A few days before Katrina hit land, I told my girlfriend Carrie that I had a bad feeling about this storm. Not only was it one of the most powerfull in decades, it was heading straight for some heavily populated areas. But what is happening now, in the aftermath of it all, is really ridiculous. The situation is just completely out of control. CNN reports that people are literally dying in front of them. Where the hell is National Guard, the military the government? Where the hell is Bush? I am outraged by the situation.
I was just roughly one year ago, when Carrie and I visited New Orleans and enjoyed it immensly. If you look at the footage now it is a city wiped out. What the Tsunami was for Asia, is Katrina for the US. A huge disaster that will have a long lasting impact on the whole area.
It is amazing how fast anarchy hits the streets in these areas. Looters everywhere (don’t get me wrong: people need to eat and drink!), gunfire, fires and no law and order to do anything about the situation. I can not understand why the US government is so damn slow! They can have the military at the other end of the world within 24hrs but somehow they are not able to help their own citizens.
Now here is another observation about all this: look at all the photos and footage on CNN and the other news. 99% of all people are Afro-Americans! I spotted just a few caucasians, but it seems like all white folks left town? And if you look at the footage from around Biloxi, you wonder where the town is gone. It is more or less wiped of the earth.
Living in Holland where we have such a moderate climate (for how long?) all this natural disaster stuff is so weird. Sure, we have some storms here, but nothing like this. We have no hurricanes, no tornados and no earthquakes. Living in certain areas of the US seems just gambling with your life.
Another thing that I never understand about the US (or at least the parts that I have seen: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama) is the way people build their homes. In Holland 99% of all houses are built of bricks everythign else is built with concrete that is reinforced with steel. Instead it seems like the majority of houses in the US are build of flimsy wood. Even in areas that are known for storms and tornados.
Sure, building like that is relatively expensive. But how does that compare to the cost of having to rebuilt homes over and over again? Another thing: the majority of electricity lines in Europe are not above ground but are underground. Hardly any stupid wooden electricity poles here, that can be hit by lightning cars and storms! In about 8 years that I have lived in Almere I have had maybe 5 power outtages and they all lasted a few seconds!
Anyway: my heart goes out to all those poor black people that seem to have been abandoned by that idiot of a president. All the troops, including reserves, are all the way across the world in a country that neither needs or wants them there. They could have made a difference at home in this dire situation. But some idiot opted otherwise.
Let’s pray that the nighmare ends soon.
Katrina heading straight for New Orleans and Biloxi: