Do you think that Katrina has changed the US?

[catherine]

I've just been reading various replies to a question posed by the BBC news on their website to this question:

"What will be the lasting effects of Hurricane Katrina and what can be learnt from the response? In the world press, commentators predict that Katrina will make a profound change in the way the US is perceived at home and abroad, especially following the scenes of poverty and racial divisions they believe the disaster has revealed. How has Katrina changed the US?"

I wondered what people here think.

 

[bicker]

I suspect the "change" will last until after the third threatened hurricane, that folks take extreme precautions for, that doesn't materializes or veers off-course and as a consequence does little if any damage.

 

[Planogirl]

I wonder...

I know that my own attitude has changed as I see how certain people are treated. I don't know what the answer to poverty is but I can see how large the line is between the haves and have nots now.

 

[Viking]

First the negative:
Katrina has definitely changed the perception of the USA in the rest of the world - at least in the part where I live.
The 'Mightiest Nation On Earth' reacting on a disaster like this with helpnessless, with obviously no plan before it and after it.
But even worse for America's reputation was the outbreak of crime, greed, and violence in the aftermath of Katrina.

Then the positive:
The Americans have seen that in spite of their present adminstration's attitude they still have lots of friends in the world. So many nations and people from allover the world offered help, money, goods, etc.
Perhaps this will also help to creat more humbleness towards nature. Especially in regard to the USA's waste of energy due to oversized vehicles and insufficient insulation of their homes. The rise of energy costs after the hurrican will hopefully make people more conscientous towards conservation.

And last, but not least: Scientists link the rising numbers of storms to the rise of temperature, which is also linked to the Greenhouse-Effect. So perhaps this may make some people think about the Kyoto-Protocol.

 

[BuckNaked]

I would hope that there will be changes in the way we prepare for and respond to hurricanes. But as bicker said, after the first couple of non-catastrophic storms, many people will forget.

As for will it profoundly change the U.S. overall? No, I don't think so, and I hope not.

 

[agnes!]

Hurricane Katrina reminds me of September 11th.

agnes!

 

[ThAnswr]

I think there's a profound change in the US. I think we've direction from being narrowly focused on terrorism to looking at problems in the US.

I think Katrina is too new to really see the changes, but there's been a change of direction.

 

[gina2000]

I think there's a profound change in the US. I think we've direction from being narrowly focused on terrorism to looking at problems in the US.

I think Katrina is too new to really see the changes, but there's been a change of direction.

I know I'm focusing on this. We have infrastructure problems in every older city in the US. We've ignored them. It's time to make US whole again. And the question of poverty and the working class poor is on my agenda.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

I think more coastal city & towns will review their infustructure and disaster plans more critically.

Impact on poverty and race issues = zero.

 

[brerrabbit]

I think that we have uncovered some of the problems we really knew we had all along. Lack of emergency response for major events, the reality that poverity does exsist in America and that we as a nation have our problems. However on the positive side we have shown that despite the problems in a time of disaster we as a nation can and do respond in the American spirit. There has been a huge outpouring of support in terms of money and supplies. We may be down but we are certainly not out. The rest of the world may wish to perceive the problems as a weakness but I think they should not ignore our spirit because at the end of the day that is what makes us great.

 

[AllyandJack]

Something I knew for a long time was confirmed: never depend on the government. They don't care. They're not going to help you. If it's not an election year, good luck to you!

I was also very touched by the outpouring of help from other countries. There are times when I feel very alone....as if nobody in the world cares what happens to America. Thanks to the wonderful countries all around the world, I don't feel that way anymore.

I'm also very touched that so many average Americans reached into their pockets and donated money, food...whatever. Even if it's $10. Even if it's a can of soup. That's amazing. We don't see colors. We don't see economic status. The problem is that the people in charge (on both sides of the aisle) are only concerned when they're up for re-election. Now, because they're all a bunch of goons, average Americans are being painted as racist. In fact, average Americans are doing everything they can to help our fellow citizens - no matter their race or economic status. I'm proud of my fellow Americans and grateful to every other nation. I'm horribly disappointed in my government, but that's just par for the course.

 

[Crankyshank]

I hope it's changed the country and will force the politicians out of being so single minded about issues. For so long it seems we've spent all of our efforts (and a lot of our $$ ) on what's happening overseas and fighting terrorism on foreign soil when we should have been doing more to help ourselves on our own soil.

