It's Katrina's One Year Anniversary

At the rate I'm writing this post. We will be recognizing the second anniversary before I finish. One year has passed since the hurricane Katrina reeked havoc in New Orleans. So much attention has been paid to the "Ninth Ward". The "Gulf Coast" often gets lost in the shuffle. Several cities on the Mississippi coast line were completely destroyed. Not to underscore the plight of the people of New Orleans. They were definitely devastated. Let's not forget the other victims though. Actually the storm hit them just as hard, if not harder. It left behind disaster unlike any storm before. There wasn't a blueprint to follow, and there won't be either. Man doesn't have a plan to circumvent God. This was a natural disaster. I'll try and give a overview, of what I've seen to this point.

Obviously the mentality of the leadership in New Orleans hasn't changed, in the last year. We are constantly reminded of the breakdown, in the lines of communication.Just the other day Mayor Ray Nagin made another unsubstantiated claim. Like the levees being purposely blown. Or this administration doesn't care for Blacks. He has made a habit of doing this. What happens every time he makes these type statements. One thing becomes painfully clear. He hasn't learned from his past mistakes. He continues to stick his foot in his mouth. His inappropriate comments only highlight his incompetent leadership. His comments about the Twin Towers being a hole in the ground. Were without merit, and in poor taste. I agree there is a lot of blame to go around. But it doesn't go beyond the Louisiana state line. The ball was initially dropped by Gov. Katherine Blanco. She took a gamble with people's lives, and she lost. Mayor Nagin didn't make it any better. He hesitated as well. This wasn't the first time this issue has arose. It just never came to past. Truthfully the "Big Easy" was built in a bowl. That's what eventually happens, when you build a city in a swamp. That sounds cold, but that's the truth. The "blame game" sounds better I suppose. The fact of the matter is. Federal government doesn't supersede the state and local governments. They play a supporting role. President Bush had visited the area and given his approval, two days ahead of time. Regardless of what the political pondents would have you think. The Bush administration isn't responsible for the mess.

The hurricanes other victim is the "Gulf Coast" cities in Mississippi. There is so much talk about New Orleans, and their hardships. The damage done to other places often goes unnoticed, by the general public. Some of them were leveled completely. There seemed to be more wind damage, as opposed to floods like in Louisiana. But they suffered from them both. Many of the newly built flourishing casino towns. The cities of Bay St. Louis, and Biloxi to name a few. Were left in virtual splinters. They have to be built over from the ground up. Just the opposite of the Governess of Louisiana. Governor Haley Barber has publicly praised the assistance provided by the federal government. The residents of Mississippi seem to have taken on a totally different attitude. I think the people of the "Gulf Coast" have become accustomed to rebuilding after devastating storms. For many of them this is old hat. It has all happened before. They have learned to turn lemons into lemonade. By making the best of a bad situation. The government is going to spend a proposed $30 billion in the rebuilding effort. Those areas affected will have a built in economy of sorts. Everybody that wasn't working. Will be able to find employment now. From the Accountants doing the bookkeeping. To the bands playing Zydeko music. This is a monetary windfall. The residents of Mississippi are more focused on their piece of the pie.

Though everything after the fact is hindsight. Some people seem to know exactly what should have been done. Michael Brown and FEMA, seems to have taken the biggest hit. If your complaint is they didn't safeguard our tax-dollars you have a legitimate case. The major complaint is they didn't show up soon enough. And didn't help much once they arrived. Since they have fraudulently dispersed $2 billion. Obviously for some they came too soon. To sum it all up. Some things weren't done correctly, and others were. If you are one of those directly affected. Of course they haven't done enough. If you are one of those who abused the system. They have done too much. Let's pray to the only one, that can really make a difference. And hope if it happens again, we'll be better prepared. To do whatever we can.