The Voice

As New Orleans tries to clean up after Hurricane Katrina and brace for Hurricane Rita, many people in the country are busy playing the blame game, pointing fingers at who they believe is responsible for the inadequate response to the tragedy.

Some would like to blame President Bush or Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco or New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

Maybe they all share in the blame just like the citizens of New Orleans and the rest of us.

The fact is that no one was prepared.

After every disaster, people look for answers to why this happened and what can be done in the future to prevent this or at least deal with the disaster more effectively.

The problem is that you cannot plan for every disaster or there would not be any disasters.

Scientists are fully aware of the danger the San Andreas fault poses to California. So, what can the government do to prepare?

Evacuate San Francisco?

People would not be very receptive of that plan. The same people that, should an earthquake occur during their lives, will want to know why the government did not do more to prepare for the disaster.

During the last hurricane season, we watched as Hurricane Ivan and Charlie touched down and passed through Florida without severe damage or loss of life.

On FOX News, correspondent Sheppard Smith interviewed people partying on Bourbon Street as Hurricane Katrina hit the shore.

People were lulled into a sense of complacency about the danger the hurricane posed. There were people who warned that the levees in New Orleans would not hold. Their warnings may not have gone ignored, but they failed to produce a proper response and the people of New Orleans paid the price.

Naturally, the government officials and agencies bare more responsibility than the average citizen, but the blame cannot be placed solely on any one person.

Where were we prior to the hurricane when so many were warning that this could happen?

Why were we not out in the streets protesting, demanding the government do something to address the threat of Hurricane Katrina?

President Bush, Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin will have to shoulder the blame for the rest of us because they are leaders and that is what leaders do.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 23 2005. Filed under Our Voice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry