The Thin Veil

I spent another 2 hours sitting outside sipping beer with Paula talking about... Katrina.

"I am absolutely disgusted," said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, watching a cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to the Reuters news agency. "After the tsunami, our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering. Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S., we can easily see where the civilized part of the world's population is."

This is from a New York Times article that discusses people's reaction around the US and around the world. There are two things going on with this disaster. First, how long it took for government support to get there. I'm pretty sure that mistake isn't going to be repeated as the political fallout has the potential to be quite large. Hey, in Chicago, mayors and aldermen have been kicked out of office for not getting snow cleared from city streets fast enough.

The other is just how quickly chaos overtook the city, and how quickly things degenerated once the framework of society collapsed (i.e. police, local gov't., communications). In my mind I can understand the basic looting. People are trying to survive after all, and that is a pretty powerful motivation. But the reported rapes and muggins in the stadium (or just being left there), or the shooting at rescue vehicles or helicopters flying overhead? That is something else entirely. I wasn't there, I don't really know what the people there are going through, but I can't imagine myself getting to that point. Is it that they are so scared they are firing at anything? Or something much darker? I hope some of the people stuck in there can write about what happened.

"Now, you got some knuckle heads out there and they are taking advantage of this lawless -- this situation where, you know, we can't really control it, and they're doing some awful, awful things. But that's a small majority of the people. Most people are looking to try and survive." - Mayor of New Orleans (read the transcript, it is quite something -- especially the end where the mayor says he is speechless).

And why just New Orleans? Some of it may be that is the only place we are getting news. However I suspect the countryside and small towns are not reacting the same way. Is this a generic feature of a large crowded city? That would suck; I love cities.

I'm living in a port city right now, Marseille. Geography means the potential disaster here is much less than in New Orleans but it got me to wondering how quickly would something like that happen here? What does it take to turn a collection of normal people going about their busy city lives into the chaos of New Orleans? In just 4 days.

You know it is bad when a seasoned reporter looses his cool (follow up). As Paula pointed out, however, it is good to see a senator confronted with raw emotion every now and then. I hope he isn't going to loose his job and the senator is understanding...

Comments

[ursula]

Hi Gordon,
I do feel genuinely shocked by what happens in New Orleans, Louisiana, the whole area touched by the hurricane. The picture painted in the media reveal a view of the US as a vulnerable country, with its enormous richness built on very non-solid grounds. I suppose that there are ways to built houses such that they can stand a hurricane, I suppose that levees can be maintained to prevent the flooding of a city, I suppose also that emergency scenarios can be established and be applied which do not leave thousands of peoples abandoned without the most basics supplies, but it needs money to be spent. And the richest country in the world is unable to do this? It sounds to me like the story of the three little pigs building a house. What is happening? Where is all this money going the US is generating? Apparently only in the pockets of a few rich ones or spread over pension funds. Why is the biggest economy not able to provide adequate security, infrastructure and aid in case of emergencies to the whole of its population? What is a state for? Why do we live in societies? Is it true that the people who couldn’t leave New Orleans have been asked to go to the SuperBowl and are now simply forgotten over there? How can one ever trust authorities again after something like this happens?
I am sure, that within the chaos of this disaster, there are people who are helping each other with a tremendous amount of true solidarity and empathy, which they will never forget as examples of humanity. Maybe the catastrophe is simply too big, such that any system would collapse; yet I think there is something more basic going wrong.

[jealous]

Hi Gordon,

Actually I take back my comment about looting (posted sometime ago). Of course there is criminal element, but it turns out it is not the major factor.

"Looting" - hungry / ill people taking food and medicine from shops. Thats no plazma TVs.!

There is humanitarian crisis in the good old USA that showed again who really matters. You were right, poor and sick and elderly were left behind.

- there is no backup diesel power generators
- hospitals were not evacuated IN ADVANCE
- those who do not have their own transportation were not evacuated IN ADVANCE

There was ample time to get these people outta there before disaster struck.

Emergency funds were cut. Leevy reconstruction money were cut etc. etc.

And all this after so much talk about "national security" and "preparedness" after 9/11. An you know what? Bush's rating is up 5%. Unbeliavable. "Now, watch my drive..."

[Michael Schmitt]

The outrage we all feel for the ineptitude of the US government and agencies is well justified -- Mr/Ms jealous makes good points and there are many more to be made...

One wonders whether New Orleans will ever recover, physically. The scars on society will certainly last a long time. I'm especially worried about the impact on race relations, which are never great in the US. Blacks certainly feel victimized and whites are angry about the looting and lawlessness apparently at the hands of blacks. That problem alone calls for a true leader at the national level...

You asked about the damage done to areas near New Orleans. Here in the US there has been some reporting on that. The physical damage is terrible, perhaps worse than in the city. People are not stuck to the same degree, and there certainly has not been criminal activities as in the city. It seems that the city creates special conditions, and not only ones that we like.

[claire bertiaux]

I said this morning that giving 500 000 kits alimentaires (how many rotations of planes...) it's means 1 per person for one day for the peoples of New Orleans was one stupid insult for every body...
Physicists: how many times did you said something since years about Theory of Chaos and fractales and so on , included the most stupid applications like insurance business, in parallel of the stupidity intrinsèque of the Theory?
Never. So fermez là maintenant, the Europe assure pour vous.
Here when peoples are poors they walk and owns bicycle. I know one man working in one restaurant who run with this during 15 km under the wind during the most big tempest we add.
I heard that peoples was dead because they did have money to put gas oil in the car: they have one car.
How many proposals for statisticals bilans relaying by your wonderful algorythms? Stanford invented google: what was the rôle of google in detecting on the road in the town? Google earth!!!
Incendies in Portugal, in Spain, inondations in Roumanie, Hongrie, Suisse, and we give the oil, the materials, the food. It is not my aim to refuse any help: j'ouvre des yeux ronds: Who think to the to morrow after the typhon of the Japan. Why the USA do need CAMIONS pour purifier l'eau;? Coming from Europe by planes? What will happen if all the logistique is for the USA at the beginning of one bad winter here.
What i don't understand, as i heard so much stupids assertions to the TV and the Radio is that peoples couldn't believed than a few days later they would be saved (except really true dangerous case). The pictures and comments were paradoxaux, and the electricity comes again to day! Only 259 deads..I heard that you wanted a lot of COUVERTURES: i phoned to journalists: Why couvertures at one hot temperature, why not LITS de camps: journalists said after: lits de camps..
I think that amphitheatres of universities are good areas to "acceuillir" all this peoples, researchers, you know perfectly you have there all conditions of life......
Better than the stadiums....So if you continue to talk about, go on to the end of yours ideas...
Ursula, my father said "the world is belonging to theses ones who get up early". Not the future: TOTIPOTENCE or OMNIPOTENCE?