If anything this issue has shined a huge spotlight on how much poverty really is a problem and our infrastructures are a colossal mess. Sadly I think it will be forgotten before any good really comes of it. I hope it stays in the minds of enough people with the gumption to press their politicians to pay attention to issues in their local area so it doesn't happen again somewhere else.

I also think this tragedy has shown us that despite our disagreements and political strife, we still do have many friends across the globe and the world really isn't as hung up on self-entitlement as I often think it is.

 

[barbarabini]

Yes. This hurricane , I believe, has changed many citizens in the US.

For the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of shame in how our fellow citizens have been treated.

The complete and utter breakdown of services at the local, state and federal level speaks of incompetence at each level. The local officials knew the abject poverty in which 30% of their city lived, yet they ordered a mandatory evacuation without making the arrangements to move them out of the city using local assets (school buses and city vehicles). They provide a "last refuge" without the basics of food, water or security. Parents were forced to send their children on helicopters alone in the hopes that they may be saved. Shame on them for treating their citizens in this manner. This would not have happened in NY.

Shame on the state for their failure to take control of the situation and their treatment of New Orleans as if it was a red headed stepchild of the state. Their inability to grasp the unsafe, unsanitary conditions was incredible. However, their inability to yield any control to the federal government and military in order fix the problem was and is mind boggling (as is their complete inability to be in step with local officials).

Finally, shame on the federal government for not recognizing the problem in New Orleans and showing up way late to the problem. The federal goverment's inability to make coordinated decisions, their inability to negotiate with local and state leaders to demonstrate a coordinated effort, and the complete and utter lack of resources and leadership is incredible and extraordinarily scary.

After watching those dehydrated starving children on TV, those parents who have been separated from their children and the largest mass migration since the settling of California, I am ashamed that even one US citizen had to go through this nightmare.

If there was a word that was never used in conjuntion with the US, it was incompetence. However, it is the only word that can be used to describe what happened. This hurricane wasn't a surprise, it was forecast. Assets should have been moved to high ground, people transported and US citizens provided with a high level of services.

What is scariest to me is that emergency services are the one service on which I thought I could and may need to rely on this country for. I don't need govt aid for school or health ins or any other panoply of benefits it may offer. I pay my taxes and assumed that for that amount, I would be provided emergency services and security. There was a social contract here and it has been broken. I, for one, do not think that this country will ever be the same.

 

[ThAnswr]

Something I knew for a long time was confirmed: never depend on the government. They don't care. They're not going to help you. If it's not an election year, good luck to you!

I was also very touched by the outpouring of help from other countries. There are times when I feel very alone....as if nobody in the world cares what happens to America. Thanks to the wonderful countries all around the world, I don't feel that way anymore.

I'm also very touched that so many average Americans reached into their pockets and donated money, food...whatever. Even if it's $10. Even if it's a can of soup. That's amazing. We don't see colors. We don't see economic status. The problem is that the people in charge (on both sides of the aisle) are only concerned when they're up for re-election. Now, because they're all a bunch of goons, average Americans are being painted as racist. In fact, average Americans are doing everything they can to help our fellow citizens - no matter their race or economic status. I'm proud of my fellow Americans and grateful to every other nation. I'm horribly disappointed in my government, but that's just par for the course.

I would hope that the one good thing that comes out of Katrina is the realization that we get the government we demand. If government isn't working, it's doesn't work because we don't demand that it does.

We are the government and what the government does is a reflection of what we've told them to do. For far too many years, we've been told that government is the problem by the very people who are spending millions of dollars looking to get themselves elected to government. They tell us they're screw-ups and then we wonder why they turn out to be just that.

Maybe the next time some politician tells you government is bad and government is the problem, someone ought to explain to that politician that maybe they'd be happier in a private sector job and not in government and to leave governing to the ones who believe in it and will make it work.

 

[totalia]

I think that alot of things will be changing in the United States very soon. The fact that something this devastating happened with very very incompetant leadership has disturbed alot of people.

 

[Viking]

If there was a word that was never used in conjuntion with the US, it was incompetence.

