As I watch on TV the evacuation and services being provided to the victims of the fires ravaging Southern California, by the local, county, state and especially the federal government, I can’t help notice: You have two disasters of similar destruction, as well as the number of people being displaced. But the discrepancies linger between what was available in New Orleans after Katrina and what is now available to the residents of San Diego and vicinity.
Four days after the fires began, I see basically everything under the sun becoming available to the evacuees, from food, clothes, medical services to even the mundane things like yoga therapy, stress relaxation sessions, children’s play areas and nursery areas, it’s much like a festival setting at QUALCOMM stadium.
Four days after Katrina, the sense at the Super Dome was much more like a morgue, people going without even the most essentials of items, begging for food, water, medical treatment. Nowhere did one see yoga therapy, stress relaxation sessions, children’s play areas and nursery areas.
In both situations you have the governor of each state declaring a state of emergency on the first day of the disaster. But in California, within three days you have President Bush in with boots on the ground and in New Orleans after three days you have President Bush just flying over the devastated area.
I would venture a guess that more than two years after the fires, you won’t see victims’ still living in toxic FEMA trailers, still trying to get the insurance companies to pay for repair or replacement of homes and belongings.
I can’t help but think that the biggest difference is that San Diego is basically white and affluent and the residents of New Orleans were black and poor.
David S. Lindsey
Marysville
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