An American Refugee Crisis
Yesterday I saw tv footage of New Orleans residents huddling around the Superdome. I also saw footage of a family walking along a road in Mississippi. The family was fleeing their drowned suburb.
The Katrina victims’ evident anxiety reminded me of the worry and fear on the faces of refugees I enountered along the Uganda-Congo border in Fall 2002. Those refugees had fled fighting in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). If not for the UNHCR and western aid organizations (mostly US, British, and Canadian), and the willingness of the Ugandan government to allow them sanctuary, the refugees I saw in Uganda would have died.
I’m not drawing a one-to-one comparison between Katrina’s victims and central African refugees. War drove the Congolese into Uganda; Katrina is a natural disaster. The looting in New Orleans, while viciously criminal, is dwarfed by the anarchy and murder afflicting central Africa. In these Third World tragedies information usually moves on foot; Fox and CNN only show up if there’s combat. All too often there are no medical and food supplies, or relief is weeks away, at best. The human waves really have no place to go; they wash from one poor country to another. America has infrastructure, abundant supplies, logistical capacity, a plethora of means combined with the will to act. Forgive the pun, but our media have now flooded the disaster area. However, at the level of human suffering the comparison is apt, instructive, and illustrative.
We’ve a million people dispossessed and they are suffering. Critics grouse that the response to Katrina’s devestation has been abysmally slow. Compared to what? Slow compared to our expectations is the correct answer. Compared to every other nation on the planet, we’re moving at warp speed to address a natural disaster of extraordinary magnitude.
Watch what happens over the next week, as American aid organizations, religious groups, and willing individuals act. America’s great wealth is matched by its generosity. America is responding decisively to Katrina’s tragedy.
Yes, I spent all yesterday establishing volunteer networks in Houston. The response has completely overwealmed relief agencies. I think the problem is no one has the manpower or mindset to get around the problem that at least 25,000 refugees are coming here (to Houston). But at the grass-roots level, we are organizing rapidly.
Comment by Rob — 9/1/2005 @ 12:31 pm
I’d say that most people haven’t really thought about this kind of situation enough to have expectations. By default, we are comparing against perfection, i.e., everyone is taken care of immediately.
Comment by tjk — 9/1/2005 @ 12:59 pm
I wonder if our skill at handling our numerous smaller scale disasters lulled us into a state of complacency. We assumed that systems were in place to handle much larger events when in fact they were not. New Orleans seemed especially unprepared even though experts have been warning the city for decades that this disaster was looming. I am sure we will handle the problem better than anyone else but that doesn’t mean we could have done even better with more careful planning.
Comment by Shannon Love — 9/1/2005 @ 1:02 pm
[…] some more clear-headed thinking, see Glenn Reynolds’ MSNBC piece here, and check out Austin Bay’s smart piece. Confederate Yankee has Hurricane preparedness tips since we ARE at the beginnin […]
Pingback by The Anchoress » Okay, this is just disgusting (updated) — 9/1/2005 @ 1:57 pm
I picked a couple of Catholic churches at random in the center of the devastation. It may take a bit longer, but this thing is going to take years to recover from. Over the coming months, it’s going to take every resource and agent of good will in the region to get people back on their feet, and certain organizations such as the churches, the Salvation Army, and others are real rubber to the road organizations. Americans have, more than most, always been there for others. The difference is that our society is based on ideals. God bless them all… matt
Comment by matt holzmann — 9/1/2005 @ 1:59 pm
Shannon: perhaps more careful planning would have helped - or maybe not. The thing about disasters is that they never go according to plan.
Comment by Alfred Centauri — 9/1/2005 @ 2:38 pm
Katrina: Logistics Everyone in the MSM is pounding on the idea that too little is happening to clear New Orleans and help the trapped people. The problem is that the damaged logistics system is complicating matters…
Trackback by EagleSpeak — 9/1/2005 @ 3:51 pm
The response has been slow compared to the American response in other big disasters. You can be a contrarian under the guise of pragmatism — but the federal response is inexcusable. Many on all sides of the fence will agree. See this excerpt from the Wall Street Journal today: The scene was starkly different in Florida a year ago, after Hurricanes Charley and Frances roared in. Then, federal agencies pulled off a tour-de-force rescue, quickly pouring in billions of dollars to help distressed residents and more still after two more storms, Ivan and Jeanne, followed. President Bush visited the scene within 48 hours. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the president’s brother, took personal responsibility for managing much of the relief effort. While Floridians experienced delays and frustrations, FEMA generally received high marks. Tractor-trailers with ice, water and other supplies waited at the state border until the storms passed and then rushed to the hardest-hit areas. National Guard troops were on the scene quickly directing traffic, keeping looters out of damaged neighborhoods and throwing ice in people’s car trunks. Aid stations opened to serve food and take applications for cash grants. The Bush administration said yesterday the federal government is responding just as quickly and effectively now. President Bush cut short his vacation and flew over damaged areas by airplane yesterday. At a news conference in Washington, Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, stood with three other cabinet chiefs and military brass to tick off federal actions under way.
Comment by Stama — 9/1/2005 @ 9:23 pm
When this slows down a bit and the relief starts flowing and agencies are doing their bit…someone needs to grab the Mayor of New Orleans aside and arrange a private chat with Dubya. Where…Dubya could ask him…’OK, you got a better idea, I want to see it. Otherwise, just shut it.’ The mayor is a classic example of the whining, spoiled American the world sees…and his subjects are no better with the looting and lawlessness they have demonstrated.
Comment by GZ Expat — 9/2/2005 @ 7:41 am
Hopefully the hurting will quit shooting at police and helicopters and aid in organization that will allow for aid and h help and water and food and evacuation. You can plan and organize all you want, but if masses act like rabid animals all the organization in the world cant function! Not that there is an immediate solution to mass behavior either… The “planning” for disaster should come in the form of people valuing people and being taught that human life is precious and valuable, that Thou Shalt Not Kill and other such teachings should NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF Public places!! Selfishness should not be touted as a virture. Violence should not be sported as a game (perhaps these ones shooting at helicopter view it as the ultimate video game…?) The culture has taught people to look out for number one and to value material goods and to take care of only yourself. We want the government out of our personal lives (until a disaster and then they better well rescue us!) Where is the balance? Where are morals? Was there mass looting and shooting after 911? I didnt hear about it? Was it total and utter chaos after the Florida hurricanes?? I didnt hear about shootings and lootings and all of it. This is the U.S. not some sub-educated jungle someplace… I am amazed but not surprised. As we strip humans of their worth and quit valuing teachings that educate people on how to value one another - what do we expect? bK
Comment by b Kovac — 9/2/2005 @ 12:45 pm
The response has been a national disgrace, god forbid we have a major terrorist attack outside of NY or DC as the country is woefully unprepared. Bush should have less vacation and do more work and as for Condi laughing it up at a comedic play and buying thousand dollar pairs of shoes, surely there is something she could be doing? Let’s not even mention Cheney who is still on vacation!
Comment by Jayne — 9/2/2005 @ 3:10 pm
What do you expect? The mayor of New orleans, Ray Nagin, has approached this disaster with all matter of whining comments and demands that the federal government do this and that. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (search) lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio …
Trackback by GZ Expat, Part II — 9/2/2005 @ 6:22 pm
Some good came of Katrina (inspirated to help the best I can): I have made a customized search engine that links only to crisis situation type websites (like relief aide, evacuation planning, crisis management, etc), see http://www.CrisisSearch.com … This niche portal was made after the Katrina devastation and hopefully it will assist humans in/during the next disaster….
Comment by Search Guy — 9/15/2005 @ 2:39 pm