Spike Lee's doc on Hurrican Katrina was broadcast this week. A very sad story that makes you wonder about America's priorities. A year later and New Orleans is still a disaster zone. They are still pulling bodies out of the rubble. FEMA has been almost completely useless and the Army Corps of Engineers are revealed to have been completely incompetent, a fact which they admit. Not only was their engineering faulty, their execution was worse. For comparison the doc shows the sea wall protecting Holland. The US system is embarassing to say the least. The citizens of NO are very angry with the Federal government. The doc stated that 20% of US natural gas is extracted off the coast of Louisiana but the state gets nothing because the rigs are outside the three mile limit. The Feds get it all. The concept of "United States of America" seems a misnomer - it's everyone for themselves with the rich states looking out for number one.
Those that stayed behind have to hassle FEMA every day to get the promised portable trailers. Insurance companies have been weaseling out of their obligations - you had hurricane insurance but you're not covered because your house was destroyed by water, or the other way round if you had flood insurance - it was the wind.
I logged on to the Katrina Disaster relief board to see if things had improved, but apparently the foot-dragging is still going on. The people FEMA evacuated have now been cut off from further assistance, but they are still homeless.
Seems to me like Americans should be outraged, but apparently a recent poll says a majority think New Orleans will never be rebuilt. I wonder if it was Manhatten Isalnd if everyone would be so compacent.
I checked US news broadcasts but they seem more interested in stirring the terrorism pot. Anderson Cooper is a total knob.
Those that stayed behind have to hassle FEMA every day to get the promised portable trailers. Insurance companies have been weaseling out of their obligations - you had hurricane insurance but you're not covered because your house was destroyed by water, or the other way round if you had flood insurance - it was the wind.
I logged on to the Katrina Disaster relief board to see if things had improved, but apparently the foot-dragging is still going on. The people FEMA evacuated have now been cut off from further assistance, but they are still homeless.
Seems to me like Americans should be outraged, but apparently a recent poll says a majority think New Orleans will never be rebuilt. I wonder if it was Manhatten Isalnd if everyone would be so compacent.
I checked US news broadcasts but they seem more interested in stirring the terrorism pot. Anderson Cooper is a total knob.
