provides an outlet to the entire midwest and supports a country in many ways. I wish people take this disaster as a lesson on how the government tells us one thing and does another. The Corp has control over levees throughout the entire country as well as damns, bridges and other areas. They are what the entire country is relying on for protection and support. They failed the entire country - not just this one city or one state. You want to pick on New Orleans because it's an easy target. You see a city of sin or beads and Mardi Gras. We've been a hospitable city to everyone in the country. It's a tourist destination, a walk through history and all that. No one wants to learn about the real economic reasons for this city's existence. Remember back to last year and having lived just a few days without the city and region functioning and how it felt? It wasn't just gas and oil prices that spiked, fish, coffee, sugar, and material goods imported from other areas all went up. Why? Because New Orleans is the hub to America's trading with many other countries. Louisiana produces around 40% of the seafood and fish for the country. When winter strikes most of the country, where do wildlife and birds go? Louisiana. Where does oil come from? Louisiana. There are many reasons this state and the city are important in each American's lives. No, the people of Louisiana and New Orleans don't go out and brag about all their accomplishments for the country. They are a different type of people and aren't about being so competitive in big business and showing off. They are a kind and hard working people - they have created a unique culture that the rest of the country has taken in to their own in many ways. They haven't lost track of their heritage and cultures that were brought to America - instead finding ways to combine them and save them for generations to come. You would be amazed at all that has originated in the Mississippi River Delta. Take a moment in your day and think about the music you listen to, the food you eat, the car you drive, the place you live. See just how closely you are connected to the people of New Orleans and Louisiana. It's right next door in many ways. We are American's too - actually were here before America was born and we're still here and doing all we can to still be a part of a great nation. Don't forget we're all in this together. A man-made disaster can happen anywhere, not just here. We've taken the worst hit from this one. Many wetland areas were drained over centuries ago (Washington DC even), many are coastal areas, many are near water ways and can get rained on heavily. All these things combined to create a force that wasn't too big for New Orleans, and yet the level of protection the federal government promised this area wasn't actually what we got. (We believed them and are paying the price for being naive.) The hurricane didn't flood the city - it didn't hit New Orleans. Storm surge through man-made water ways that are constantly dredged for the shipping industry to have a shorter route into the port system - overtopped some areas but not all. These were levees and barriers created by the Army Corp of Engineers, not the local or state government. They caused the problems not mother nature. She only provided the ingredients to prove our government failed us. We just want to go back to a life without distruction and are doing everything in our power to rebuild. We aren't getting the money, FEMA was given the purse strings and CONGRESS controls the spending. They're paying out to contractors who back politicians and going way over budget on things that shouldn't cost so much. They're wasting American tax dollars to pay for things that never get to this area or help the residents of Louisiana.

I am so tired of hearing about New Orleans.  You never hear about the suffering on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.  I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and have friends and family that have gone through a lot worse.  You don't hear them crying and complaining, you see them working, and surviving!  Besides, Hurricane Katrina didn't cause the damage in New Orleans, the Levy's breaking caused the damage.  Yes, New Orleans was flooded, but the Mississippi Gulf Coast was FLATTENED & COMPLETELY DESTROYED!  There isn't enough focus on that!  Please stop talking about New Orleans, and take your story over about an hour to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and talk to those strong, wonderful people, and see what you can do to help them.

Thank you Cathy for telling it like it is!  The news media has sensationalized NO because of race.  They want to make a big deal that the President doesn' care about black people!  The inept mayor and the equally inept govenor get a free pass because of their political persuasion.  If they were republicans you bet it would be a different story.  I an so sick and tired of the news media blaming President Bush!

I have relatives that live on the mississippi gulf coast, they were to busy working to get their property in order to go for all the freebies.  They didn't whine and cry for the government to help them!

I also have relative that live in Houston and they are afraid to go out at night, because the No evacuees have caused such havoc in their city.

Yeah, worse things have happened to others, maybe.  But nothing worse happened to America!  New Orleans, one of the greatest cities in the world, the birthplace of so much of our culture, was ignored.  Maybe it's not so much about what happened, but what didn't happen.  What didn't happen is that no one responded, certainly not in time to save over 1,400 poor Americans.  This country has always been generous, and we've always taken care of each other.  That didn't happen here, and a year later, it's still not happening.

 

If we start rationalizing disasters, ending those rationalizations with things like "get over it", we're in trouble.  I'm an American well into my life, and I remember America the way it used to be.  What I'm seeing now has nothing to do with the old ways, and that is frightening. 

 

The people in New Orleans have been abandoned by the government, and recently it's been obvious that they've been abandoned by their insurance companies.  Most lost EVERYTHING, are being ignored and are still expected to "get over it".  They need us now more than ever. 

 

As far as forgetting it and moving on, maybe it will be easier for us to do that when they can do it.  America has always had a collective compassion.  It has not be responsibility, nor has it been guilt.  It's been the type of  compassion that comes with knowing we're all one on this planet.  I hope we don't forget Katrina, because it appears we need her to remind us what it is to be American.

After a year has went by, people every where still hurt for the unfortuntate souls in Louisiana. I for one am still in awe over the devistation that occured. I do not know if I would have the strength to pull through such a tragedy. As well, the rest of the coast had suffered. We don't hear much about the other states or cities that were devistated. How are they fairing? Are they rebuilding their lives and adjusting to the change? How are they financing the rebuilding that is necessary? How many lost husbands, wives, children, moms, or dads? I feel a great deal of sorrow for Lousiana, but my heart goes out to all who suffered along that coast line during hurricane Katrina.