That didn't change with Katrina, but with the election of Bush, unfortunately.
It started with his botched-up handling of the crisis with the US-spyplane that got shot down and forced to land in China.
He had a short momemnt of doing a good job after 9/11 (That is after 10 minutes of reading fairy tales in a grammar school ).
But with his unjustified war in Iraq -even C. Powell stated this just recently- he really showed that he is the worst president ever and spoilt the USA's reputation thoroughly.
He is not blame for Katrina, but he is surely to blame for leaving NO unprotected by cancelling funds for the Flood Protection Programme (Started in 95 during Clinton's presidency) to get funds for his private war in Iraq. And he is definitely to blame for his incomptent handling of the situation after Katrina.
A government can protect its citizens, when it uses its funds reasonable and has people with brains handling it. This was proven by the Stormflood in Northern Germany in the 60ies by our later Chancellor H. Schmidt, or during the 2002 flood in Eastern Germany by Chancellor Schröder. We may pay higher taxes over here, but we get our money's worth for it.

I hope that the US-government sees that there is a dire need for setting up a sufficient power supply for the country. America's electrical supply is hopelessly outdated, which was shown once more by Katrina. You need a fail-safe powersupply. Your dependence on oil is far too strong, even though you have oilfields you spend more of your National Growth Product (1.2%) on imports of oil than Germany (1.1%) although we have no oilfields and have to import 100% of our oil.
The European Union just asked the USA and China to save energy to prevent a further explosion of energy costs. i.e. there is no need to cool houses to below 70°F in summer, there is no need to use a 2 ton-car to commute downtown, houses can be built using energy-efficient technologies. I know from these boards that our heating costs are far below those of American houses although energy is more expensive over here, because we apply energy-efficient technologies. Let's hope that this catastrophe shows you that you're headed down the wrong way and have to change your attitude from wasting enmergy to conserving it.

 

[frozone]

Absolutely, this tragedy has and will continue to change the U.S. Just look at the huge numbers of evacuees who are moving to different cities...this is going to change schools, civic programing, cultural programing, voting demographics, and the list goes on. Some communities will take up the challenge this presents and come out better on the other end. Others will fight change and breed resentment. I hope most chose the former.

 

[JimMIA]

I think more coastal city & towns will review their infustructure and disaster plans more critically.

Impact on poverty and race issues = zero.

I would love to argue these points with my friend Joe. But my sense is that he is right on.

I'd like to think this would have an effect on the attitudes of fortunate people like us regarding poverty...but it won't. We will keep the attitudes we have and defend the status quo.

I'd like to think this would have an effect on the attitudes of poor people about being in, or getting out of, poverty...but it won't. They will defend the attitudes they have and retain the status quo.

I'd like to think it would soften the racists attitudes of haters of all colors...but it won't. They're comfortable in their hate -- why change?

What I really expect to happen is the left blaming the right, the right blaming the left, nobody looking at whatever real lessons there might be from this tragedy -- and everybody involved serving our own personal self-interest, whatever that may be.

But as far as change, what you will see is the obligatory "Katrina victims at Christmas" stories. Enjoy those, because they will be the last you will hear of Katrina. By New Years, Katrina will be "old news."

 

[crazyforgoofy]

Impact on poverty and race issues = zero.

I agree with Joe here. As much as I'd like to think that the huge gulf between the haves and the have nots in this country has been exposed enough for the average person to want to do something to make things better but I seriously doubt it.

 

[Puffy2]

After listening to Brian Williams on the Daily Show the other night (he was rather angry over the government's lack of response AND a trend that he is now seeing in New Orleans where the media are being restricted from certain areas because the govenrment doesn't want to be photographed in action - or lack there of - ie., censorship) -
I wonder if we will see a change in the media (which ,in my opinion, has sucked up to corporate interests and the Bush administration in the last few years).

If the voting machines weren't rigged we would probably see a significant change in voting practices in the next presidental election (but since I personally think that any state with electronic voting without paper receipts has been bought and paid for by the republican party...that might not happen.

Katrina will have a huge economic impact on all of us. Gas, groceries have already increased in price to the point that we can not afford extras. The travel and tourism industry will suffer, in turn leading to more lay offs in a time when unemployment is on the rise. The ripple effect is endless.

And I can see how if the lack of decent paying jobs continues for an extended period of time how some Americans will become more and more angry which will lead to unstability in the nation.

It's just one opinion, but in my view - this one event could have devastating effects on our nation.